Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1917-12-24
TEUT0NS
TRADESWITH
RUSS PEOPLE:
Petrograd is in Disturbed
State of Mind Over
Many Stories.

Petrograd, Dec. %, SUNDAY. y
A Caucasian army of 100000 Is adj
Tancing on the rear of the troops
OF General kaiedines, the C0ssack
leader. according to an announce
ment made today by the Bel
sheyik press bureau.
London, Dec. 2i.-Petrograd
dispatches report that attempts
are being made by the BOlsheYiki
commissioners to negotiate with
the Tkranians for a settlement Of
the differences which have arisen
and ii Is also reported that the
authorities OF the new Ikranian
government are ready to accept
proposals looking toward a peace
full arrangement.
The movement for harmony is at
tributed by the correspondent Of the
Times to the fact that the growing
dangers of the situation are being
recognized to an increasing extent by
the Bolsheviki For the same reason,
he says, they are believed to be in
clined to modify their attitude of hos
tility toward the constituent assembly,
which is likely to meet within a week,
COncurrently with these statements
come numerous further reports of
military activities on the part Of the
"A F-A1Eaoly- nd Nf sha
sending OF more Bolsheyiki troops
southwark to oppose the Ukranians.
There are disconnected rumors Of fur
Their fighting, but apparently there
have been no hostilities on a large
scale or OF such nature as to indi-
cate important developments.
Look for Germans.
Many news dispatches from Petro-
grad speak of the supposed impending
arrival OF the Germans there, which
is said to be the universal topic OF
discussion in the city, but everyone
seems 10 have a different version
Many Of these stories center around
the reported concentration near the
capital of a large force of released
German war prisoners, to whom arms
are being handed over, according tc
some Of the reports.
Referring to these Tumors, the Pet
rograd correspondent OF the Post says
that unQuestionably thousands Of Ger
man war prisoners are fiocking to-
wards Petrograd from all parts OF
Russia, but he believes that at pres
ent a more important phase OF the
situation is the active and thorough
manner in which the Germans have
been pushing trade with Russia since
the frontier was opened He reports
they are making the most Of a com
mercial opportunity such as the world
has never seen before, inasmuch as
Russian industries are nearly dead
and the Germans have no competition
The Germans have refused TO admit
NJ. Zinoyieff, a close associate of Nike
lai Lenine and other Bolsheviki, whom
the soldiers and workmen's delegate!
wished to send into spread their doc,
trines in the German army. The,
also declined to admit Trotzky's news
paper, printed in German, for army
propaganda.
The BolsheFiki are negotiating witt
the social revolutionists OF the lef
for the formation Of a coalition gov
ernment wherein the latter will holC
the ministries Of the interior, Justice
posts and national affairs.
BolsheViki Start Trials.
The trial of persons who have beer
| arrested by the Bolshevik authorities
was to have begun yesterday befor.
military revolutionary court, &C
c0rding to delayed dispatches from
Petrograd The first person tried
| these reports said, would be Counties
! Panin, former minister of education
who was arrested for refusing to turf
over TO the Bolsheviki the funds o
| her department The council of Pet
, rograd university on Friday eIecte,
the countess an honorary member II
recognition of her educational work.
A dispatch from Tashkent, capita
/ OF Turkestan, describes the lynchinj
under horrible circumstances of Gen
eral Koroyitchenko, who was Keren
skys military commander in tn
province.
The Italian embassy has made
formal protest against the pillaginj
by armed men of the apartment o
! the embassy's first secretary.
! 1t is reported that the Germans ar
moving troops from the Russian
northern and western fronts IN III