Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1918-02-14
TEuTONSARE
uNEASY0VER
RUSS PUZZLE
Believe Trotzky is Tricking
Them-Call Order to Dis
band Army Sham.

Amsterdam, Feb. H.-Judging from
the latest indications in the German
press, much dissatisfaction and sus-
picion has been aroused by the latest
move of Foreign Minister Trotzky.
Important political and military lead
ers are said to be comforting busiiy
to find the best solution to the puzzle.
The Kreuz Zeitung of Berlin on
Tuesday declared, ION reliable infor-
nation" that Trotzky's proposal is in
no circumstances to be regarded as
a peace offer, while it Is pointed out
by other papers that the Russian war
theatre was mentioned especially in
the official army report Of Tuesday. A
Berlin telegram to the Koelniscne
Volks Zeitung of Wednesday. says:
Want Regular Peace Treaty.
"The government Is not willing to
continue relations with Russia on
any basis whatsoever until the pres
emit Russian government signs a reg
ular peace treaty. As, however, it
must be reckoned for the present at
any rate, that Trotzky does not think
O. signing any formulated peace decla-
ration, a situation is created which
makes necessary a thorough discus
sion between the government and the
supreme army command"
The correspondent In an apparently
inspired passage, adds:
1.-THE chancellor is resolved under no
circumstances to conduct further ne
gotiations in any neutral center and
it will be the affair of the central
powers to determine where such ne
gotiations may best be held. The re-
call of the ecanomic commission fror
4 Petrogfad Is Under consideration.
ION the other hand It Is evidently
realized that the question of the biz
army of Austro-German prisoners Of
war in Russian territory still con
trolled by Petrograd cannot be over
looked"
!, Favor sCautious Attitude"
A telegram from Vienna to the Tag
lische Rundschau says:
1T is pointed out in well informc.
; quarters that the confusion and un
, certainty of internal conditions i
Russia demand that the central pow
/, ers adopt a cautious and waiting att
!, tude, and that in spite Of the absehc
: of formal conclusion OF peace, ther
: be no hindrance to the exchange o
: prisoners"
= Generalization Stopped, Claim.
q All German newspapers note tn
!. fact that three hours after messag
: was sent out announcing the issuanc
| of ~ ho II
: sian army, another Russian messag
was issued ordering that circulation 9
h this communication be stopped. 1t
= suggested that this indicates that tn
Bolsheviki government no longe
: thinks of adhering to the declaratio
q Of Foreign Minister Trotzky.
nj The Zetitung Ammittag goes SO ia
as to say that there are proofs thu
Trotzky's promise Of Russian demot
ilization is . sham maneuver. It d.
clares that reliable reports represer
= the Bolsheviki as energetically form
= ing q red guard army out of the rem
y nants of the Russian army in the hol
, Of raising million men to establis
!. Bolsheviki power in the border state
i A dispatch from Brest-Litovsk r.
ceived in Amsterdam Monday says tn;
Russia had declared the state of W:
Il to be at an end and that the demoi
ilization of the Russian armies on a
fronts had been ordered. Russia,
\ was added, did not sign formal peat
treaty with the central powers.
= Further Proposals Madel
It Is indicated in the above di
patch that Foreign Minister Trotzi
may have made further proposals
the central powers. If such is Il
case, no report concerning it has BET
received in this country.
There have been no direct dispatch
from Petrograd for several days.
Russian official message received
London Tuesday confirmed the Bres
Litovsk statement that demobilizati,
had been ordered. Since then, the
have been no advices from Petrogra