The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1917-05-15
Peril Facing Nation is Real
lied Now by Those Who
Had Created the
Discord.
MEASURES OF SAFETY
Power Without Responsibility and Re-
sponslblity Without Power IL
Team Which Does Not
Pull Together.
.lBy VIM. G. Shepherd, United Press
Staff (Sorrasnoodant

.[By VIM. G. Shepherd, United Press
Staff Correspondent.
PETROGRAD, May 15.-With free
Russia crumbling away In the blaze
OF too fervid democracy, the execu
tive committee Of the soldiers and
workmen's delegates began to see the
peril of the situation. The commit
tee reconsidered It's vote Of last week
when coalition in government with
tho dumas members was rejected. The
vote Of twenty-three to twenty-five
was held fndecisive and it was an.
nounced a meeting Of the entire dele
cation viii be held tonight when the
same question Will be passed upon by
all two thousand representatives,. .ol
the soldiers and workmen now here
At the same hour what is left OF the
provisional ministry will meet at the
home Of Prince Lvoff, premier, to dis.
cuss some form OF coalition which
may save from disintegration.
Meanwhile the provisional leaders
as another last resort measure to OBJ
tain unity Of action among tho con-
fncting elements, despatched Foreign
Minister, Miliukoff to the battlefront.
His mission is to meet with the sol
diers, to plead with them to show q
united front to the enemy and to
stand firm for responsible united gov
ernmental administration at home
These steps show the seriousness of
the situation and the courage and zeal
with which the duma leaders, now
fully awake to the peril are fighting
to avert disaster. Miliukoff was the
man who was recently attacked by
the soldiers and workmen's commit
tee in Petrograd for his statement ap-
proving compacts, which the allies
into, made by the old auto
cratic regime. A storm was raised
against him by representatives Of the
soldiers. Now he goes to the front.
presumably to face his enemies or at
least his accusers and strive to win
them back to unity of action.
Today, with Petrograd a buzzing
hive of rumors, few OF the clearer
heads among the leaders were dis
cussing the possibility that the move
which might save New Russia would
be return, in part at least. to dicta-
torial methods-a despot raised by the
people themselves to exercise control
specifically lodged with him by the
people. The radical newspaper Reich
made the suggestion. Some elements
agreed that strong man might by
force, restore complete order.
II am afraid We are returning to
the old regime, where power did not
carry responsibility-and If so the
same thing will happen to such an or
yanization as happened to the old re-
gime," was phrase from speech
oy former Minister of War Gutchkoff,
frequently quoted today. The retiring
cabinet officer made the declaration
n a speech yesterday to soldiers dele
sats from the front, explaining his
"The kaiser" he said, "can boast of
having taken four capitals. We can
make no such boast and 1t appears
hat our lack Of success has thrown
. gray, depressing mist before our
,yes. I could not continue in office
Is long as another organization in
russia besides the government, was
lolding the power.
1.-The present government has re-
without power-and. an
'ther organization, power without re-
The workmen and soldiers council
oday issued another appeal to the
rmy to fight vigorously against the
declaring Germany and her
autocracy, is seeking to
estroy free Russia and reduce her
'eople into slavery The appeal
varned against fraternizing with en-
my soldiers. One instance was cited
vhere a German officer, disguised as
common soldier, accompanied his
nen to the Russian lines for a fra
ernal meeting and obtained valuable |
from sincere Russians
eeking brotherhood with the enemy.
Continued on page 2.l !