Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1918-01-09
Question Of Procedure Be
tween Russian and Ger
man Agents Disposed Of.
FACING
A GLOOM FUTURE
Only Intervention Of Allies
or Germany Can Stop
Catastrophe, is Report.

Amsterdam, Jan. 9.-Thc leaders OF
the delegations representing Russia
and h Central powers ilAld a pre-.
liminary discussion yesterday. dispos-
ing Of questions Of procedure. a dis
patch from Bfcst-Litovak reports. The
meeting vas attended by Leon Trotz-
Ky, Bolsheviki foreign minister, DIR.
lister; Count Czernin, AustrO-Hun-
/ garian foreign minister, and Talaat
Bey, Turkish grand vizier. n plenary
session of the delegates was arranged
for this morning.
Later representatives Of ths Central
powers held q conference with the
Ukrainians.
increasing Trouble.
London. Jan. 9.-ThA situation i'm
Petrograd is depicted in tho most
gloomy colors by the correspondent of
the Times who In Il telegram dated
Monday, the Russian Christmas, says
that no Christmas in 800 years has
been celebrated In such tragic cir
~cumstances. P%etrograd,. he adds. is
full Of dirt, disorder and crime.
Burglary, robbery and murder in
the most audacious forms prevail to
an extent hitherto unknown and there
Is no. police or, other authority to
which to appeal. -.
Starvation Nearing.
The food situation Is very critical.
he says, and starvation appears to-he
staring the people in the face. The
onlyAbread to be had is black. gritty
nillers' refuse and mixed with straw.
Potatoes are getting scarce and dear,
while meat is a rare luxury.
The wretched conditions Of ex-
istence have been aggravated by
binding snowstorms drifted by violent
winds for three days and rights with
the temperature at IA degrees fahren-
heit. The correspondent Of the Times
/ thus sums up the general position OF
t the country:
/ Russian affairs have become sc
| desperate that only the Intervention 81
the allies or the Germans can prevent
. catastrophe. AS this can no longer he
S expected from the allies. the disheart'
ened Russian looks to h Germans te
| which the country now is involved"
! Secs New Scheme.
I London. Ian. 9.-Leon Trotzky, tn
II Bolsheyiki foreign minister Is con
WINGED that the entente government
wish Germany to make an advantage
$ ous separate peace with Russia 81
1 that Germany will agree the more
!. willingly to surrender what the allie
want in the west. according to tn
~ toA VI s> 49,
News.
Premier Lloyd George. the CORE
l. spondent assured Trotzky. had neve
made such a statement, but the Boil
sheviki leader was hard to convince
and said: THAT is the allied policy.
Hefadded thatlthe attitude Of the Boil
sheviki would not he Influenced by tn
attitude Of the allied governments
but by that Of the allied peoples;
Trotzky vas asked, what hope h
himself had Of 8 general accepta bl
!, peace. He replied that 1t was Difficult
to say because the Germans had no
yet been offered a chance to MAX
= such 4 pesce but he was sure tn
Germans must need It.
n CnnrGt Move Troops.
g The Russian foreign minister quot
& ed German deyerters as Sc wing tina
the Germans were unable to emo
troops from the eastern front in larg
units They were removing then, on
# at a time and the men, knowinl
where they were being sent. jumpe'
a from trains In attempts to escape.
Asked what terms he actually hope
to get. Trotzky refused to reply. an
said laughingly:
"1f wc,were really logical. we wonl'
g declare wal on England now for tn
# sake of India. Egypt and Ireland"
n The Daily News correspondent pro
tested that Great britain made moth
ing out OF India, to which Trotzky re
piled:
Then give UP being 80 jaltruistit
You English ave tho most chauvinis
nation on the earth without knowin
~ 1 r. - IN ---- E-.../