Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1918-01-05

The outstanding development in the
great world war is the awakening OF
the Lenine- Trotzky, or bolshevik, re.
gime, to the fact that German diplom-
acy and diplomats are not to be trust
ed, This turn Of affairs in the peace
negotiations are not to Germany's Tx
| ing or to her advantage, and develop
ments OF the past week have revived
hope among the entente that a united
Russia may yet fulfill her obligations
to her allies. Trotzky is sufficiently
shrewd to realize at last that he, as
the representative of the bolsheviki In
their dealings with Germany, has been
the mere tool OF the Teutons and that
he has been playing into the hands OF
the greatest of autocracies While pro-
Tossing to lead world movement Tor
social democracy Tool or knaVe ne
did not dare stand for the unlrlaskeo
German plan of annexation OF Russian
Poland, Lithuania' and Courland.
Open defiance of the holshevik gov
eminent at Petrograd to the KAISER
threatens to halt peace NEGOTIATIONS.
Hastily-called conferences at Berlin
and Vienna indicate that the central
powers overestimated the extent OF
their sway over Lenine and Trotzky
and that another peace proposal modl-
fed to meet the Russian demands In
part, will be forthcoming. Apparently
this peace offer must be predicated on
the announced policy of Count Czernin
the Austrian envoy, Of no annexations
end no indemnities Otherwise Trotz-
Ky may be expected to break OH ne
gotiations and make good his threat
to put q Russian army In the hela
against the Huns.
ASh
Should Russia, resume war operations
on the side of the allies the army Will
not be the important factor 1t was pc
fore the collapse, and this army might
not be able to fight for months. me
allied cause however would be ma
terially helped, as neither Germany nor
Austria would dare move additional
troops to the western or Italian fronts
and supplies now finding their way In
to Hun hands, thru means both legiti-
mate and questionable would be kept
at home for the feeding and clothing
OF a hungry army and hlSngrier popu-
lace. Also thu moral effect on the ar
niles OF the allies would be great, and
Russia might again be united under
government which would prevent the
former empire from becoming the po-
litical ana commercial vassal Of the
central autocracies.
So much encouragement is seen IN
the Developments in Russia that the
entente allies are seriously considering
formal recognition Of the bolshevik
government. Such recognition Is con-
sidered as the quickest method or
checlmating Teuton propaganda and
despoilation. It would not necessarily
pledge the entente to fight the battles
OF the bolsheviki as against other fac
lions or concede that the Lenine -Trotz-
XIV regime must endure. The bolshevik
government Is only makeshift from
which something better might be
evolved under entente advice and guild
ance.
Several Incidents have thranspired In
both Germany and Austria to indicate
that all Ii not we'll in the two empires.
The people Of Hungary. have refused to
subscribe to the seventh war loan. This
indicates both financial stress and an
ever growing sentiment IN Hungary In
favor Of peace at any price. The dual
monarchy Is In bad way for money,
FOR food and for clothes. and would
have sued for peace long ago had the
OF f the not F.!!ed 9TH
erwise.
In Berlin the newspapers are CROWNS
holder Ii their criticisms Of the war
and the j,,nkeps and have sid things
which would have hung the editors had
they been .ittersd before the w. or
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