The Washington herald., 1917-05-09
What Leading Newspapers
Say on the War Situation
Russian Radicals Calming Dow
New York TimeA)

incidents during the past week. None is
more sinificant than the address of Mr..
Stankevitch. a Social Democrat, to the
great meeting in the Naval Cadet Build
ing, where the Council OF workmen's g
and Soldiers Deputies received the re-
port OF its Executive Committee on the
policy of the Provisional Government Mr..
Stankevitch reminded the workingmen
and soldiers that. while they might
have the power to overthrow the Gov
ernment their right to do 1t was high
ly questionable. 1--WE represent only the
wor<ingmen and soldiers, not all Russia. -
They do not even represent all the SOL
diers, probably not many of them. Pos
siably this strange body that calls it.
self the Council of Workmen and Sol
dlers represents a million of the 10,
10000 OF Russia's population.
The radical leaders OF the Council
have been very bold, even impudent. No
law OF Russia, no election, has given
them representative character, yet they
have behaved as though they were
really the government, or a coordinate
branch thereof. They have dictated terms
TO the Provisional Government, they
have issued orders some of which have
been obeyed, because it would have been
highly impolitic to drive so many work.
men engaged in the munition. factories
into open revolt But II is evident that
these leaders now see plainly that. even
II they should set up a government of
their own they could not maintain it.
The people themselves and the soldiers
who are loyal to the Lvoff government
would overthrow them. They may have
sense enough to see that the establish
ment of government of the proletariat
at this moment would mean the ruin of
Russia.
Now GO Get EN-.
(ChicaSo TribunsJ
The Germans, finding the British at
war with them, thought It needful to
stimulate the nation to hatred Of Britain.
Ihe Germans are a great commercial and
military, artistic and scientific people,
but they have not known competitive
sports.
They have known the finest kind of
body building exercises and, having used
them, have kept the German nation at
top notch of general physical competence.
But they have not known the fierce COM
petition OF sports without rancor.
We do know such competition. Unless
something savage and unusual happens
in football game there is no bad blood
after the final whistle. Yet We suspect
that in the heat Of hard-fought football
game the players. without animosity,
would stop just this side Of murder to
"AAA- AhDy hO llOl nave 10 nate ln6lT Op-
ponents in order to want to win.
We have this spirit inbred in the Amer
ican republic. We are not compelled to
fog the American nation into hysteria
Of hate in order to breed the will to win.
We hate nothing so much here in the
United States as failure We are too apt
to concede that the result counts and the
methods are negligible II the man gets
by he does not have to make explana-
tions
Our national psychology has little room
for "the alibi." A failure had better be
forgotten than explained. We do not
want to make explanations. We do not
want a failure to be accounted for. A
victory needs no explanation.
The only thing which will satisfy the
American people in any enterprise in
which they are engaged is the success of
that operation. The side which lost may
offer the explanation. We do not want
to have anything to do with such confess
sions of defeat, weakness, and failure.
OF recent years our national combative
spirit has been expressed almost entirely
in terms OF sport, and in sport this spirit
Of determination, this hatred of eXplana-
tons and excuses has been dominant.
Translate the spirit OF American sports
TO the field OF American warfare and
you have the war won. A nation that
uOeS not ADMIT the NallOlIN OF an eA-
PLANTATION win not have to make the ex-
PLANTATION.
Explaining Is one Of the futile things of
life. II Is even better to accept coase-
Quences unexplained. Win or take the
consequences. In this enterprise we
know we can win. We are big enough,
strong enough, brave enough, and deter
mined enough.
Boston Transcript
The departure Of Count Adam Tarnowsk
Won Tarnow calls attention to the fact
that the United States and Austria Hun
gary are not yet at war. but reminds us
at the same time that this pleasing fic-
ton cannot be maintained much longer
The allies of Germany, whether they re-
main such by inclination or through fear
are the enemies OF America, and We can
draw no distinction. The submarine that
sank the last American ship. and added
the names of more brave men to those
who have died at the hands of the Teu-
tonic pirates. may have been an Austrian
| submarine, and since there is no proof
| to the contrary. We may assume that II
! was. To continue any sort of diplo
! matte relations with the dual monarchy
were farce, and Count Tarnowski has
taken his departure none too soon. In his
unofficial capacity he spent entirely toe
| InuCn une IN washington. OuT un
| fortunate experiences in the past with
| German and Austrian diplomats, who die
not hesitate to promote treason and in
stigate disorder within the shadow o
! the Capitol. have made us suspicious.
| We wondered what underhand worl
| Count Tarnowski might be covertly en-
gagged in, he has only Dumba, and Dern
berg, and Won Pappen, to say nothing o
| Bernstorff, to thank. He expressed. il
! New York, a hope that he might return
| a sentiment a little more courteous thai
! that voiced by one of his suite, who con
| graduated himself, in his farewell ad
| dress, that America would soon feel th
| pinch of hunger. We may be able t,
worry along without any Teutonic diplo
mats in Washington for some time, unit
two or three new democTacies can sent
to US brand-new set of statesmen i'm
bued with ideals somewhat different iron
those shared by the mobiles whom w
have had in the past.
TEUT0N WITH MAPS ARRESTED