New-York tribune., 1917-07-10
Russia and the United States

either the United States or Russia must
doninate the congress at which the peace
Of the world is restored. The only otner
rational solution would seem to be tnat
the United States and Russia, acting TO-
gether, should hold the decisive influence
at this time.
The simple and all-suficing reason Tor
this is that only Russia and the United
States will 60 to the peace congress un-
hampered by any selfish ambition and un-
influenced by any aspiration for terri
tor;al or material profit flowing from VIC
tory. In this respect President wilson
has truly defined American purpose, and
the Russian Revolution has with equal
clarity outlined Russian purpose.
The Russian formula Of no annexation
and no indemnity is the American for
mula. expressly stated by President Will
son. in advance of American entrance into
the war and before the Russian Revoiu-
ton had come, in so far as America her
self is concerned. We have no provinces
or colonies in mind; we have no thought
Of seeking monetary rewards for our en-
trance into the war.
Such being the case, there is every rea-
son in the world why there should be
moral solidarity between the Russian and
tho American governments at this time
and henceforth. There is every reason
why the United States, with exactly the
same purposes as the Russian, but with
wholly different view of the facts of the
war from the Russian, should seek and
find a common ground with nation whose
war purposes are so oddly and completely
identical with our own.
Up to the present time there has been
no official understanding of the Russian
point of view and no real effort made to
find a common ground. The new Russian
offensive. with all that it means, offers
exactly the opportunity that should be de-
sired for reaching real understanding
and laying the basis for fruitful CO.
operation in the making of war and also
in the making of peace.
As long as Russia, having announced
her own formula Of peace without annex
alton or indemnity, listened to the patiently
false and utterly fraudulent words of the
Germans, there could be no understanding
between Russia and the United States, be-
cause we, who had long listened to similar
words. had at last perceived that the
whole German purpose was the negation
Of the German words spoken to Russia,
and that what Germany sought was to
achieve a peace, with annexations for her
self and her allies, by cozening Russia
into a separate peace through sham ac-
ceptance Of Russian purposes, so far as
words were concerned.
Perceiving clearly that the nation which
went to war to gain annexations and in
IDENTITIES, and believed itself likely to OBJ
N tain these with Russia eliminated, was in
truth the deadly foe to all the ideas and
ideals enunciated by the Russian Revolu-
ton, the United States was estopped from
real cooperation with Russia.
But with Russia which has recognized
that only by fighting can she realize her
ideals and establish her ideas; with a Rus
sia recognizing that the defeat Of Ger
many must be the first step toward the
foundation Of that new world to which
Revolutionary Russia is dedicated, we have
everything in common and every reason
directs that we should find a common
ground.
1t is an idle and a foolish thing to as
sumo that because Russia has returned TO
the fight she has laid aside those princi-
pies and those purposes enunciated by the
Revolution. She has done nothing Of the
sort, and it is entirely unlikely that she
will do this. On the contrary, she has
elected TO fight wholly because those who
lead in her councils are convinced that
only by fighting can Russia establish these
IDEAS in Russia and out Of il. And a Rus
sia that IL willing 10 fight cannot be ig-
1ored and cannot be denied voice in
= Allied conferences. II is dangerous
thing 10 imagine that Russia will spend
her blood in a war for certain ideals and