The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1917-06-11
RUSSIAN HOPE LIES SOLELY IN
 MOB MASTERY
Situation Described as Men. acing But by No Means
 Hopeless

Setrograd. June 1.-The situation n Russia is ominous. even menacing. zat it Is by no means hopeless. As matters stand today there is such conflict in authority between the Council of Workmen's and Soldiers Delegates and the Cabinet as para lyzes domestic progress and military activity. There Is a dangerous relax ation of discipline in the army and a disturbing spread of license among the civil population. German agents. seizing upon the weariness of the whole nation and the special pacifism of the socialists, are working with all their energy to withdraw Russia from the war by means of a favor able separate peace.
 These probably are the worst as- poets of the situation, but gleams of hope appear through the clouds. It is still possible that the solid think ing citizens, those that are neither in sympathy with autocracy nor with untrammeled socialism, may combine to reconcile the council and cabinet, exert their influence to bring about domestic tranquility and to steady tho Russian armies on the battle fronts, and eventually to work out a sane and dependable form of government. This is not an actual probability. It is, however, a strong possibility. Events seem to be moving in that direction
 At heart Russia Is sound The trouble is with her head. It has fill ed suddenly with wild eyed theories of absolute human equality, of mill ennium brought to earth. of "peace without victory" Russia, freed over night from the Urannies of Czarism. has leaped at a bound to the other extreme Ardently craving liberty, she has accepted license, unable for the moment to detect the difference. The reaction Is human and natural
 But such conditions need not nec- essarily endure. They will not en- dureGif a strong man arises. stSOl9 man with the will and couraSe to subdue the uobs; a strong man who will have the sincere backing of the solid, conservative agricultural and business elements; such a man, in the broad aspects, as Bonaparte was to revolutionary France.
 Kerensky, the Minister of War, has shown evidences of such mental equipment and moral courage, but Kerensky's health Is poor. He has taken upon his shoulders tremendous burdens Of administration He Is harrassed beyond belief by the quar- rels of council and cabinet and the absurdly fantasticai demands of the socialists. It may be that he will sur yive the swiftly recurring crises, be- cause he Is personally very popular, especially with the army. But if not Kerensky 1t must be another-virtu- ally a dictator, one who will say you will" instead of twill you ?''-if Rus sia Is to shoulder out of the political and social Jicksands into which she has wandered.
 The great problem of Russia today is mastering the mobs, subduing the mob spirit, which was the direct and inevitable consequences of the policy of the old regime which systematic ally suppressed every effort toward independent initiative and organiza- ton. thereby destroying solidarity and respect for law. Then when Rus fia came suddenly to freedom, when the Romanoff and bureaucratic yokes were thrown off, the people inter i preted their position as release mol only from tyranny, but from any sort of obligation to the state.
 Hence the soldiers began to frater- nize with the enemy. There were Assertions, from all parts of the front and nobody in sufficient authority to punish the deserters. Officers and enlisted men left the trenches and came here as suited their pleasure Disturbances arose in the provincial cities Estates were seized, live stock and agricultural machinery were con fiscated. The workmen put forward programmes of impossible demands Criminals, liberate by an overjoyed and geherous people, poisoned the new freedom by their violence and treacheries. Every sort of capricious. ness that human nature knows bub- bles to the surface.
 Now this, as observers here under. stand the situation, is not anarchy SC much as 1t is proof that the Russian people, unaccustomed to organization and self discipline, have not yet beer able to organize themselves and have not yet seen the necessity of discip- line. But there is ground. for be. lief that the lessons are being learn. ed and that the near future will sec an Improvements in general tranquil. fty, less violence in the cities, less footing on the big estates, severel attitude toward known criminals, g larger disposition to bow to delegated dOAAAOAity. oAQu0SL1oIldDty Ln0 pres ence of Elihu Root and the American commission, together with the effort. of the British commission, will gt far toward steadying Russia
 At it's commencement the new gov ernment was powerless because i fa1nd no support in an unorganizet uopulation which did not understand the requirements of the situation ant which. had been swayed wildly by tn, primary destructive impulses tha revolution always engenders. It wa weakened also by lack of newspaper of restrained but democratic ideals newspapers which might have en eouraged and influenced the mex. perienced people. The old organs O the dispossessed autocracy had gon and there was nothing to take thei place.
 The old regime fell so suddenl, that the revolutionary forces, so eag CT to punish and destroy old institu fions dangerous to liberty, had no le 7 Eitimate object against which to di rect their energies. Led by returne, exiles sschooled in theoretical social ism and utterly lacking in practica political experience. the revolution
 DON,T BE A MISER-