The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1918-05-28
The Arctic Campaign.

Landing of French and British forces on
the Kola peninsula "to reinforce British ma
rines landed several weeks ago" marks a
definite extension of the fighting zone to the
shores OF the Arctic ocean. Passing without
comment the somewhat amusing spectacle
of allied soldiers fighting in that region as
brothers In arms of the bolshevik red guards
there are other phases of interest not near
ly so amusing. For instance, the course of
events leading up to German penetration so
far north is full of significance. And the
rapidity of that penetration has its own les
son with regard to other zones of war, nota-
bly, Siberia.
On March the Germans signed treaty.
with one of the warning factions in the new
republic of Finland. Naturally, the Ger
mans allied themselves with the so-called
bourgeolse element, the stable and response
bic party, which was far less interested in
establishing happy state of soviet confu-
sion than In getting peace and order again
At that time all Finland was in bloody class
war. The white guards of the ''bourgeoise"
and the red guards of the bolsheviki, the
latter with numerous accessions from Rus
STA, were at each others Threats. It was i'm
possible to pick winner. German interven
ton, however, settled that part of it. The
red guards were decisively worsted at Tam
mer1ors, the most important manufacturing
town in Finland. Passing more and more
under control of German influences, the
white guards were pushed rapidly north and
northeast. In the meantime the Russian boil
SheVlk government in a treaty" with the
Firms agreed that the boundary of Finland
should be the White sea, and that Finland
should have port on the Arctic The white
guards appeared to be proceeding within
the scope of that treaty" in their advance
on KEN, White sea port. But Finish white
guards, under German leadership. are not
to be distinguished from purely German in
struments. The move toward the Arctic def
lnltely threatened the new Mourrnan coast
railway, along the north coast of Kola PENN
sula. Indeed, the German press began quite
frankly to boast of German control of an
other sea, with incidentally complete cut
ting of OF Russia from all free communica-
ton with the western world. With German
lzed Firms in control of the northeastern
part OF kola peninsula and part of the shore
OF Cne WHITE sea the Russian port of Arch
angel would be pocketed completely.
Another gratuity which conquest of the
kola coast by white guards would give Ger
many would be naval base at the ice free
port OF Ekaterina-a base equal to anv on
the coast of Norway, giving the Germans
the ability to contest with the allies domino
ton of the Arctic, and tending to complete
the subordlnation of Scandinavia to German
power
Germany now, with a great Eurasian en-
pre- mat controls the Black sea, threatens
control OF the Caspian, and actually controls
the Baltic, is reaching for control of the
White sea and Arctic ocean. British and
French forces have been compelled to land
and cooperate with Trotzky's bolsheviki in
defense of the Arctic littoral They are en-
deavoring to keep open a route to northern
Russia that is not under German guns. And
the speed with which this task became i'm
mediate gives point to the arguments of
those who wish Japan to take steps in ST.
IBERIA. The actual number of German forces
in Finland and Russian Lapland is inconsid-
cradle, of course. But they are pushing on,
with the assistance of natives whom thew
have organized, to the very borders of the
distant ocean. And the bolsheviki them
selves have had to recognize the Importance
of the peril and accept the aid of the hated
western bourgeoisies in order to repel it.
The obvious conclusion is that Germanic
penetrations of Siberia is not so remote as
it has appeared.