Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1917-03-26
Made Propaganda Easy.

The cloudy state of mind of the peas
ant population which. bewildered by
the new vista Of freedom and equality.
and having had little experience with
liberty of any sort, imagined that it
meant relaxation of every kind of
authority and discipline. made the
propaganda of the agitatorS easy at
first. But the prompt measures taken
by the government and duma delega-
tions removed whatever danger lay in
that direction. kilograms have been
received from every portion Of the front
affirming that the army can be relied
upon to do its utmost to defend the
country. NJ. Rodizianko. president of
the duma, received a delegation from
the army which declared:
"All officers and soldiers will defend
the duma to the last drop of their
blood. They will faithfully obey the
provisional government, and will
Press Now Tells Truth.
Freedom from the censorship already
has had a stultary effect in permitting
the truth to be published about the new
danger from a German attack without
the usual accompaniment of extrava-
CANT rumors, which in the past made
news" more alarming than the truth
itself. The result is that without min
imizing the danger to the country the
the minister of war quietly and with
out alarm. The Rech says editorially:
"It il the people who are fighting the
enemy and not the government. There
f1fes hiding nethin 8 from ONT ,Eeaders-
VI gay Definitely and clearly that dam
ger Is threatening our northern front.
The enemy is preparing to crush our
valiant army which for two years has
defended the roads to Petrograd. The
Russian soldier understands better than
ever before the importance of still re-
sisting."
The Russkia VOLTA says: Russia is on
trial Won Hindenburg will try to
realize his old dream Of a move upon
facing a test which will become his
torical. Results can only come from an
honest desire in the hearts of the Rus
sian people for victory
Grand Duke Nicholas Nicholovitch has
asked permission to reside at Livadia.
Between three and four thousand ar
rests have been made in Petrograd
since the first day of the revolution,
the dispatch adds, among the latest
prisoners being the wife of former War
Minister Soukhomiinoff.
Plan to Crush Russia.
LONDON. March 26.-Special dis
patches from Petrograd, dated Friday.
emphasize the seriousness of the sit
uation arising from the German con-
centration on the Riga-Dvinsk front
with the apparently certain intention
of attempting to break through to
Petrograd.. 1t is argued that the short
ening Of the German front in France
is part Of plan to overwhelm Russia
by a suddsp and Tremendous h1ou, ha
fore the country can recover from the
unsettling effects of the revolution.
According to the accounts of these
correspondents, internal conditions in
Russia. Notwithstanding the determine
ton of the government and responsible
leaders to conduct the war with en-
ergy. are disquieting.
They say that time is needed 10 re-
store the discipline of the army and
navy after the recent upheaval, and
they record incidents which are hinder
ing progress in this direction Among
these is the movement of extremists to
put the final overthrow of the Roman
OFFS, the bureaucrats and ruling classes
generally in the forefront of all ma
tional ero~-
i to Quit Fighting.
This -..ovement is indicated by the
appearance in the socialist newspaper
Pravda Of resolution of the social
democratic party's central committee
inviting the soldiers to leave the
trenches and go over to the Germans
1t is asserted that this step would i'm
mediateIy evoke a. fraternal response
among the Germans and the war would
promptly collapse. enabling the army
and people to cooperate in overthrow
ing the ruling classes of Russia.
Some soldiers In Petrograd are said
to have spent days wrangling over the
wonderful promises held forth by the
socialist propaganda, and to have stop
ped thinking about the war which they
believe TO be over.