The Washington herald., 1917-06-27

When Deputies Cachin and Moutet
returned from their trip to PeIro.
grad they declared that the provision.
al government, as reconstructed after
the withdrawal Of Miliukoff and Gou-
choff, ministers of foreign affairs and
of war and marine. had become a
Socialist government, says Herbert
Adams Gibbons, in the Philadelphia
Telegraph. The Russian revolution
was the work of the Socialists. The
Committee Of workingmen and Sol
diers was Socialist committee. The
dilemma of Russia during the first
two months of the revolution was
this: Which of the two powers that
had arisen on the ruins of CZarism,
the first provisional government, de-
irving its authority from the Dumar
or the Committee OF Workingmen and
Soldiers, deriving its authority from
the Petrograd garrison and the other
revolutionists, should prevail? There
could not be two governments exist
ing one beside the other. Fusion
as the result Of a compromise. was
attempted. Fusion failed, owing to
the refusal Of Miliukofr, representing
the Cadets. and Gouchoff, represent
ing the Octobrists. to accept the re-
sponsibility OF compelling Russia's al
lies to adopt the Socialist formula
for peace, mo annexations. no in
IDENTITIES" The Moderates had to
step aside for the Socialists, because
the Socialists controlled the army.
Cachin and Moutet said that the So
Cialists, who are now actually the
Russian government, were determined
to make a move for universal peace
and believed that this move could be
made successfully only through an in
ternational conference, representing
the Socialist parties Of all the belliger'
ent nations. Cachin and Moutet were
warned by their Russian comrades
that Russia sponsored the Stockholm
conference. and that refusal to par
ticipate in this conference. on the part
of the French Socialists, would lead to
the withdrawal of Russia from the
entente alliance. On the ground that
this was a real and imminent peril
Cachin and Moutet advised the French
Socialists at the convention of May q
to abandon the points Of controversy
between ma joritaires and minoritaries.
and to agree to send delegates 10
Stockholm. The convention, convinced
by Cochin and Moutet that this was a
necessary decision to make. not only
for the sake Of the future OF interna-
tionalism, but also for the salvation
OF France, adopted unanimously an or
der Of the day by directing that dele
gates be chosen for the Stockholm
conference.
French Press Protests.
There was a great storm of protest
in the French press. Waving aside
the plea of CaChin and Moutet that
this step was essential in order to pre-
serve the Russian alliance. almost
every newspaper in Paris pointed out
that the idea of French Socialists par
ticipating in the Stockholm confer
ence was reprehensible for practical
as we'll as sentimental reasons. Sentl-
mentally 1t was urged that 1t would
be a shame and disgrace for French
men 10 sit at the table with Germans
so long as the Germans were unrepen-
tant and still encamped on French
soil. The famous sentiment of revo-
lutionary France of 1872 was recalled;
"One does not treat with the enem,
who is on the soil OF the Fatherland." ."
Practically, 1t was pointed out that
no one party in France had the right
to represent the nation at an interna-
tional conference in war time. Garry
ing on negotiations with the enemy
was solely the business of the regu-
larly constituted government OF
France, which represented and was
comprised OF all parties in the body
polite.
Before the return OF Cachin and
Moutet and the re-establishmcnt of
harmony on the question of the Stock