Evening star., 1917-11-04
BY RHErA cHuDE DoRR.


Copyright, 1917, by the New York Evening Mafi)
While there are indications that ehe
last convention held in Petrograd py
the Russian socialists. the so-called
democratic council, ended in q paftiai
victory for Kerensky. there remains
every evidence that the BolsheviNi ele-
ment is still very strong. herehsAS
succeeded in forming coalition min
istry, but the Petrograd couhcn u
soldiers and workmen's delegates 81
the same time succeeded In elecelns
Bolsheviki central executive COM
mittee with the notorious Leon Trotz-
ky as chairman. displacing ~ u
Tcheidse, the Georgian duma memoe.
prominent in the council. but against
whose sincerity and honesty never
heard word.
Trotzky was elected because the
Bolsheviki couldn't get Lenine oach'
There were not enough bold spirits IN
the democratic council to force from
the government a promise OF I'M
n,un,tv from arrest for Lenine should
he appear in meeting. so he was kepl
in the background and TrotxKy was
made chairman of the Petrograo eAee
utIye committee In his stead.
sheyikis today, exactly as he was our
ing the fateful days OF July Wnen ne
sent mutinous soldiers ana laIe , wo
men out on the streets OF the capiIai
with machine guns to muroer ,ne an pI ebIe
and faithful lieutenant. He is 'sS
and his real name is Braunstein. ne
Ia one of those Jews, unhapplIy eoo
prominent in Russian analrs JUST .haS. uoM.
nower to prejudice the people OF Rus
sta against the race and to check tne
movement for the full freedom OF the
Jews of the empire.
Known in New York.
Trotzky. or Braunstein, is known to
many in New York city He gainsa go
arrived in New York from Spain
short time before the February revo-
luton, He posed as martyr TO SO
cialist principles. one who had peen
prosecuted ye BY the goyermmeH's GermanH F. France @
and Spain. Ali four had expelled MIN, MIN:
he said. for the crime of editing really
successful socialist newspapers.
Trotzky's story was foundea on iao.
citizen too undesirable to retain: Ban,
ishment from Russia under the ola
regime, is no stigma. SO we may oegln
Trotzky's saga in August. 1914. the De-
ginning days OF the worio war.
He was editing Jewish paper IN ber-
lin He was given a few hours to leave
he saws, and with his family fed across
the swiss frontier to Zurich From
there he went to Paris. Where ne was
mira culously able, poor as ne nau az, ~
ways been and high as the price OF
white paper was soaring. to estapiisn
a socialist newspaper in the Russian
language When the Russian coniln,
gent Of the allied armies reached
France in April, 1915, OuL Moras, s1ic,,
iittIa eheet. was circulated free among
the $4,000 soldiers.
Trotzky Always Had Money.
The motto of the paper was down
with the war far more than II was up
with socialism. 1t was filled from page
one to page four with the sort OF pro
German stun that has done Its deadly
work with the men at the Russian
front, Inducing them to refuse to nght
and thus opening their country to the
German army.
The French government, Whcn nau
its hands full with its own pet seditlon
raisers. had never before heard OF
Trotzky, but now 1t told him to move
on. He did. He went to SPAIN wneIe
he was arrested as an extreme trouoie
maker, and after a short time expelieu
from the country. He came to the
United States, where he remained until
tha Russian revolution of late Febru-
ary. 1917, when he flew back TO Petro-
grad
Petrograd council Of soldiers and
workmen.s delegates. being pacthst
and never having done any manual
work. Last summer when was IN rus
sia I used to read almost daily IN the
accounts of the national council OF
.oyiets. or councils. burning speeches
Of Trotzky's, in which he urged sep
arate peace with Germany. or whae
would amount to exactly the same
thing, Russia's immediate cessation OF
fighting.
Life Not Likely to Be Peaceful.
With this man as chairman OF the
central executive committee OF tne
Petroerad council of soldiers and work
mems council. and with the revolt OF
the German naval men on nve shlps Iof
him to point to as evidence thae tne
social revolution is at hand In Ger
MANY. the life of the new coalition gov
ernment is not likely to be peaceful:
But the end of the Bolsheyikt Is IN
sight in spite of Lenine,, Trotzky and
the entire majority in the council Of
soldiers and workmen's delegates. 1t
has been coming on stealthy feet Tor
many months, and now the messengers
hands are on the latch. The mes
sengers' names are hunger and cold.
in Petrograd last May I was amazed to
see the price on the menu card placed
at S rubles SO copecks. about Sl.SO: In
a previous visit to Petrograd l had
eaten an excellent dinner In this same
hotel and had paid for 1t ruble rs
copecks, or about IS cents, as the ruble
was then valued.
Paid Extra for Water.
The one offered for more than twice
this amount consisted of a watery soup,
a small piece of not very fresh fish,
thin slice of veal with peas and a water
ice favored with cherry juice. One
niece of black bread without butter
was served. If wanted water to drink
with the meal had to pay two rubles
for bottled water, for one drink, of plain
water in Petrograd is an attempt at
suicide by the typhoid route. II want
ed coffee I had to pay 1 ruble 6b CO.
pecks more, and after I added the Gus
tomary 10 per cent for the tip my check
was 10 rubles and copecks (S335I.
You now pay an additional Is per
cent of your entire hotel bill in Russia,
which is distributed in tips to all the
servants except the lift boys and the
gorgeous individual who stands in front
Of the hotel door and assists you to
alight from your drosky when you ar
rive, and touches his peacock-feather-i
trimmed hat to you when you go in and
out. He is called the Swiss, denotfng
the origin of his earliest predecessor.
imagine, and why he and the elevator
men do not share In the general distrf-
button I never found out.
Many Shops Are Empty.