The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1918-02-27
WILL Get CAPITAL
Germans Won't Have Hard
Time Getting to Petrograd.
Only DuSS;o- WorLrnan Cho~
Only Russian Workmen Show
Any Fighting Spirit.
WE'RE THRU" SAY SOLDIERS
Almost Without Exception Mil
itary Forces "Lay Down."
Slav Army Loot and Destroy.
Making Way for Invaders.

London, Feb. Eff special dis
patches from Petrograd gauge ac-
curately the situation there, the Ger
mans are likely to find little difficulty
in occupying the city with trained
troops. Russian soldiers quite frankly
refuse to fight and says, 1--WE have
had enough of fighting; if the Ger
mans come let them take us.''
There is a sitter attitude among the
workmcn from whom, if at all, re-
sistance to the Germans must come.
Even tho for lack of training their
resistance should prove of little value,
they are said to be enrolling with en-
thusiasm in response to the call of the
Bolsheviki leaders. The correspond
ent of the Daily News, writing Sunday,
says:
Russian troops almost without ex-
ception have refused fatty to fight.
A division which was supposed to be
defending Narva has arrived at
CATCHING. Ensign Krylenko protested.
They replied they did not intend to
fight.
Soldiers Stampede Eastward.
Immediately the first few German
troops appeared, the Russian peasant
soldiers, who being peasants-not in
dustrialists-were interested merely in
the land question and cared nothing
for the revolution started eastward in
an uncomfortable wave, threatening to
sack all the towns on the way. The
Russian army was Germany's strong
est weapon. In driving it towards
Petrograd they were driving a herd of
Stampeding cattle which would tram
pie down everything in its way. The
hay
put up a real fight against the Ger
mans but they could do nothing
against the Russian army which must
disappear before the revolution car
begin to create any real, military force
for itself. The workmen of the towns
are eager to fight"
Population BewiIdered.
Some correspondents describing the
bulk of the population as lost in be-
wilderment and apathy, think such re-
SiStance as may be offered will
amount to little. They say no amount
of talk by the Bolshevik leaders car
cover the plain facts of the situation.
"All sorts of preparations are ir
progress" says the correspondent Of
the Daily Express. 'One cannot helI
thinking, however, that the state Of
siege in Petrograd will be merely
technical as Germans, with or withou
uniforms, are already in the capital
The demeanor of the Germans thus
far has been exemplary. They &c
about avoiding ceremony and the of
ficers following the Russian custom
carry no swords. They speak Ger
man in an undertone."
Lenine Opposes ''Peace' Now.
The Germans in Petrograd already
correspondent of the Morning Post re-
ports. In several dispatches Nikola
Lenine figures as the backbone of re-
sistance to the Germans altho origi-
naily he was responsible for swaying
tho executive committee of the sol
diers' and workmen's delegates in the
direction of concluding peace on hui
initiating terms.
The Daily News correspondent tells
at great length story of differences
between Lenine and Trotzky and the
divergent tendencies among the Boil
sheviki during the crucial discussions
of the last week. Other dispatches in
dictate continuance of the tension be.
tween these party sections and say
Trotzky refused to return to Brest.
Lii .ovsk to sign the terms of surrender
to which Lenine's counsels persuaded
tho executive committee
Go to Brest-Litovsk Again.
NJ Tchitcherin, who recently was
held in prison in England for circulat-
AAA5 SNoAIOoS PlOPdSdllud ana IS now
| commissioner for foreign affairs, and
M Zinovieff, a close associate OF
Len1ne, are understood to be the
| chief members of the new peace dele
getion, according to a statement made
in the reichstag by Baron Won Dem
che-HaddenhauSen, German I'M
der secretary for foreign affairs. They
| must sign peace terms within three
days of their arrival at Brest-Litovsk
and the terms must De ratified within
two weeks. German and Austro-Hun-
garian delegates already have arrived
at BreSt-Litovsk
LAVE VOL A QAnK VAQn