The Washington herald., 1917-06-17
Winds of Freedom Sweep
World, Ayers Balderston.

four men, two Of whom are assigned
to each minister OF the provisional
government. The bureau In this way
keeps In touch with what the govern
ment Is doing, and issues Its orders to
the ministers In the name Of the SOW
ereign people. claiming to derive its
power from the Little Council, which
IN turn rests upon the council OF 500.
which represents the whole body OF
delegates that stand for Russia. The
army Is with the council, the-govern-
ment at present represents nobody but
Itself. II Is not surprising that the
council has gained control; what is
amazing Is how II holds itself together.
The struggle for supremacy between
the government and the council was
brief. The government proposed a
compromise by which its power would
be shared with the council. The coun-
Gil at once unanimously voted the fol-
lowing reply: You try to pretend
that we are a political party and offer
q form OF coalition as a natural way
OF avoiding opposition. You have to
realize that we are not a political
party at all, that we are the parlia-
ment OF the Russian people, and that
we embody all parties. What we have
we shall hold until the Constituent As
sembly decides the form of govern
ment in the Russian state" Upon the
receipt OF this reply, the government
at once capitulated-
The principles Of the council towards
the world settlement have been made
more than clear in the controversies
II has had with the foreign minister.
The council stands for the American
peace" which has as good a right to
be termed the Russian peace; no
anRexatfons. no mdemnities. freedom
or autonomy for peoples desiring to
govern themselves
There does exist the danger, un-
fortunately, that the uneducated dele
gates to the council may be Influenced
toward a separate peace by German
intrigue, a danger OF which the allied
governments and the American au-
thortties are well aware and which
they are combating by. every means
In their power, aided by the inteli-
gent element in the council and the
provisional government But the best
informed opinion in London Is opti-
mistic, and does not believe there Is the
slightest chance that the new Rus
sian democracy will consider peace on
any terms with an autocratic Ger
many. Germany, they anticipate, may
sooner or later try to fool the Rus
slams by a trick revolution. In which
the Junker class will pretend to have
abdicated or to have been driven from
power. But the German social de-
mocracy might seize the unrivalled op-
portunity offered by such a ma
noeuvre; Germans like Harden and
Bernstein say the Kaiser would never
dare assent to such a scheme because
what he started as an imitation revo-
luton would be pretty sure within q
few days to turn into the real thing.
The ferment brought about in Eng
land, France and Italy by the influ-
ence Of the amazing events in Russia
and the entry into the war of America,
with a program Of democracy and
world peace. has gone far in the past
few weeks to bring all the allies into
line.
There has always been a party in
Great Britain inclined to the princi-
Piles which President Wilson has set
forth; although men like Asquith and
Niscount Grey have as yet given no
sign that they consider the league of
nations which President Wilson has
proposed practicable project for i'm
mediate realization. they have well
coined the principle laid down. But
existing side by side with this mod
crate wing Of opinion. there has been
and s i reactionary party which
wants to Crush" Germany. seize her
colonies and her trade. grab the Ger
man fleet and the Kiel Canal, abolish
Austria and Turkey. and impose in
demHities which would reduce Ger
~ SCI ANOAl LOE lIdEy gCdT6.
@Crush Germany" Is Policy.
Early in the war. when idealism and
altruism SCARED to great heights in
this country, what is now called the
American peace" seemed to claim
the dominant place, but later opinion
hardened and grew more bitter, and
from the sinking of the Lusltania to
the last few weeks, 1 have gathered
that the crush Germany party was
49, ~ Il
out interview. gave the Impression
that lie belonged to the strong peace
faction, but since the Russian revolu-
ton and the entry Of America, he has
stgnified his belief in the future Of
the German people and in feasibility
OF the peace league plan, and has open
ly and heartily declared his Joy that
America has earned a right to sit at
the peace conference. Malignants Of
the British junker class are more vio-
lent and spiteful than ever, because
they feel their power and influence
slipping from them; the crusted old
Troy magazine, Blackwcods, has
aroused almost universal indignation
by sneering, in its current issue, at
America and at the notion that the
world Is fighting for this trumpery
OF democracy" and by declaring that
the motto of the allies must be mo
mercy to the conquered" Americans
should not allow their Judgment OF the
British people to be colored by such
outbursts as there, which as a great
liberal editor remarked to me today
represent the convulsions Of snake
whose back is broken"
The democracy, of the world looks to
Britain for deeds, not words, to meas
ure the sincerity of the principles
enunctated by her statesmen. My view,
after keeping in close touch with Brit
ish politics during most of the war, is
n hn = ia
and Russia will be satisfied.
First Sign of Leaven.
sincere attempt to give self-gov-
sign that the new leaven is working I'm
these islands. This effort Will shortly
be made. The chastened spirit in
which Englishmen have taken advice
from America, and even from Russia,
on the Irish problem is an evidence Of
OF meddling on the part Of outsiders
with the domestic affairs of the United
+ ingdom would have reused all par
ties here to anger. But Americans
must not expect too much, and at
once; 1t must not be assumed that
very well, govern yourselves" and
Withdraw her troops. Such a course,
carried out in literal fashion sug-
sested by some Americans would lead
20 inevitable and immediate, civil war;
England cannot permit Sin Feiners,
and Ulstermen to cut
each others throats; some measure Of
agreement among the Irishmen them
selves must be arrived at. The main
point Is that not only English Lib
erals but a majority Of English Tor
les are now agreed that Ireland must
nave home rule as quickly as possible;
that was not true early in the war, or
before the war. and II was not true
Lloyd George tried, and failed, to
orlng about a settlement last sum-
mer.
The problem of India cannot be
solved In a year or a decade; we have
not found 1t easy to deal with the
rlnpinos in accordance with our
promises and desires and the Indian
problem Is more complicated a thou