New-York tribune., 1918-02-03
Bolsheviki Will Gust Kaisers,
Or Fight, Says Col. Thompson
New Freedom Will Invade Germany and Austria and
Overthrow Autocraces, Declares Fnancier and
Former Red Cross Emissary to Petrograd

mankind. Whlle IN Russia l met some
real patriots. There ! met men and
fellows. had spent three quarters of
their lives in prisons and chain gangs.
There met the heads of the revolt
tionary groups who, for fifty years and
more, had been risking their all for
Russian freedom Nine. Breshkovsky,
Mr.. Tchaikovsky (Shaykovsky) and Mr..
Lazaroif. Think of Rreshkovsky, the
GRANDMOTHER of the Revolution, sev-
enty-four years old, prisoner and nm
exile for thirty-four years. still work.
ing, night and day, with might and
main, for the benefit of her follow Rus
slams
"This group surrounded Kerensky,
who believed in working out the So
cia problem by the Russian labor
erty-owning classes. Then. again,
saw tho Workings Of another group,
equally patriotic, who believed that
ultimate freedom and the possession of
the land could only be worked out by
the workngmen and the peasants.
can easily see how Marie Spiridovna,
now a leading figure in Russian life
believes that freedom is only to be
realized by government of working
men alone. The Russian Revolution.
only a few months ago, released this
young woman, now only in the thirties
from fifteen years solitary coniinc
ment in Siberian prison.
"I will say right here that if at any
time during my travels was witness
OF deeds Of wanton destruction and vio-
lcnce, it was not in Russia If at any
time was subjected to any discourtesy
or incivilty it was not in Russia. If
at any time [ was in danger, it was
not in Russia.
Country Needs Help
"Yet Russia is a good deal dlsorgan-
There have been revolution and at
tempted revolution, one coming on the
heels Of another. There has been con.
siderable civil strife in one section Of
tho country or another, but the re-
ports always appear much more dread
full than the facts really are Russia
is happy in her trials, because Russia
has found something which her sons
and their fathers and grandfathers and
great-grandfathcr have been striving
for. Russia has found freedom. Rus
isia is democracy. It is democracy
which comes a s near being Representa-
tive of the soil as it would be possible
to find anywhere. 1t has mud on its
boots, hair on its face, and the love Of
freedom in its heart.
"Russia is a government Of the work.
ants and the mechanics. 1t is democ-
racy which is striving for the uplft Of
the great masses. The one great desr,
Of perhaps 90 per cent Of Russia s
1S0,00o,00O people is to have peace; to
have land which they can control and
call their own; to have a part in the
industrial life of tho country, and feel
that they own q part of it; to live lives
Of order, unrestrained by any car or
dictator; to acquire education, and to
improve their condition. This is the
impulse which has stirred the Russian
people long before and ever since they
overthrew the Czar.
when I say that they want peace
| do not say that they want separate
peace. Democratic Russia, in my opin-
ion. will never make a separate peace
government has not ordered the SOL
diers away from the trenches. On the
! contrary, it is filling the places Of de-
sertors with new soldiers recruited
from the Red Guard. The Russian de-
mocracy wants peace, as we in America
want peace, as they want peace in
France and England and Italy. They
want peace with democratic Ger
many and not with an autocratic Ger
many.
People Not Vcngeful
81 have been deeply impressed with
the effect of the newfound liberty
upon the great masses of the Russian
people 1t did not turn them into a
vengeful horde, bent on wholesale
massacre and bloodshed, the newspa-
per reports in most part to the con-
trary notwith thstanding. AS matter of
fact, it did not change them very much,
except that from sad, brave, protest.
ing people. they became a glad, amia-
BILE but rather bewildered people. They
attained liberty, and naturally it is
taking some time fer them to work
out the system Of government under
w,Hich they will live. They are kind
ly people, and as a nation they have
very high ideals.
1T was the Russian democracy
which gave to the world the cry that
tEerc should be no anneXations and no
lndemnities. That is a cry which should
have been appreciated earlier in Amer
ica and should have resulted in the un-
swcrving sympathy of America being
EXTENDED to the Russian democracy. It
was the democracy of Russia which in
jected into this war the cry, "No secret
treaties!" 1t was the democracy of Rus
sia which gave to the world the princi-
pie of self-determination by small
nationalities, which President Wilson
has crystallized in his message and
which will form the basis for the free
dom of the world. In the face
OF declarations like these from the
Russian democracy there has been a
torrent Of abuse from some of the Rus
sian upper classes and from the Amer
can press, which, 1 am sorry to saw.
apparently does not comprehend some
Of the most important and fundamen-
tai elements of the Russian situation.
attempts have been made to stop all
supplies going to Russia from the
United States. Advice was given for
all Allied representatives to withdraw.
If this advice had been followed It
would have tended to put Russia into
the arms of Germany. Do YOU realize
What this would have meant? The
German General Staff in time would
dominate Russia socially, numerically
and politically. All Asia would be Ger
manized, and Germany would realize
her ambitions on the Pacific similar to
those which she entertained on the At
lantic.
Cropping for Light
"We are sending our youngest and
our best blood to the trenches, and we
owe them the best diplomatic advice
and service that we can possibly OBJ
tain.
* urge strongly that we do not relax
: our efforts to help the Russians We
should not grow impatient because of
their attempts to put into practice what
we might regard as wild theories. We
= Il n kox