Evening star., 1917-04-08
KUHN'S WAR REVIEW
Continued from Fifth Page)

CONTINUED from Fifth Page)
advance at will, unless the Turks raise
some unexpected obstacles. The Russians
have established communication lines
through Trebizond over the Black sea
route and these lines are comparatively
safe owing to the fact that Russian war
ships have practically wiped the TURK
ish flag from the Black sea
Russian armies operating through Persia
also evidently have well conducted COM
munication lines else their rate of prog
II has been. The Russians have been
able to push as fast as they have de
sired. halting at no time for the coming
up of provisions or supplies of any
character. Undoubtedly they have these
routes well protected.
While the Turks are at present de-
noralize1 it cannot be expected that they
will continue to pre-
Turks Expected to sent the present un-
Organize Front. |srther to the west
they retreat more co-ordinated will be-
come their ranks. The many armies
which have been operating singly will be
welded into one great army stretching
across Asiatic Turkey from the north to
the south. Just when they will be able
to bring about this welding process
mains to be seen. but IL undoubtedly will
meet with difficulties if the Russians and
British continue to remain in contact
with the Ottoman forces and give them
little time to perfect their plans.
The menace to the Turkish empire
from Palestine, where the British have
also struck severe blows at the Turks
is great, but not so much as that in the
eastern section OF the empire. The Brit
tsh still have far 10 go before they can
throw an army behind the Turks re-
treating from the Mesopotamian regions
and Armenia. 1t is doubtful even now
that the British ever can assemble an
army large enough to attempt 10 cut off
the Turks from this direction, for the
TURKS retreat from the east their COM
munication lines will be shorter and as
sistance from Constantinople can be OBJ
tanned in quicker time.
The military objects OF the Russian and
British armies SO far may be said to
have been achieved. Further events in
this war arena undoubtedly will be
watched with the greatest interest.
Religious liberty and general anues-
ty for the thousands of tyrannized-over
prisoners in
Two Big Steps the desolate
for Redeemed Russia. sibaris,
Had the provisional government Of
Russia made no other moves since it
stepped into power q few weeks ago,
these two grants undoubtedly would
have stamped 1t success in the minds
of the millions of Russian people who
long have been restless under the
H., rI,l
Russian government. These two
things. which long have been dreamed
OF in the Russian empire, became
realities during the past week 1t is
estimated that fully a hundred thou
sand persons, sentenced to the wild re-
gions of Siberia for political and other
reasons. no wonce more are free
men. They are leaving behind them
the shackles that cut deep into
their wrists and ankles. They are
leaving behind them those hideous in
struments invented to promote human
misery; they are quitting the sordid
atmosphere which was tainted with the
groans of their suffering fellow beings;
they are forsaking the mines operated
for the sake of the Romanoffs in
Petrograds No longer will their labors
swell the Golfers of greedy and cruel
governors. No longer will they be
forced to herd together swine. No
longer will their lives be endangered
by unchecked pestilence. Those per-
sons who have been confined in
Siberia, a hell on earth. have started
their mad dash into the light of free
dom. Thousands. no doubt. were guilty
of some crime or other which merited
punishment. Thousands of others were
innocent men and women, guilty of no
other crime than the preachment of
gospel of brotherhood OF man and
democracy. Others were so-called ter
rorists who constantly by various
means brought menace to the reigning
~
nike more democratic forms. Countless
numbers were sent to the wilds of
Siberia on trumped-up pretexts, their
misdeeds possibly being no more than
governmental underling. Thousands
sent to Siberia for I'VE years. ten years
and even lifetimes went there not
knowing what crime they had commit
advanced thinkers of Russia. some of
the men who undoubtedly: with their
new lease of life, win figure large in
the history Of the nation. are returning
10 the outer world happy that they are
free and determined that there shall be
no return to the old regime. They are
emerging from the land of nowhere
to take UP the duties and responsible
ties of respected citizens. The new
government has turned to a clean page.
Every man in the new empire is equal
one unto the other until actions shall
have proved them unworthy of the
trust Truly the spirit of democracy
prevails IN the land And on every
hand pledges continue to be heard that
never as long as Russia snail exist as
Il nation shall there be any deviation
from the present course.
The new government already has
brought about a great reorganization
of the trans
Increased Food portatlon sys-
Under New Regime. the peoples of
the densely populated and more iso-
lated sections of the nation once more
are receiving in some measure increas-
ed food supplies. The stagnation which
once existed in governmental and mill
tarv affairs has ended. There has been
a ouickening of the Russian pulse in
the pas. ten days. The people are
carrying out the dictates of the new
regime without r1urmur, well realizing
that every move is for the best inter
ests of the people as whole. Practi-