New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-12-02
War and Czarism Linked in
Minds Of Russian Masses
Peasants ignorant of Strifes Causes Centre Thoughts
Only How to Use Their Newton Freedom
Observer Says Allies Misunderstood the Problem

simple story. his family llNen on i've
acres Of land. from which food had TO
be provided for seven persons. His
father and mother were glad when the
war broke out and took him off, be-
cause il would mean one less mouth TO
FILL
He was two years in the trenches,
when. while or leave, he joined the
Socialist Revolutionary party, which
stood for division of the landlords
land among the people and a minimum
land allotment for the laboring peas
ant.
Never Heard OF Alssce
But this society was illegal. so he
WAS arrested and put back into the
trenches again. Needless 10 say, it is
impossible TO get up any enthusiasm
in the mind Of this young peasant for
Alsace-Lorraine; indeed, he had not
even heard of the place when ! men
toned it 10 him, but he was very much
interested in land and was looking
forward eagerly 20 getting his sllot-
ment from the commune.
Some days later | was in village
in the government (province) of
Samara 1t was Sunday afternoon and
the peasants were all gathered around
the common barn. A bundle of litera-
ture had Just arrived from the nearest
provincial town and on being opened
its contents were eagerly examined.
The local cooperative society was
sending pamphlets for the instruction
and education of the peasants in self
help and cooperation. Before the
revolution, If the zemsky nachalnik
(agent of the secret ruiGl police had
found such literature in the village he
would have given the village elder
twenty lashes with the knout
The conversation all the afternoon
turned on the subjects of bee keeping,
cooperative dairying and the possibility
of starting a credit bank. ! heard no
word about the war The conquest Of
Constantinople and the partition Of Aus
tris had no meaning to these peasants,
and no one threatened them with in
vasion, for they lived two thousand
miles from the front.
War Far Away
The war for them was only dis
turbance going on somewhere far away
in the west. Nothing could destroy the
peaceful life here on the wide open
downs of black earth bordering on the
Russia had been a country of slaves
until yesterday. Ii is true Alexander
Ii socially emancipated the peasants IN
1861. but politically. and economically
they and the urban workers were serfs
until March, 1917. A serf is taught he
has no soul Of his own. When at last
prove his material condition.
L !, ra1f IN
A foreign war after he is free, it must
be made plain to him he is making
this sacrifice in order TO create for
himself a condition of life better than
existed formerly. For him war is in
dissolubly connected with government
that Expresses. War under the Cars
regime simply meant keeping him oc-
cupied and preventing him from think
ing of his troubles at home
For the peasant and workman war
with Germany began in August, 1914,
but war with the Cars government be-
gan very much earlier, but ended in
March, 1917.
Spirit Of Tolstoy
Il is not difficult, therefore, TO see
the reason for the discomfort in Rus
STA at the present time over prolonga-
ton Of the war for objects which the
Russian peasant mind is incapable of
grasping. This discomfort is not due
TO the agitation of few fanatical Boil
sheviki with Jewish names in Petro-
grad. As | saw on my journey in the
interior. it has roots deep down in the
toiling masses of peasants. soldiers and
workers who are living far away from
the petty quarrels Of European ma
tionalities and are at last setting out
to reconstruct their lives on a basis
of freedom and justice.
Instinctively the simple folk after all
the sufferings they have gone through
look for some other method of solving
the worlds problems than shooting at
each other with rifles in cold trenches.
The spirit of Tolstoy is always with
the Russian peasant. It's influence was
felt when in the earlv days Of the
revolution the cry rang forth to the
workers Of the world, peace without
annexations or indemnities-le each
nation decide its own destiny"