The states-graphic. (Brownsville, Tenn.) 1???-1984, 1917-11-09
THE STATES-CRAPHIC
PUBLISHED EVERY FRIDAY
CoMpLAINT.

lKerensky is not so pleasing, so candid
or forceful as former speeches and dec
Ilarations he has made. His tone of
complaint against Russia's allies is not
warranted and it has a seeming sig
-nifcance that does not bode good for
the entente cause.
Kerensky complains that Great Brit
ain did not send a fleet into the Baltic
sea to contend with the German fleet
that recently menaced Petrograd. That
menace was all a feint and did no dam
age to Russia, but if it had been Sc
rious the Russian premier well under
stands that the narrow waters at the
entrance to the Baltic Sea are so laid
with mines and guarded by subma-
rines, and in such proximity to the
Kiel Canal, as to make extremely haz-
ardous any attempt of British war
ships or ships of any hostile nation to
Germany, to force a passage through
them. And the British fleet is needed
to maintain the blockade in the North
Sea.
Kerensky further says that Russia
was in the war eighteen months before
Great Britain was. That plainly begs
the question. Great Britain sent all
the army she had to the front at first,
and raised a new one as expeditiously
as possible. And as soon as the Brit
ish army had reached the point where
it could do effective fighting Russia
quit.
Russia has long had compulsory mil
itary service, while Great Britain kept
only a small standing army and relied
on volunteers. When the war began
the Car Nicholas boosted that he had
100000 soldiers. Half that number
now truly militant would win the war.
Russia declared war before Great
Britain did, and before it was known
that Great Britain would be a party to
the conflict. Great Britain made no
declaration until a German army had
invaded Belgium. In fact, the Ger
mans at the beginning laid the chief
blame for the war on Russia. 1t was
Russia that made the f%iercest and the
strongest protest against Austria's
threatened coercion of Serbia. Mel
thef Great Britain or France had any
special interest in the Balkans, but
Russia, because the people there are
Slavs, as the Russians are, and Of the
Greek faith as Russia is, has always
manifested strong interest in theirwel-
fare. 1t was Russia that liberated the
Balkan states from Turkish rule, and
in 1906, when Austria, contrary to
the terms Of the Berlin treaty, annexed
Bosnia and Herzegovina, Russia join
ed Serbia in violent protest, and would
have gone to arms to prevent it had
Germany not interfered in Austria's
behalf.
Russia has as much reason to fight
now as any other entente power has.
More of her territory is occupied by
the Germans than that of any other
country. Not counting Poland, they
have all of CORTLAND, one of Russia's
most valuable provinces, including the
important seaport of Riga, and it is
plainly their purpose to keep it.
To save her own national honor and
integrity and to prevent future attack
and humiliation, Russia surely needs
to fight, and beyond that she could de-
rive great profit from winning the war
Great Britain has offered her Constan-
tinople and the passage of the Darda-
n%elles, that would add greatly to her
commercial and economic advantages,
to say nothing of increased empire, if
the entente cause triumphs. That is
what Russia has long desired and much
needed.
Russia could win the var if she
would fight as we'll as the British and
French are fighting, Kerensky him
self said that in a speech before the
provisional parliament not a month
ago. He has done his best to induce
them to fight. All his efforts and pol