Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1918-03-20
FALL OF CITY
is EXPECTED
AT ANY HOUR
Russ Apparently Making
No Organized Effort
to Resist.

London, March 2O.-0ccupa-
tiOn of PetrOgrad by the Ger
mans is only matter of hours.
according Ia dispatches from
PetrOgrad TO several of the
morning newspapers. The Rus
sian capital Is said to be as
suming a waiting attitude and
is not displaying the slightest
sign of organized Teslstance
The Germans are reported in
Reuter- dispatch from PetrO-
grad to have reached the Vlcin-
ity of Ono station, the AustrO-
German advance in southern
Russia continues. The enemy
has occupied SOumy, five hours
march from kharkOVa, the dis
patch says.
The various reports from Russia
also indicate the greatest anxiety
over what appears to be an envel-
oping movement the Austro-Ger-
man forces are carrying out against
Moscow. There Is talk of moving
the government, according to these
advices, to Sarjoffe (probably Sara
toff, $50 miles southeast OF Mos
cow. or to Nizhni Noygorod, (265
miles northeast of Moscow.
(By Associated Press.)
The fall of Petrograd is imminent.
German troops probably advancing
along the Baltic coast from Narva
and Northeast from Pskov and De-
vinsk, are nearing the Russian me-
tropolis, according to dispatches re
ceived in London. The population
is said to be awaiting the coming
of the invaders passively and there
are no indications that the Boil
sheviki authorities will attempt to
oppose the Germans before giving
up the city.
Excavation of Petrograd by the
Bolshevih government departments
I4was~ordered last week and all are
now in Moscow, which the Lenine
government has declared the Rus
sian capital. When the oder to
move to Moscow was given. it was
said that Petrograd probably would
be declared a free port.
Gives Control of Gulf.
German possession of Petrograd
would give the enemy complete con-
troll of the Gulf of Finland and all
the important ports on its coast ex-
cept those in Finland yet in the
hands of the Finnish rebels who
are being attacked by the Germans
and Finnish government forces.
This would cut Moscow off from the
Baltic sea. On the south the Ger
mans have been reported within $50
miles of Moscow and they virtually
control the Black sea
Martial Law Declared.
London, March 20.-The Ukrain-
ian national council has declared
martial law in the provinces of Pol
tava, Tchernigov and Kharkov, ac-
cording to a Reuter- dispatch from
Petrograd.
Freight traffic has been resumed
on portions of the railway lines
near the Baltic held by the Ger
mans.
The Russian orthodox church has
presented demand that the Russo
German peace treaty prescribe its
authority over the orthodox popu-
lation in the territories lost
through the peace treaty.
Oppose Dlsmemberment.
Il
grad dated March 19. reports the
patriarch of the Russian church to
have sent q message to the ortho-
doX population declaring that the
church cannot regard as binding a
peace which dismembers the coun-
try and places IL under the domina-
ton Of conquering foreign power.
In this connection the Communist
is quoted as declaring that the Rus
sian proletariat cannot make fur
ther concessions but must be ready
to rise at any moment irrespective
of its state OF preparedness.
Other reports from Petrograd
state that the council of peoples
commissioners has ordered the ar
rest OF NJ. Bibenko, the commits
sioner of marine, for opposition to
the ratification Of the peace treaty.
(Petrograd dispatches filed on
March 13 reported that NJ. Bibenko
had been missing for several days.)
Americans TO Investigate.
Petrograd. Tuesday, March 19.--
| (By the Associated PTess.) An
American mission will visit Siberia
TO investigate reports OF the arm
/ ing OF prisoners OF war.
There have been persistent re-
ports from Harbin. Peking and
Toxic recently that Austro-German
prisoners In Siberia had been
/ armed and were assisting the Boil
! sheyik in putting down opposi-
( ton. Armed German prisoners
were said TO have assisted the Boil
shevih In their campaign against
/ General Semenoff, the Cossack
| leader. near the Manchurlan bor-