The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1918-02-19

Amsterdam. Feb. Is.-with Austria
insisting upon the role ssf Innocent
bystander In the Eastern war. which
was renewed at noon today. Germany
resum ed the invasion of the Russiaa
coast provinces and took steps, II 10
reported. toward q hard and swifs
blow at Pstrograd In an attempt to
crush Rolshsvtam with shs eorcs aS
arms
All that Austria will do hereafter In
q military way in the East. apparently
authentic sdvicss state. 10 TO profess
her communications with the Ukraine"
which means to protect the traus-
portatton OF Ukrsinian food into tha
starving Hapsburg domaina
AT last accounts. sent shortly after
the armistice expired at aeon. Germae
troops were sweeping norshward frcm
Riga Friedrichstadt front, into I.ivon~
las interior and toward EsthonIa--s
both provinces the demand for annex
alton of which wrecked the peace par
ieys with the Russian radicals. The
main force Is believed to be prooeed~
Ing along the railway Riga-Volk, soma
100 miles. Thence q strategic rail-
road runs almost due north to Petro~
grad. another $50 miles. German sea
forces of the entrance OF the Finnish
the land drive.
From Dago island. long since con-
vsrted into German naval base, the
German fest that invaded the Gulf Of
Riga just before Kerensky's downfall
would have a distance OF less than 200
miles to cover to get to Kronstadt
the fortress guarding Petrograd A.
powerful feet OF mine sweepers would
be needed. however, to clear the an
trance of the Finnish gulf. At Krou~
stsdt lice the bulk of Russia's Baltic
ieet, bottled up since the loss of Oesei.
Daso and Moon islands.
Precisely In what state Of defense
that feet now is no one ventures even
to guess. Ominous stories come from
Finland of thousands of Russian sail
ors from this fleet carrying on a cam
paiEn OF hloodshed and brigandage,
Independent of the Bolshev Wiki or any
other faction.
On the way to Eronstadt lies Revai.
the evacuated Russian fortress. 200
miles wsst-southwest of Petrograd.
Opposite Reveal is Helsingtors. the Fin~
nIsh capital.
Firms AK for AID.
From Germany there came again to-
day stories OF pitifui appeals from Fin~
land fer aid against the Red Guards.
German propaganda has been busy for
weeks preparing for . campaign to
'1Iberate" Finland from the Boishsviki.
On that pretext, most welcome 20 Bar
lin, a landing of German troops on
Finnish soil would surprise NO ona
In PetroSrad. meanwhile. are 10000
German prisoners The German press
is full OF stories that these are threat
ened with Wholesale massacres From
Finland, therefore. the Germans are
expected to proceed--if they can--to
Petrosrad to free their nationals
there. the land and sea drive from
that direction. II their present plans
materiaiize. converging with the drive
from the Riga Friedrichstadt front
Mohs Murder and Rob.
Meanwhile war OF the bioodiest sort.
not between organised armies but be-
tween unorganixed mobs that are out
for murder and piliage. reigns at tho
southern end of the Russian front. NO
line, Kiev. the Ukrainian capital. has
fallen to the Boisheviki after inde-
scribab,e slaughter. The dead alone
were 1000 The Ukrainian Rada
which made the peace with the Teu~
tons. Is safe at Zhitomir. capital of
Volhynia, But this place 10 only
eighty miles southwest of kiev Fran
tic appeals have been sent. therefore.
by the Ukrainians to Berlin and vien-
ma to help stem the Bolshevist tide.
These appeals. as welcome 10 the
Teutons as the exaggerated ones from
Finland. for II gives them the needed
excuse to justify the renewed war to
their peoples, are expected to be needed
promptly The huge pincer drive. fore
eNsanwea In these dispatches two
days ago. appears therefore In the
u.,s ing Berlin basins It's Justification
for the new warfare In the East main-
ly on three points:
1. The Bolshevist refusal to sign
peace.
The necessity" to aid stricksu
Finland and the Ukraine.
3. Rescue" of the Teuton prisoners
from Bolshevist massacre
Rero-ts were rife today OF marked
friction between Germany and Aua-
tria over the renewal OF war In the
East. Since Berlin and Vienna have
IL In their power. with their iron c4us
sorship systems. to keep every hint 81
such friction frora IeRk,ar ors tAs
frequency Of these reports u taken -
conservative 1nsxtsxe = in4ieefa = -