Evening star., 1918-01-13
To ENTER RELATIONS
WITH RUSS RADICALS
Great Britain's Stand Toward
BoIsheviki InformaI-Hopes
to Gain Information.
GERMAN PURPOSE IN EAST
By the Associated Press.

l
| LONDON. January 12.-The British
! government has decided to establish
| informal relations with Maxim Litvi-
non. who was appointed by the bolshe-
| vik government as Russian ambassador
, to London. according to the Daily Mail.
| This step. adds the newspaper, has been
taken with view to obtaining useful
information in regard to conditions in
Russia
The position is, the Mail says, that
so long as Lenine and Trotzky remain
the de facto power in great Russia it
would De unwise to adopt an attitude
designed to shut off Great Britain from
receiving communications of possible
value and from supplying information,
II. for example. Lenine and Trotzky
should eventually be inclined to give
heed to the counsel rendered them by
the allied governments through the re-
cent speeches of Mr.. Lloyd George and
President Wilson.
Armistice Is Extended.
Leon Trotzky, tke bolshevik foreign
minister. proposed at the peace negotia-
IONS that the present armistice between
russia ana Germany be prolonged for an
o!her month, according to sn Exchange
Telegraph dispatch from Petrograd The
central powers accepted the proposal
German Purpose in Parleys.
Cablegram to The Sunday Star and New
York World.
PETROGRAD. January IL, via London.
January 12.-The latest news from
brest-Litovsk makes it clear that the
governments of the central empires, be-
ing assured that Russia will not be
supported by the entente at a general
peace conference. are deliberately TAX
ing more uncompromising position,
with view of Strengthening the milf
tary annexationist parties by showing
the obvious trophies of the annexation
ist policy. They, like everybody except
Russia's allies. know Russia cannot con-
tinue the war In the ordinary sense ex-
cept under desperate conditions. They
know further that acceptance of Rus
sia's peace terms would not be reward
ed by a general peace. They, therefore
In single combat with Trotzky are do
ing their best to keep the frontiers Of
the revolution as far as possible from
the frontiers of Germany.
Could Accept Any Terms.
Whatever may be the final terms Of
peace. Germany will be the dominant
trader in Poland and Courland and
other adjacent provinces. From that
point of view she could accept any
terms. But even after peace Is signed
Russia will not be peaceful neighbor
and the Germans would prefer that the
Baltic barons put down revolution in
courland than to have revolution
spreading over their own borders into
eastern Prussia. They know that as
German troops leave the occupied ter
ritory the Russian revolution will come
In.
1t must be remembered that the Rus
sian revolution today Is very much OBJ
noxious to the administrative revolu-
ton OF last March. That is true for
% Russia as well as for Germany and ex-
the bolsheviki at home. This OPPOSE
ZION makes Trotzky's position doubly
difficult.
Opposition Strengthened.
JG"t as allied sabotage of the Stock
ho conference destroyed the last hope
OF =iiying the old Russian army under
Kerensky, so refusal to support Rus
sia at general peace conference tends
Trotzky's demands. Thus the patriotic
Den prints note on the conditions of
Riga under German rule, pointing out
that they are much better than those
Of Russia and even appealing to wom-
en- by saying that in Riga women's
boots sold for forty rubles (37.60) a
pair, whereas here they bring eighty
rubles S15) or more. The patriotic
Reich openly exults in the strength of
German opposition to the bolsheviki
and in the attitude Of the allies, not
because these things help Russia, but
because they can lbe used to damage
the bolsheviki.
The bolsheviki are equally obnoxious
to the propertied classes Of GERMANY
and Russia. for they stand with swords
pointing both ways. preventing prop
erty owners on either side of them from
mutually coming to terms.