Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1917-09-20
RUSSIA WILL REMAIN
SAYS RUSSELL; ANY WH0AlMA AT
AUT0CRACY WILL FAIL MISERABLY
New Republic is Pulling Herself Togetter-Those Who
Try to Bring Back Old Regime WilIGo the
Way of Korniloff, He Declares.

refer to them when these various pipes
come forth from Petrograd about m
pending disaster, they can avoid mis-
leading their readers and what is more
important, avoid tangling still further
the relations between this country and
Russia.
Here are the facts:
l.. No matter what may come
along, IL there is any Russia at all the
plain people will rule 1t.
3. These plain people understand
very we'll the principles of democracy
and are absolutely determined upon
a thoroughly democratic system of
government.
8. They are not ignorant; they are
not irrational, they are not light head
ed aad th Ssn sSan0t b sn fSo knon ~ w anny
they want in government and II Ger
many does not get them before they
have time to pull themselves together
what they want is what they are GER
tain to have.
4. The governing power in the
country is not the wealthy and the
eminent but the National Council Of
Delegates, because this council repre-
sents the people Of Russia and their
will. Whoever wishes an indication
as to the course Russia will pursue
about anything need go no further
than the council, for this, speaking
for the Russian people, will always be
the last word.
1t is most unlueky that these facts
are lost sight of in this country. The
editorials and reactionary articles that
American newspapers print go straight
back to Russia and create there the
impression that America is hostile to
the Russian democracy and wants to
see it go down.
Intelligent Russians know we'll
enough that there are other peoples
in the world that are hoping to see
the failure Of the Russian experiment,
J but what was hoped for from America
was sympathy and understanding. In
stead of sympathy and understanding
a large part OF the American press is
handing to The Russian republic moth
ing u a choice assortment of hard
words and the hope that twill choke.
4 understand, of course, that for
some of this attitude of ours two fair
ly adequate reasons exist.
In the first place 1t Is tough for
some of us to support a government
conducted by plowmen. carpenters,
~blacksmiths and teamsters. But bit
ter as the pill may be we shall just
i have to swallow It in this case. bretfl-
rem. Because that is h only kind
Of government there 10 or will be in
Russia (unless Germany squelches it,
and Russia is our ally and it is vital
that line. Whether h holds it or
does not depends upon the will and
judgment of this government of plow-
men, carpenters, blacksmiths and
teamsters. We shall have to take
them to III hearts, therefore, no mat
ter how much our aristocratic souls
may revolt at the thought.
In the next place, some of us that
really want to sympathize with all this
have been disguised by what we be-
lieye to be the failure of Russia to re-
spond to the needs Of her allies and
do her share of the fighting. Six
months have passed since the reyolu-
ton, we say, and Russia hasn't begun
to fight yet.
Hence we are pleased to say that
1.-THE Russians must be flabby and de-
fcient in fighting quality. We say
that their long delay is assisting the
common enemy and are bumptiously
confident that they must have a dic-
tator TO keep them in order and SO
forth.
six menths--yes. Well, almost
three years passed before this country
got ready to fight. I don't know what
right we have to throw bricks ut q
months. The American casualties in
the war so far, including those MUIR
H dered. on the Lusitania are about 400,
The Russian casualties to date are is
100000 When we have suffered In
proportion we nay with propriety talk
OF the slackers in other nations.
Russia has undergone the greatest
revolution and internal c%onyulsion In
history. AS rapidly as possible she is
pulling herself together. The Ameri-
can press is not giving her any help
on the job, blu she IS doing 1t any
way.
And as for assisting the common
enemy, let me tell you something.
There is nobody In Russia that. Is
any yellower than the old bill stone
Igang in the United States senate. So
long as our country Is adorned with
these specimens OF the skaiker5 and
the back-frer we had better keep. 81
lence about similar afflictions else
\ where.
But anyway the Korniioff pipe
dream and bugaboo has, passed. The
lspectre of ciyii war that the feveriBh
correspondents saw plainly to be rails
Ing It's head In Russia has put its head
II down again or taken to the woods. But
! he not disappointed. Next week will
zee another pipe M hysterical, as lurid
md as pnaubstantlal as this, The next
HORNED monster to occupy the center
LOT the stage will probably be disseH-
|lei5ns in the cabinet or d raid on Pet
'ltrogrAa by . flock Of jabberweckn