The Washington herald., 1918-02-12
Status Of Rumania Probe
matical, Despite Mack
ensen's Ulhmatum.
SLAV FOOD STORES
OBJECT OF NTRIGUES
Teutonic Powers Stretch
Out to Gather in Re-
wards Of Diplomacy.

Amsterdam, Feb. 1.-The war
between the central powers and
Russia is over. but no formal treaty
of peace has been signed.
The Bolsheviki, while holding
off" in the matter of signing a pact.
have declared the state of war with
Germany, Austria, Bulgaria and
Turkey at an end and have ordered
the rehabilitation of all of Russia's
armed forces.
This happened at Brest-Litovsk
yesterday. Tomorrow the armistice
in the East. prolonged one month
on January II. would have expired.
Not a word had come through
direct from Petrograd up to this
evening confirming the Bolshevist
surrender. All the news at hand
came from Brest-Eitovsk, first over
the direct wire to Berlin and then
piecemeal from the German capital.
Rumania In Plight.
Rumanias' status is still problemati-
cal. There was nothing in today's
news to indicate what action she has
taken toward Field Martiel Won
Mackenzen's reported ultimatum de-
manding peace negotiations BY satur-
day.
1t is taken a. a fofegone conclusion.
however, that. forced by her geo
grzphicAi condition hemmed in as she
Is By foes on all sides, she will obey
the dictates Of self-preservatfon and
sign up" @
Berlin has played Russia against
Russia and is now proceeding to con-
vert the vast Muscovite power from
emnity into economic dependence,
from a dangerous foe into a pro-
wider of food and raw materials.
With the Ukrainian signatures to
the seperate peace pact with the
central alliance, the curtain fell upon
the drama in which Lenine and
Trotzky played the leading roles; this
became clearer today. No longer
dangerous foes who could dictate
terms, their future procedure is to
the central powers a matters OF small
concern. But still they are proud and
defiant; in declaring the war on,
they refse to put their names to a
peace of surrender.
Likely to Sign Treaty.
Whether necessity will yet force
them in the immediate future to
change their minds is open to Ques-
ton. Indications are that, to save
their influence at home, they will be
compelled to conclude a formal treaty
of peace. But in doing so Trotzky
is expected to live Up to his recent
promise:
"If. after all, we should be COM
PEELED to conclude separate peace, on
terms other than our own, we will
not tell the people of Russia it is
a Just and democratic peace; we will
tell them that we are forced to sign
a shameful peace"
Meanwhile rejoicing unconfined
reigns in the Teutonic and their allied
countries over the developments of
the last three days. In Austria it
borders on ecstacy, chiefly because
the Ukrainian peace is taken to mean
immediate release from the food
shortage and because all menace of
an invasion from the west is re-
moved.
Prepared for Repression.
In Germany the Ukrainian pact
was received more calmly. the
Press evidently having been pre-
pared for abstention from glowing
premises Of ~plenty" to the hungry
people. Demobilization of the Rus
sian armies. however. was created
with unrestrained enthusiasm.
Foreign Minister Won Kuhlmann
is quoted as saying, as he put his
name to the document concluding
peace with the Ukraine:
May this be the first of a series
Of blessed conclusions of peace. We
CONTINUED ON PAGE FoC2.