The Meridian times. (Meridian, Idaho) 1909-1938, 1917-12-28
cossAcks UNDER koRNlLoFF
AND kALEpINEs FIGHTING
THE BoLsHEvlki.
LENINE's RULE ToTTERINa
Germans Prepare for Great Offensive
on Western Front---HaIa Hepulses
Their FIRST Attaeks-ltalians still
Holding Plave River Llne--our
War Preparation Methods
Are Being investigated.
" EpwARp ". plckARp.

Specializing on what has happened
In Russia and what IL about 10 happen
has become favorite occupation Of
the rest OF the world, Dispatches
from petrograd, where the means Of
communication are controlled by the
b0lsheyikl, are wholly unreliable, and
news from other sources Is fragmentary
aud conflicting. AT this writing the
facts Rppear 70 be about as follows In
southern and southeastern Russia the
Cossaeks, who stand for law and or
der. are fighting the bolsheyiki forces
In Petrograd and Moscow I4enlne and
his crowd are maintaining themselves
In power By using the strong hand. ar
resting and numbering their opponents
and bulldozlng the constituent assem-
bly,, which began its sessions the Rus
sian armies on the east front, follow
Ing the arrangement Of an arnlstlce
are rapidly dlsbandlng, and the Rou-
mauiaus were forced to accept an arm.
lstlce by the action Of their allies but
the negotiations for peace started by
the bolsheyih have run against snag
III the extraordinary demands made by
the Germans many different parts Of
Russia have declared their independ-
ence and siberia shows signs OF re-
yerting TO the rule Of the deposed exar /.
| Vlndlyostok, where are immense guam.
titles Of supplies sent by America and
the entente allies, Is patrolled by Japa-
nese troops, and Hardin Is being pro
tected by Chinese soldiers,
II this is eorrecr statement OF CON
dltions at the close OF the week, Il
would be bold man who would pre-.
| dict the immediate future.
Reports OF Battle Contradictory.
According 10 official Solsheyikl dis
patches from Petrograd, the Cossacks
under Kornllom were defeated early IN
the week near Bielgorod, but another
account Of the battle said Kornlloft
routed his opponents, that many OF
them Joined his forces and that he
surrounded the others aud "dealt with
them very drastlcally" General Kale
dimes, the Cossack hetman. also is &C
tive In southern Russia and Il Is sait
to be his hope. with the aid OF the al
lies, at least 10 shut the Germans ou
OF the tood.producing part OF the coun
try.
Wireless reports from Rostov. which
did not reach the outside world until
Thursday, said KaledInes was besleg
ting that city and that within RoSto,
the Cossacks had been fighting tbs
bolsheyikl aud destroyed their head
quarters at the same tine a trans
port manned ny holSheviki was bonn
harding the Kaledines forces.
Bitterly disappointing to the boishs
Wiki must be the German demand
made 10 the peace negotiations, and =
this distance II Is hard to see wha
may be the kaiser's purpose In helnI
80 severe. His commissioners are re
ported 10 have insisted that German,
shall not give up ans Russian territor
she now occupies: that Petrograd mus
be evacuated until peace Is concluded
that the Ukraine shall be eeded 1
Austria. Hungary: that Germany shal
eostrol the Russian wheat market 10
ffteen years and German goods sha
. be admitted 70 Russia duty free. IN
Rrmistice. II Is said. is TO continue 10
three months. Germany seemlngl
eyaded the Russian demand that dui
ing It's continuance no troops b
, moved to other fronts, and meanwhil
has been transferring hundreds
thousands 81 soldiers 20 France an
Italy.
Germans Preparing fer Great Attae
, All the signs during the early part
the week led to the belief that n
nermans were preparing for suprem
sfrcrt at some point Of the west frOn
J Allied svlatews observed long metS