Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1917-12-20
;CossAcks UNDER koRNILoFF
AND kALEDlNEs FIGHTING
l THE BoLshEvlki.
! ||LENINE's RULE 7o17ERINe
Germans Prepare for Great Offensive
on Western Front-Haio Repulses
Their First Attacks-ItaItans Still
Holding Piavs River Line-our
War Preparation Methods
Are Being Investigated.
BY EDWARD w. PlckARp.

Specializing on what has happened
in Russia and what ID about to happen
has become favorite occupation of
the rest Of the world. Dispatches
from Petrograd, where the means OF
communication are controlled by the
bolshevtki, are wholly unreliable, and
news from other sources 10 fragmentary
. and conflicting, At this writing the
facts appear to bs about as follows: In
southern and ssutheastern Russia the
Cossacks, who stand for law and or.
der, are fighting the bolshevild forces
in Petrograd and Moscow Lenine and
his crowd are maintaining themselves
in power by using the strong hand, ar
resting and numbering their opponents
and bulldozing the constituent assem-
bly,. which began its sessions; the Rus.
sian armies on the east front. follow
ing the arrangement Of an armistice,
are rapidly disbanding, and the Rou-
manians were forced to accept an arm
listice by the action OF their allies Nut
fhe negotiations for peace started by
'1he bolsheviki have run against a snal,
in the extraordinary demands made by
the Germans; many different parts ri
Russia have declared their i,aiepend-
ence, and Siberia shows signs of re-
verting to the rule Of the deposed czar
VladivOstok, whore are Immense guam
i1ities Of supplies sent by America and
the entente allies, 10 patrolled by Japn-
nese troops and Harbin is being pro-
tected by Chinese soldiers.
If this is correct statement of con-
'1itions at the close of the week, 1T
would be a bold man who would pre-
dict the immediate future.
Reports Of Battle Contradictory.
According to official bolsheviki dis
patches from Petrograd. the Cossacks
under Kornilon were defeated early in
the week near Bielgorod, but another
account Of the battle said KOrniloff
TOuted his opponents. that many of
Them Joined his forces and that he
surrounded the others and dealt with
shem very drastically." General Kale-
dimes. the Cossack hetman, also Is ac-
tive in southern Russia and 1t is said
TO be his hope, with the aid of the al
lies, at least to shut the Germans out
.of the food-producing part Of the coun-
try.
Wireless reports from Rostov, (which
did not reach the outside world until
Thursday, said Kaledinss was besieg-
ing that city and that within Rostoy
She Cossacks had been fighting the
bolsheviki and destroyed their head
quarters. At the same time a trans
port manned BY bolsheviki was bonn
harding the Kaledines forces.
Bitterly disappointing to the bolshe-
wiki must be the German demands
'made in the peace negotiations, and at
this distance 1t 10 hard to see what
may be the kaiser's purpose in being
$50 severe. His commissioners are re-
ported to have insisted that Germany
'shall not give up any Russian territory
ishe now occupies: that Petrokrad must
be evacuated until peace is concluded !:
that the Ukraine shall be ceded to
Austria Hungary: that Germany shall
lcontrol the Russlan wheat market for
fifteen years aad QGrnan goods shall
be admitted to Russia duty free. The
tarmistice, 1t is said. IL to continue for
three months. 0efnsany seemingly
fevaded the hunslAA demand that dup
ling it's continuaase NO troops be
moved to other frasts. and meanwhile
lhas been traasff1ing hundreds Of
Thousands Of soldiers to France and
Italy.
Germans Preparing Ter Great Attack.
+; All ths,signs during the early part Of
the week led . the belief that the
+ FGermanstwers DfsDaring for aIsuprems
effort at tsome Dalnt e the west front.
= Allied auator8, sbssevsd long mstas