The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1917-03-23
THE DECISIVE BATTLE

/ the decisive battle of the war has
! been fought in the streets of Petro-
grad, and that the issue of the CON
fict has at last been determined by
the Russian revolution.
Russian autocracy has been dou-
! bic handicap to Great Britain and
| France--a moral handicap and mi j.
tary handicap. While ostensibly KAY
ring for democracy against German
miiltarism, the British and French
have been compelled to bear the
odium Of an alliance that made them
the partners of a most reactionaty
and besOtted despotism in Europe. For
! this partnership there have been no
compromising military advantages
during the last year
No sooner did the Russian autocra
cy perceive the rapid growth of liber-
alism throughout the empire than it
! secretly cast it's lot with the German
lautocracy. While nominally carrying
on war against the central powers.
! it managed to paralyze the
Russian armies and render them prac
tically useless. History presents no
other such record of a government
conspiring against the nation and
working hand in glove with its enc
mics in arms.
| At the same time the Germany au-
! tocracy has been able to capitalize
the British and French alliance at 100
per cent. of its propaganda value.
Germans, Austrians and Hungarians
alike visualize this war in terms of
Russia. not in terms of Great Britain
and France. However adroitly the
hatred against England has been
worked up throughout the central en-
pires, it is Russia that the ordinary
German or Austrian fears. 1t is the
advance Of Russian empire which he
breads. 1t is resistance to Russian
autOcracy which fans his patriotism
and stimulates his valoT for the dan
ger has long been a real danger, and
the menace to everything which made
life worth while to him has been
real menace.
Much of the sympathy that has
come to Germany through neutral
countries has gushed from this source.
1t would not exceed the bounds OF
truth to say that two-thirds of the
pro-German sentiment in the United
States as well as in Europe is an,.-
Russian sentiment which honestly
dreaded Russian ACKNOWLEDGEMENT as
threat against civilization.
All those fears are now swept away
with the overthrow of the Russian au-
tOcracy and the abdication of the Ro-
manOffs: On the contrary. it is an in
spiration to free government in every
nook and corner of the world. 1t is no
less a deliverance to the German, the
Austrian and the Hungarian than to
the Russian himself.
For the cause of the allies to tri
umph and to triumph gloriously it
was essential that democracy should
] triumph first in Russia That done
and the cause vindicated itself every
where. Junkertown can no longer
point to Russia as the enemy of man
kind and bid the German defend his
home with the last drop of his blood
against the eastern peril, for the east
ern peril has been swept away. The
Russian is no longer a tool in the
hands of a constituencies despotism,
but a man and brother who by
breaking his own shackles has
brought nearer the emancipation of
all Europe
A free Russia is an ally for which
neither French nor British democracy
need longer apologize; but an ally
to be acclaimed with pride-an ally
that has put the principles of fee
government to the highest and noblest
test. The effect in Germany and in
dictionary; for the whole moral char
acter OF the war has been changed
over night by this dramatic clarified
ton of the issue 1t is now a war OF
democracy against autocracy without
reservation or qualification, and thas
fact must soon make itself felt every.
where throughout the German and
AustroHungarian empires.
Not since the battle of the Name
have the allies won a victory In the
field which is comparable in It's infiu- !
ence upon history to the victory that
has been won by the Russian people |
in their overthrow OF despotism.--I
World.
An effort will be made at the com. |