Evening star., 1918-02-03

| |SW1tZEMASO ~ y
\ principles of the German government
az II Is Mt present constituted. The
| government announced that 1t was not
i obligated to confer with the people ON
! question of national policy. and partic-
! ularly not strikers.
| Conferences between Herr Wallraf
| and Cen Won Stein have resulted in the
! Tightening of the iron hand in every
F! industrial district in Germany, where
| meetings of workers have been pro-
! hibited and where government officials
| have ordered that the workers i'm
| Hindenburg. he of little> heart. has
/ issued instructions to his soldiers that
| they shall shoot promtscuously. if
| necessary. to break up all meetings of
| the strikers.
| In view OF the lack of leadership and
more less co-ordinated activities
! of the strikers, Won Hindenburg will be
| obeyed in the main. Unless the present
disturbances eventually crystalline into
| the real rebellion mad militarists in the
/, saddle in Berlin will continue to wage
i the war as they see fit. make such peace
terms as they see fit, and override the
sentation in the government as they
see fit Most assuredly may more rigid
rules and regulations governing in
Sustrial life and activities be expected
from the militariSt groups
| The Austrian government seems to
have, more or less, won the confidence
of it's laboring classes through pro-
nouncements of peace. and as a conse-
I quence labor troubles in the dual mon.
| archy have been of minor character
| during the past ten days. lnasmuch as
! the militariSt regime in Berlin Is SO
| whole-heartedly antagonistic to any of
| the aims of the people it is not expect
| ed that that strike fever will be COM
pletely scotched by the show of power
I on the part of the government at the
present moment. The opposition to
When sufferings admittedly are no
| longer bearable or when military re-
verses begin to fall thick and fast, and
| the German people realize full well
| that they cannot exist through con-
J tinuance of the present governments
policies. then the real. the one over
| whelming outburst of organized public
| wrath will come and the German peb-
pie then will take real steps toward
| democra tization of the empire-that Is,
| if ever such steps are to be taken.
I Though peace negotiations have been
resumed between the Russians and
| G Ge m
Russ Nay Press on the east
i Demands on Germany. there con-
tinues to be speculation as to just how
much farther the Russians will go in
pressing their democratic demands.
as against those of -aggrandizement
which the German militarists appar-
tently cling to.
| AS is known, Germany f1at-footedly
stated that Russian provinces west OF
| a line stretching from Reval to Brest-
Litovsk should be German hereafter.
These terms were bitterly denounced
! by Foreign Minister Trotzky. on behalf
lof the Petrograd government There
that both groups of negotiators might
confer with their respective govern
tments- Trotzky went back to Petro-
grad and reported to the all-Russian
congress of workmen's and soldiers
delegates, and, according to advices
(which have emanated from PetrOgrad
iduring the past week. Trotzky's stand
was upheld and he was empowered to
take such further steps as are neces-
lSary at Brest-Litovsk.
In view of the striking developments
in Vienna two weeks ago and the gen.
eral upheaval in Germany at the pres
ent juncture. there is extreme likeli-
hood that the demands of the bolShe-
wiki will not be lessened one whit. In
fact, there is every reason to believe
lon the face of things-if the bolsheviki
,really are sincere and acting in the
interests of Russia alone-that their
demands will be strengthened.
| Unquestionably the bolshevik ele-
ments Of Russia have grown in courage
during the past two weeks owing to
events in Germany and Austria. From
the first they have counted on the ac-
| tive support of the workmen of the
central powers. they having openly
Haunted the declaration in Brest-
Litoysk that If the militarists of Ger
many did not consent to Russian poll
cies they would be cast out. and the
proietariat Of Russia then would deal
with the proletarfat of the central
powers. During the weeks of negotia-
tion the bolsheviki have lost no oppor-
tunity to SOW seeds of discord between
the German people and their govern
ments. Many of the things predicted
by the bolSheviki have come to pass
The turmoil in the central powers in
dicates that the democratic sentiment
has grown to such an extent that the
miiitarists may yet be forced to tenn
porize with the Russians, for the time
being at least, or until the issues at
home definitely are decided.
The fact that the workers of Austria
demanded. and the workers of Ger
many now are demanding. that there
be no breaking off of negotiations with
the Russians: that a separate peace be
| effected: that no annexations and in
demnities be exacted Of the Russians in
order that any agreement reached may
further the interests of peaceful rela-
tions for all time, is reason enough for
bolshevik confidence and the strength
ening of their demands upon the cen
! trail powers.
Trotzky declared during the week that
the Germans thought the Russians needed
separate
Trotzky Declares peace and
Ru..;or. Will roL% at any price
, but the Ger
| mans were mistaken. This was not the
position Of the soldiers and workmen,e
, government. he SAID. and avowed that
, Russia still had power to combat Germany
In a military way and would do 10 in case
the demands OF the bolsheviki were re-
fused.
ii Every one realizes. however, that the