Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1918-03-18
RUSS RATIFY
PEACE; PLAN
WAR ACTION
Bolsheviki Call for Army
to Stop Germans
Troztky Active.
(By Associated Press.)

Having occupied Odessa and Mix
olayev, important naval and grain
ports, the Germans in southern
Russia continue their advance
northward from the Black sea to-
ward Kherson, an important COM
mercial center and capital of the
providence of the same name. The
all-Russian congress of soviets has
declared Moscow to be the Russian
capital and it is said that all gov
ernment and military effects have
been removed from Petrograd. The
Bolsheviki leaders, although they
urged and obtained ratification of
the German peace treaty, are said
to have little hope that the treaty
will bring peace and are calling
upon the soviets to form a military
organization with which to combat
the Germans should their invasion
continue further into the heart of
Russia.
Washington, March 1S.-Ambas-
sador Francis today confirmed
press dispatches that Leon Trot-
zky, former foreign minister of Rus
STA, had placed himself at the head
of a commune at Petrograd. The
ambassador referred to the COM
munists as a new name for the Boil
sheviki in Petrograd.
TrotZky is now known as the
commissary of the commune.
Washington, March Is. - Rus
sia's acceptance of the German
peace terms was denounced here
today by Boris Bakhmeteff, the
Russian ambassador, who last No
yember formally repudiated the Boil
sheviki government
The conditions imposed by Ger
many, the ambassador declares,
threaten the existence and indie
pendence of the country. The en-
bassy, he declares, will continue to
advocate cooperation with the al
lies in the war on Germaayev~- .~-~
The text\of the resolution adopt
ed by the central executive commit
tee of the an-Russian congress of
soviets in answer to President Will
sons recent message to the Rus
sian people already transmitted in
press cables, reached the state de-
partment today from the American
consul at Moscow together with a
brief summary of speech by the
chairman of the congress in regard
to it.
@Masses Are With Us.-
The chairman, NJ. Sverdloff, after
reading President Wilson's mes
sage, is reported to have said:
Comrades, allow me in the name
of the congress to express my firm
belief that the wide masses of the
prOletariat and the semi-proletariat
of western Europe as well as of
America and Australia are with US
with all their hearts. Allow me to
express my firm belief that these
masses are watching with the clos
est attention the struggle which
We are carrying on here in Rus
STA and l will permit myself to sub
nit to your attention the resolu-
ton which was adopted by the pre-
siding body of the central execu-
tive committee in answer to Presi-
dent Wilson's address to the con-
gress."
The chairman read the resolu-
tion and concluded:
Comrades, allow me to consider
this applause a sufficient answer
that you all join in this resolution"
Loss of Freedom.
Petrograd, Friday. March Is
Maria Spiridonovo. Bolsheviki lead
er, in an appeal to the peasants, de-
clares that ratification of the Ger
man peace terms means they will
lose their land and freedom.
Harbin, Manchuria, Monday,
March 11.-Released German pris-
oners are cooperating with the Boil
sheviki in Siberia in the campaign
against the forces of General Sem
enoff, leader of the -Bolsheyiki
faction. Wounded soldiers of Gen
eral Semenoff's command say that
in a battle on March l they were
fired upon by former German pris-
oners attached to the Bolsheyiki
forces. 1t is estimated that 200
Germans took part in the fighting.
One wounded soldier claims that
General Semenoff's troops bayont-
ted the armed Germans in hand 10
hand combat.