The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1917-07-26
HENDERSON HAS FEARS FOR FREE
 RUSS REPUBLIC
Difficulties Without Prece- dent Face Nation,
 He Says

London, July 26.-A great tragedy is being enacted in the life of the free Russian people, according to Ar tish War Council and representative of labor, who has ust returned from an extended visit to Russia. He is that unless the situation is handled with firmness there must be an inevitable disaster.
 MT. Henderson said, during the course of an interview today, that 1t was nothing less than a misfortune that the continuance of the coalition government, had proved impossible. The difficulties the government had to cope with were such as no other government ever experienced. It was impossible to convey anythink like an adequate conception of the extent to which the extremists dominated the life of the capital, demoralizing the army and navy, especially those units in close proximity to Petrograd.
 The true extremists, he declared, did not represent more than a small minority of the population. but such had been the spirit of terror exer- cised, together with their destructive influence over certain sections of the military forces that they had suc- ceeded in rendering a stable govern ment difficult, if not almost impos- sib1e.
 MT. Henderson considered that the most disastrous experiment of the revolution was the relaxation of dis cipline in the army and navy, coupled with the direct association of those services with the political and revo- lutionary propaganda The resump- ton of the offensive caused the exs tremists considerable annoyance, and, although they had the wisdom to re- main quiet while victories were being gained. it was generally recognized that they were waiting for an oppor- tunity for the move recently made with such disastrous consequences. eff Russia is to rise to the greatness of her possibilities, the forces of dis order must be resoiutely dealt with, '' lcontinued MT. Henderson. "The fu- ] ture,, judging from the recent past i is largely in the hands of the new Workmen's Soldiers Council elected by the All-Russia Congress, which represents a large section of, the com munity whose representatives are
 likely to become the dominant party in the Constituent Assembly"
 l The Russians said MT. Henderson were eXCeeQlnSly ANXIOUS concerning
 the conference of the Allies, including
 the United States, because they hoped
 it would enable them to announce
 that the war tfeaties had been revised
 in the direction of renunciation of all
 intentions inconsistent with their own
 declarations. They said frankly that
 they were etermined-keeping Con-
 stantinopIe in mind and having doubts regarding Mesopotamia-not
 to leave the settlement of the para.
 mount issues of the war to chance
 decisions of a meeting of diplomats
 Until this position was clarified, he doubted whether the whole army ol a majority of the moderate socialists
 upon whom so much depended, would give of their best for the successful l prosecution of he war.
 The Russian Socialists, he said, were strong advocates of an internationa conference. He discussed the subject with M. Tseretelli, Minister of Post.
 and Telegraphs, just before leaving
 Petrograd. M. Teretelli urged the i'm lportance of such a conference and O. Great Britain being represented.
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