The Washington herald., 1918-09-05

belief OF diplomats mere touay. one
will send in more troops to make
sure of success.
ALLIED forces must push westward
over the Siberian railroad from Nladi-
vostok to Irkutsk and throw open
this line of communication to the IN
terror of Russia, officials says. More
troops than the allies want to spare
from the Western front are required,
according TO military experts. and the
Job necessarily falls to Japan.
Russian officials familiar with the
topography OF the country believe
50 600 to 100000 Japanese troops, in
addition to the fighting men placed
in Siberia by the allies, would be
sufficient"
This is very interesting.
There are phases of II. however.
which are not borne out by reports
from Japan.
For instance, we read In Asia" for
August that Adachi Kinnosuki says:
Japan is against the expedition into
Siberia. She is opposed to It emphat-
ically at this time OF writing-if not
quite unanimously. The banner bear
ers of the leading parties in the coun-
try, in spite Of their various vocifer-
Gus differences on other matters, past
counting. are nevertheless absolutely
one on this-their opposition to an
armed Intervention in Siberia by
Japan. And so are all the japanese
newspapers. In some quarters in the
army and navy circles OF Japan the
plan for armed Intervention is re-
ported to be more or less popular"
While the ever conservative Chris
tian Science Monitor has this to say
with reference to the excursion into
Siberia: 1T is reported In the Koku-
min that the president OF the lower
house in an interview with Count
Terauchi urged the cabinets resigna-
ton as a means of pacifying the
country (because of the above men
toned intervention).
The Monitor story continues: THE
Kokumin appears to deduce from the
fact Of the conversation having taken
place that the resignation of the gov
ernment will take place sometime in
September"
Naturally enough this is more or
less disconcerting. but the fact re-
mains that America should keep her
eyes open for the truth OF the situ-
alton. 1t appears to US that nothing
at all is to be gained by listening
to falsehoods concerning the situa-
tion-or by closing our ears to the
truth of the situation both In ST.
IBERIA and Russia.
There are certain incontrovertible
facts which can be obtained and
while we can obtain them IL i'll
behooves US to accept other than
facts, though they may be ever so
alluring.
We wish, In this connection, that
it might be possible for the Amer
ican public to be entirely reassured
that the news 1t is receiving on the
Russian situation is entirely accu-
rate. II means much to US and to
our relations with Russia, so we be-
lieve this government Is warranted
in urging with all ardor its claims
which are reflected in the following
statement from Mr.. Melville Stone.
head of the Associated Press: u
have received a letter from the head
of our London office in which he said
that he had just complained to the
British government about the elm
ination of news matter by the Brit
ish censor from our dispatches from
Russia, which have been delayed
through Great Britain. When Mr.
Balfour was here I took this mat
ter up with him and he pledged him
self to put a stop to it, as he agreed
with me that the Associated Press
is quite capable OF deciding which
news should be made public in Amer
lea. I think the matter will soon
be settled satisfactorily, as the Amer
ican government has sent a protest
to Great Britain"
That was on June 10. Yet the
dispatches coming in from drv to
day have not the strength Of con-
sistency. They appear to be doctor
ed first in one way and then another.
A AAarently those who prepare them
arc not regular in their attention,
or else they prefer to be as in
consistent as they can be, in the
hope that out of the mass of tangled
facts and fiction the public will be
unable to discover either the truth
or the untruth in the reports.
Take for instance. the stories of Rus
sian factories. We have assurances
from our arratic news sources OF
Russia that there is utter demorali-
zation in that country and that riot
ing prevails and all is uproar and
chaos. Yet various stories come
through from various sources-few
of them, indeed. printed for our pub
lic-that Russia was never enjoying
more prosperity and that never had
her people been quite so we'll salts
fed with life.
That noted French authority
Andre Cheradame, knowing the
power of truth and anxious to see
that America would not fall for the
mass of untruths. stated the case
last week when he pointed out that
Russian skilled labor by the millions
is now modified by Germany for
the manufacture of war munitions
and for other purposes which are a
direct contribution to Germany's
war program.
Russia busy and Russia free of
the taxgatherers must be a satisfied
Russia-why should we be persuaded
that Intervention with this plan
would meet the-approval of Russia ?
The most natural thing Russia
would do. in this event, If we tried
to overturn her present condition,
would be to resent our interference
and to perhaps actually enroll with
the Germans in fighting US off her
soil.
What then is the truth? Is It
known here-and should 1t not be
made known to America, If known
here and appreciated to the utmost
by the State Department?
We are not of the opinion that,
while the world has been moving
forward in its war technique, there
has been any Oyerturnipp of tba
saying: THE truth shall make you
free. We believe the truth is just
as essential now as it was in 'Christ's
time-and it will be just as essen
tlal thouand years from now as
1t is at this time. If this Is the
case. then. why should the Ameri-