New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-11-30

hand. The basis and the inevitable re.ul,,
of this military policy are readily diseerpibl.
Let US summarize them. ". Lenine is ri.a,
only in his first prognostication-when Il.
says that "the cessation Of hostilities on A..
aide of the line will not put an end 10 "a.
war" This rs so obvious that even Len;,,
does not fail to perceive il.
A Nonsense Army
In the second and third paragraphs cu,..5
Lenine proposes to substitute militia q,
regulars. So would he populsrize and A,
mocra.izs the army. Surely every progr.,sv.
mind in the world must accept the prinei0l.
that the soldier should receive as much !,
any workingman. With that proposition =.
have no fault to find. But with his genera
purpose Of substituting militia for regulars
or officers elected by the rank and hls %,
officers responsible TO authority and Dis.
ciplned--for this silly nonsense spybod,
who knows anything about war must hr,
about as much regard as for baby playing
with toy soldiers in a nursery. Wha,eye,
Lenine and his satellites may know .,
economies, of political history, Of labor. hov.
ever lofty their aspirations and pure ths,
ideals, it is evident that in military natter
they are simply idiotic. War is a negstion q,
democracy. A democratic" army mivh,
parade down Fifth Avenue, but it could no,
fight. Infinitely better would it be 70
abolish the Russian army nj once and let IN,
Germans overrun the land without fghtnv
and destruction TO property, than to put assins,
them the pcassntry of Russia commsndedby
such officers as they would choose i,on
among themselves. Let ne take time ie,,
only TO add that no further argument /,
needed. Anybody 80 ignorant Of military lis
tory or military practice as 10 advocate all.
tary Bolsheyikism in the present war |, 10.
tally beyond the use Of facts or Of sane o..
gument.
Finally. the plan TO have the solder
fraterni-e "in order that these nstin,tr,
manifestations OF solidarity may ripen into A
conscious, organized movement to plaza he
governmental powers of every belligerr.
nation In the hands Of the Revolutionary Do
letariat"-this is Of n piece with Bolshtk
simplc-Ti ndedness as regards military Or.
ganizaton. One would think that after tLr.
years and four months OF the Junkers al
the Junkeriaed German proletsriat on n.
ysrpath, sticks in China and stones IN
Patagonia could not be msled by ssa
drive!. In the front line trenches t,v
thousand Russian soldiers. are "fraterni,iag'
with a few thousand carefully selected Pns.
sian and Bavarian Soldiers--felows trsined
for their part and skilled in the art Of mis-.
leading The blind and the foolish The result
is that every group OF Russian peasants sent
TO do the "fraternizng' PUSHES at oree 10
the rear, shouting that the war is over, that
their brother" Germans have promised peace
and that the whole Russian army might as
we'll go home to their wives and warm feather
beds, the day CT the brotherhood Of man hsy.
ing arrived. And when all Of them have gone
home u few squadrons OF uhlans will ride
into Petrograd and lay violent hands on good
Brothers Lenine and Trotzky and Sister
Kollontay and the rest. So the sweet dreams
Of the simple minded creatures will have 4
very sad ending.
Missionaries Only Phase
With all this the people Of the Western
democracies need hot be too fearful The
days of Polshevikiem are numbered. II the
Russian army is not fighting we sre in 10
worse plight than we have been FOR over
year. IT, largely because Of chaos ID sus's'
we have suffered reverses in Italy, bon !IsE
and Russia will come back with renewed
vigor and power. The temporary success o.
the revolutionary Missionaries in PetroTa
has been a necessary phase Of the process.
Far better to have il bloom in the liH
autumn than in the late spring. Whatever
we may think of Kcrcnsky BIZ this tlEs,"
may all feel safer TO have him sliy. tnn
dead. Soon the minority Social-Dem0eriI''
the saner leadership of the party Of ne
peassntry, including those stsnch Socialists
Gorky and Plechahoff, and their grOup-'thss
will settle order Gree again" We douo' ho'
that the result of the Bolsheviki upToaf VII
be reorganized Russia, fighting maniu@
against the Junkers without and sueess:'IF
organizing the forces making fo' kuS'A
freedom within.
(Copyrish,. 1917. Otis ,. WOOD