Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1917-12-03

BLOOD AND Terror
RULING IN RUSSIA
Terrorists Trying to Tear
Country Into Number Of
Small Republics.
GERMAN AGENTS ACTIVE

~ RHErA CHILDE DoRR.

ny RHETA CHILDE DORR.
copyright, 1917, By the New York Evening MALL
One of the main contentious of the
extremists of the Russian revolution
concerns the self-governing rights OF
the states. large and small. which make
up the empire. met no one in Russia
who did not agree that each one OF the
states had a right to local autonomy
but met many who feared greatly lest
the empire should be dismembered and
should fall apart into number OF
small. weak states. Especially disas-
trous would this be, both to Russia and
to the allies, II it happened during the
war.
That Germany is doing everything in
her power to bring about this end is
proof enough that 1t would be disas-
trous to the allies. Germany's army
and navy and Germanys diplomacy are
working overtime to separate the Rus
sian states. The fighting forces are
working now to isolate the Baltic
states and Finland. and the German
agents are busy all over the empire
spreading the propaganda of secession.
THE right of small peoples to govern
themselves is one of the easiest Cos
pels in the world to preach. AS prin-
clDl0 II 1S not even deOatdD Die. IN pTdC-
tice. however. it very often is far from
expedient or practicable. But the re-
Gently liberated Russians, each sepa-
rate1 language and racial group smart
ing from remembered wongs innicted
by the old government, took fire with
the idea of seh-government, and In
every corner of Russia are found prov
inces. governments, even cities repu-
dating the central government and set
ting up republics of their own.
Provisional governments were created
last summer in provinces of Siberia. in
the rich province Of Ukrania. in the
towns of Tomsk and Tsaritsine and in
a number of other localities. Finland
very early started an agitation for a
, separate government. and only the
by armed force of the converting of a
new diet stood In the way Of a socialist
manifesto of separation.
The socialists are the majority party
;; in the diet. and they counted on the
support of enough people in the three
bourgeois" parties-the Swedish, old
Finnish and young Finnish parties-to
carry their measure through
Every one Of these attempts at seces-
sion was marked by riots, murders and
excuses of every kind. A report from
! Kirsanoff. city that wanted last June
to be republic all by itself. told of a
garrison of soldiers who broke loose.
fell on the Inhabitants of the town,
robbed and murdered them, outraged
women. burned houses, looted shops
and generally behaved like maddened
animals.
Orgy Of Butchery in Kronstadt.
It was the same thing in Kronstadt.
only In Kronstadt they developed q drug
habit. 50 to speak. Murder on a whole
sale scale marked the progress of the
revolution In the fortress and on the
battleships. More than a score Of
young Officers in training were killed
In the fortress in one day last spring
They were not even arrested and tried
on any charges. They we're Just butch
cred. A number of other oficers were
killed. including the .commandant and
vice commandant of the fortress, and
other officers were thrown into cells
and kept there for months without even
the farce Of . trial
3 Soviet Cuts Down Rents.
The Kronstadt soviet, or council Of
folders and workmen's delegates, COW
cred itself with glory during the ex-
astence Of the republic. The soviet. or
one OF Its committees. undertook the
solving Of the housing problem, as fol-
lows: The committee went all over
the town and inspected houses and
apartments. They inquired in each
ease at the different places the amount
of the rent. and then they proceeded
20 cut down the rent one-third to one
half They didn't say anything about
the reduction to the landlord, but they
passed the word around to the Tava-
A perfect exodus Of renters, out of
their apartments into bigger and bet
ter ones, ensued. Everybody moved,
and when rent day came around and
the new tenants they were calmly told:
mot on your life is my rent thirty
rubles month. It Is fifteen rubies,
and II you don't take that you will get
The landlords appealed to the soviet,
but all the satisfaction they got there
was a threat Of connscation. You've
robbed the working class long enough
you any rent. and perhaps after
while we won't.
Kerensky's real battle last summer
was with Ukrania, whore q real gov
enough at ali events to force 1 kind 81
recognition from the central proyis-
1onal government. Ukrania il an enor-
nous territory in the south Of Rus
Siberia and southwark to the Biach
sea: Odessa Is its principal port, and
within It's borders are many important
cities Kiev IL one Of the largest OF
the Ukraine, as 1t Is called in Russia.
The people are not Russian, strictly
speaking. They are S1avs. but they
have a language of their own. a liter
Deer
Russian subjects for nearly 800 years
The Ukraine IL a self-contained coun.
Try and could be made a very rich one
y IL rich now in agricultural resources
the black earth" of certain region,
producing the most splendid harvest q,
wheat and other grains. The fruits q,
the Ukraine are the best in Russia
and the vineyards furnish grapes 10,
excellent wines. Russia would be non,
indeed without this country.
Ukraine Bluffs Kerensky.
Last June the Ukranian rada, or loea,
diet. voted to establish q republic. re-
store the old language and customs
and cut themselves on absolutely from
the Russian empire. They actuall,
created q provisional government OF
the spot.
Some Of the more moderate member,
Of the rada favored remaining In tn,
empire as q federated state havfnf
complete autonomy, and this wa
dnally accepted. believe. by the ma
3ority. But Immediately the bolsheyik
Of the south began to clamor for sepa
ration. and the Ukranians in the arm,
began to show dangerous signs of un
rest.
A congress Of Ukranian armies wa,
held In KfAv IN fha r,,fddln ~ r,.> a.