New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-12-07
Washburn Asserts Slav De-
feat Means Death to Thou
sands Of Americans
Germany's Advantage
Vast Stores of Supplies Would
Open to Her With Mus
covites Out of 1t

Three or four years will be added to
the length of the war II Russia as
fighting force is completely eliminated
from the side of the Allies, according
to Major Stanley Washburn, war cor
respondent and member of the Root
commission to Russia. who spoke at
Cooper Union last night under the
auspices of the National Security
League.
Major Washburn's subject was What
Russia in the War Means TO America"
He contendcd that the loss of Russia
as an ally would mean that hundreds
Of thousands Of American soldiers
would have to die on European battle
fields who otherwise would not have TO
leave home"
Germany's gain through the with
drawal of Russia would be not merely
the release OF her armies on the East
ern front. but the opening up OF Rus
sia's vast stores of foods and metals
which would enable Germany TO cor
tinue the war almoJc indefinitely, said
Major Washburn
"As long as Russia remains i'm the
war we can hope for disaster in Ger
many through economic causes he
Maid. I'VE are now not absolutely de-
pendent upor crushing her by force of
arms alone. But with foods and
metals obtained from Russia in unim-
tied quantities, Germany, there is rea-
son to believe. could prevent military
victory over her forces for three or
four years.
THE German objective is to put Rus
STA out of the war, to destroy the Rus
sian army as a fighting whole, and
to occupy some Russian city OF i'm
portance. such as Petrograd, Moscow,
Kiev or Odessa, as a moral shock to the
Allies. Probably Russia could lose
both Petrograd and Odessa and still
survive. Petrograd is such a hotbed o,
German propagandists and spies that
many Russians would look upon its
capture by the Germans with a sigh of
relief The loss Of Kiev would .prob-
ably be the death-blow to the war in
Russia; the loss of Moscow most GER
tainly would be-
Major Washburn said Americans
should not feel too pessimistic" over
the Russian situation and should not
attach much Importance to Russian
retreat, "as the Russian morale is less
affected by retreat than that of any
other army"
5. Stanwood Menken, president of the
league, who presided, explained that the
meeting had been arranged "to give
Russians in New York an adequate idea
of what is going on in their native
country"
Lieutenant Hwoschinsky, Of the Rus
sian army, spoke in Russian. In the
early part of the war he led a regimen
of $500 men against the German
trenches. Only 135 of the men sur
vived.
Ample evidence of the popularity Of
the Russian Bo sheviki was shown
when George KEENAN,, recognized as ar
authority on Russian questions, at
tempted to denounce them. When he
said that the Bolsheviki were bringing
Russia to the brink of ruin three
fourths of the people in the hall
ieered. Throughout the remainder OF
his speech. each mention he made OF
the Bolsheviki was greeted with en-
thusiastic cheering.
Support for Russia Voted
The following resolution. presented
by Professor Robert VI. McFlory. OF
Princeton University, was adopted at
the meeting:
eve believe and recommend that our
government should continue, notwith-
standing the reports now coming from
Petrograd. TO maintain an attitude Of
sympathetic and moral support toward
Russia: that we should in every con
sistent way encourage the Russian peO-
pie TO maintain aggression against the
German autocracy. and that we should
continue to give material aid for the
purpose of keeping Russia actively in
the war on the side of the Allies"