The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1917-12-07
BY WILLIAM G. SHEPHERD.

BY WILLIAM G. SHEPHERD.
Stockholm. Oct. 25-(By Mail >
Kerensky whipped the Bolsheviki in
the July uprising, but. Instead of pun
ishing Lenine and Trotsky, he permit
ted them their liberty. He later re-
leased every Bolsheviki prisoner.
/ This gave the soldiers at the front
great courage to oppose the war
There are some terrible secrets yet TO
be told Of how the Russian soldiers
killed their officers after they saw
that Kerensky had not dared to pun
ish tho Bolsheviki. Every Russian
soldier. who does not want to fight, is
a Bolsheviki, not Tor reasons of So
ciaIism, but because the Bolsheviki
openly say they want the war to end
I The only way to save these officers
was to restore ca ital punishment
Kerensky &C uld not bring himself to
agree to capital punishment True
to oppose capital punishment in the
front lines, but he never declared
himself in favor of it.
Capital Punishment His Cry
Korni1off knew, as a soldier, that a
soldier, in warfare must have sure
{ tn and disgrace behind him. if he
retreats, and only possible death and
honor before him. if he advances. No
fighting army can exist without CAPT.
! tai punishment. At the Moscow con-
ference Korniloff said that capital
/ punishment must be restored turnout
/ the Russian army, both at the front
/ and at the rear.
/ Within few days after making this
declaration KorniIoff was advancing
/ on Petrograd, seeking the Dictator
! snip of Russia Capital punishment
that was Korniloff'S war cry OF
course the soldiers of Russia, almost
/ to a man, were against Korniloff. To
| them he meant the end of the soldiers
1 self government: he meant the end
/ of their trench meetings and speech
! flying
| Kerensky met the KorniIoff situa-
/ ton with his same bravery-and lack
/ of decision When Korniloff sent his
demand that Kerensky turn over the
! government to him, Kerensky's friends
fell away from him as if he were the
/ plague The Winter palace rooms in
which he had his headquarters were
| deserted. Even the clerks did not
come to their work. The Winter pail
ace was like place doomed to de-
/ white-haired old grandmother of the
! revolution" who had moved into the
/ Winter palace to be near Kerensky
/ with her advice and her mothering
stood by him.
His Murder Imminent.
In those days. it was feared that
| the palace might be bombed at anv
| time. On the floor below Kerenskv's
/ quarters a fire broke out that, for a
Tune, threatened to destroy the left
/ wing of the palace. But still Keren-
| SKY who had every reason to fear
/ Tor ms life, to fear of being murdered
in his rooms, stood pat and refused to
/ surrender to Korniloff.
Each day, as the KorniIoff troops
came nearer to Petrograd KerensIv
grew oolder and holder. He sent out
! def1eS, by wireless: he issued eta+a
] ha
loff S arrest He sent out troons in
! Whom he could have had little conf
aence' TO meet the KorniIoff forces
ana ne sent out three miles of freight
I cars ana locomotives to block the rail
way near Tsza risky Selo. He closad
down the biggest newspapers in Rus
When the troops of the Kerenskv
ana korniIoff parties met, they fra
i ternized; KorniIoff had lost and Kar-
ensl1y had won. Russia cheered for
MN, as it cheers for every victor in
civil war. The Kronstadt sailors who
mad caused the bloody massacre in
jury and who had guarded KerensLv
any any me winter Palace during Korni-
/ IoII advance. seemed to worship him
/ Too Lenient to His Enemies
Kerensky had Korniloff arrested
ana yet, tho he had been willing to
rlsk MS own life in the venture he
, dechned to take the life of Korni1off
Loaay II IS clear that twice he made
/ this mistake of refusing TO pIInisf
traitors He had permitted the blood
sheddlnG radicals. Lenine and Trotzkv
! 10 go free. And now he permitted tI1e
( WouId-be btood-lettiEg Korniloff to es
cape punishment. - %
In Petrograd, the Leninites vrbor,
ne had rot punished. and the aristo-
cratic officers f'the KorniIoff regime
whom he also had not punished
Joined hands and forced Kerenslly to
NOTE.-The fourth ana concln1,,r
az fti th wall De published tomorrow and te is
a. Lne causes that led up to the ,recsn+
4I .GInn of kerensky in Petrograd. -
EDITOR.