The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1917-07-24
Also Will Shoot Down Traitors
and Mutineers in Army.
Kerensky at Front on Death
Trail of Strife Leaders.
ALL NATION BACK OF HIM
Must Stop German Invasion or
Nation Is Lost.
400 Machine Guns Taken From
Mutinous Troops.
BY WILLIAM G. SHEPHERD.

BY WILLIAM G. SHEPHERD.
Petrograd, July 24.-Russia will
shoot down as traitors the mutineers
in her armies and the German spies
in her cities.
Clothed with UNLIMITED powers"
the new peoples cabinet was prepared
today to invoke measures of blood
shed to stop ne rout of the southeast
army and to clean out the nests OF
German provocat scattered thru
out the nation. Premier Kerensky,
arriving at the front today, was ex-
pected to order loyal troops without
mercy to shoot down such of their fell
low soldiers who yelled to German
propaganda and started the mutiny-
The rigorous policy of repression of
traitors a-.d of German sympathizers
is the peoples own plan. The All
Russia Workmen's md Soldiers and
Peasants congresses formally approve
it. A proclamation declaring all who
disobey the provisional governments
battle orders will be regarded as
traitors and towards and show no
mercy" was --1ued today
Advancing on 4O-Mile Front.
Petrograd is hoping that <erensIy
will again perform miracle at the
front. With Tarnap ! rome and the
Teutonic armies pushing forward on
a front of close to forty miles, the
whole of the great Russian line as
far north as Pinsk is menaced. Turn
ing of the Russian flank may be at
tempted To avert a disaster, the
Russian troops must be reformed, the
malcontents weeded out or shot and
firm stand made.
Not alone on the front is the new
policy of determination of undesir-
ables, of traitors and pro-Germans to
be carried out. Today in Petrograd
strong forces of soldiers and special
agents began systematic uprooting
of the German spy system as well as
a sorting out of all suspicious troops.
The first machine gun regiment was
disarmed. Four hundred machine
guns and truck loads of military sup
plies were seized. The regiment itself
formally surrendered. 1t was trans
ferred to new barracks and will
shortly be sent to the front. Parts
of this regiment were among those
who participated in last weeks riot
ing in Petrograd.
Prove German Intrigue.
The existence of a huge German
plot to overthrow the new democracy
by counter revolution was definitely
proved today in wholesale arrests in
the capital 1t was German money
that melted anarchists last week to
provocators at the front who led the
mutiny in the army.
The German plot for a counter revo-
luton must have been forming for
months. Millions have been spent in
Matching the scheme. Among several
hundred anarchists and revoIutionar-
les of scant means and no income, who
were seized today the authC rites
found large sums of money None
had less than 300 roubles (sI5O) and
m M "a
But from out of the shock Ct this
German perfidy. Premier KerenskS
emerged today stronger than ever.
He is now clothed with all the powers
or an absolute ruler-a mark Of uni
, versa1 public confidence.
Warns America.
I'VE are glad the storm broke so
soon," declared Mrs. Emmeline Pank-
hurst. England's suffragette leader.
today. I'VE had known it was gath
ering for weeks. We knew the Ger
mans were at work. but how or whers
their Vaccinations would break out.
no one knew
AS an American, you can see from
, this situation what we had to fight
against in England. God only knows
how many English lives were lost be-
cause England permitted the Ger
mans TO remain working in our midst
You in America will soon find. or
later perhaps, at terrible cost. that Won
must lock up every German synpa
thizer''
Even with the new policy of run
ming down all agitators and political
fanatics. there were evidences here
today that German agents still abound
Apparently there is a comprehensive.
systematic campaign of ACQUISITION OF
passports by pickpockets. Victims an
parently are carefully selected before
hand. There were twenty arrests OF
spies bearing forged or altered pass
ports stolen in this manner at the
frontier on Saturday alone. Search Of
the apartments of suspected German
agents here has revealed great patches
I of other credentials
Navy for Kerensky.
! With the army sowed with Ger
man agents working to achieve rnu-
! tiny, Petrograd was greatly relieved
today by report of NJ Lebedieff
Kerensky's assistant in charge of the
navyA declaring that Russia's sailors
OF the fleet were completely loyal
Lebedieff has just returned from a
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