The Hartford republican. (Hartford, Ky.) 18??-1926, 1917-06-29
YOUNG WAR MINISTER LOOKED
UPON As HOPE OF NEW
RUSSIA.
IS A NATURAL LEADER
Has Marks of Bonaparte of Old and
Holds Confidence of the
People.

washington, June 24.-Tnat Alex
ander Kerensky, Russia's new war
minister, will become the Russian
Napoleon and lead her discouraged
armies to victories under a Dictator
ship like that which Bonaparte Great
ed in France 11S years ago, is the
growing conviction of students of
russian affairs in Washington who
are alive to the lessons of history.
Conviction that Kerensky will be
the Russian Napoleon is no fanciful
surmise, but the reasoned conclu-
sion of scholars who believe the de-
ra.opcment OF leaders is SHAPED by
The inescapabie current Of gteat
events.
I!cy see in Russia precisely the
conditions that oAisted in France tot.
lowing the r,rc!u''on and reason itS
~, cine must De 1T least similar
In 1893 the French directory,
which occupied q position analogous
TO The Russian provisional govern
mcnt, had lost The power which it
once possessed u:er the French peo-
I PIE,
France was surrounded by enemies
/ The french treasury had run. G's.
| The 81 my was STAR, ing and disorgan-
ized. Like the . an army it had
thrown off the old discipline and
soldiers were deserving by thousands.
Peace agitation filled the air.
Weary with long struggle and feel
ing it's independence was safely
guarded by the Rhine and the Alps,
the nation longed for peace.
The directory knew peace would
be suicidal but was pewerless to con-
tinue aggressive warfare until as
last resort Napoleon was placed in
charge of the armies of France just
as Kerensky was last week named &c
command the armies of Russia.
So much for similarity of national
conditions. Let US look now at the
men.
Like Kerensky, Napoleon had beer
one of the most ardent of revolu
tionists and strong antimonarchist
A follower of Rousseau, his pro
republican essays were written in The
same temper and with as great earn
estness as the fiery speeches OF
Kerensky in the duma.
When Napoleon took charge OF thu
armies to save France he had NJ
more idea of becoming emperor thai
Kerensky has.
Kerensky's great speech annuunc
ing re-establishment If iron discip
line in the Russian army sounds al
most. like an echo of Napoleon
speeches to the French armies o
1893
Even in features there is marked
resemblance bewteen the two.
1t is true Kerensky lacks militar!
training, but to-day victory requires
organization and consolidation of en-
tire nations, not mere groups o
soldiers.
This is a task for statesman, no
for a soldier. 1t was Lloyd Georg'
not a member of the British mill
tary staff who reorganized Grea
Britain for victory. For this tasl
the training of Kerensky admlrabl!
fits him.
And above all he has caught thi
imagination and captured the conn
dence of the Russian soldiers ans
peasants to the same degree as th'
Little Corporal held the French PEG
pie and its army enthralled by hi
courage and daring.
Out OF the volcanic upheaval o
every revolution some leader of over
whelming greatness has appeared.
Is it not reasonable to eXpec
that the Russian revolution will rui
true to form and develop its Napo
leon or it's Cromwell, in the person
of some genius as Kernesky who to
day holds in his hands the fate o
Russia and perhaps the fate of tn
entire world?