Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-12-18
RUSSIA SITUATION
WORRIES ALLIES
Bolshevik Menace Growing
and Military May Be
Needed
SENDING ARMY OPPOSED
Lenine Government Reported
Increasing Forces to Invade
Other Parts of Europe
SENDING ARMY OPPOSED
special Catle 70 Eren1ing Publie Ledger

Special Cable to Epening Public Ledger
Copyright, 1918, bv Nep York Times Co.
London, Dec. IS.
Public attention here has suddenly
swung around to Russia, and the chance
of'the Allies being obliged to undertake
! military operations to restore order in
that much-tortured land. So far there
has been no authoritative statement on
the matter. although Winston Churchill,
during his election campaign at Dundee,
maintained that England could not de-
sert her friends in Russia, as without
Z her protection they would get their
throats cut by the Bolsheviki. who hated
them like poison
However, today the Daily Chronicle
publishes an article from a special cor
respondent which suggests that some
definite decision may be reached in the
near future. it says:
1.-THE situation in Russia is causing
great anxiety in official circles and
then points out the extreme difficulty of
getting any reliable information. All
that is coming out now by wireless
4 through Denmark and Sweden, 1t main
tains, Is scanty, unreliable and heavily
censored, and the most recent news that
can be absolutely accepted is two months
old and comes first hand from people
. who have made their escape"
The Chronicle correspondent then
dwelis on the horrors of the prisons and
nassacres,i and says:
1T may be asked how It is that
with such horrors going on the Bolshe-
Wiki maintain their, power. The answer
: Is that lit is question either of ad-
herring nominally to the party in power
or being starved to death. No food
can be obtained from any other source.
and there are thousands of 'officers in
the Bolshevist army as an alternative TO
dying of hunger. .'
No Great BOlshevist Army
But the story of a great Bolshevist
army Of 100000 is not credited in
this country. The most reliable infor-
nation puts the number at about lSO,-
900, scattered all over the former Rus
Sian Empire There is, however. a prob
ability that an attempt will be made
to increase this force with q view to
the invasion of other parts sof Europe
in order to spread the principles Of
Bolshevism.
NJ 1T should be remembered that Po-
land Is now in a very disturbed state and
almost defenseless. There would, there
fore, be little difficulty in the way of
force Of the Bolsheviki marching into
Germany, in which country large
amount of propaganda work has been
carried on during the past year.
"If the ideas Of the Bolsheviki are
carried out in their entirety, Europe. in
the opinion of diplomatic circles. is faced
with a danger as grave as was the in
r vasion of Genghis Khan or Tamerlane.
. Nor Is 1t easy to say off-hand what
should be done to counteract this men,
acc.
.'The late elections have revealed in
some parts of the country considerable
amount Of sympathy with the Bolshevst
government n Russia and It is GER
tain that intervention by the Allies on a
large scale would be hotly disputed and
criticized.
1T is fortunate that President Wilson
is now in Europe SO that this important
matter can be discussed by all the Allies.
IT would be advantageous if some line OF
policy could be decided upon by other
nations in common so that the problem
could be jointly tackled"
Intervention is Opposed
Opposition to intervention in Russia
to which the Chronicles correspondent
refers was verified by the Manchester
Guardian this morning. 1t took the view
that Admiral Kolchak, who seized con-
troll of the Omsk Government, and Sem
enoff, the Cossacll leader, were fighting
i mot for Russia and Still less for the
Allies, but for their own hands," and
wentson: .
Even now, drafts of British troops,
men who volunteered to fight the Ger
mans and defend liberty, are being or
dered to Siberia, to fight the battles of
the KolchaksN and the Semenoffs. If the
British Government does not stop this
disgraceful adventure of it's own accord
II will find 1t will soon be stopped for
IT."
The Westminster Gazette, which DUR
ing the war maintained stoutly that the
necessity Of preventing Germany. gain
ing control Of Russia was an unanswer-
able argument against premature peace
is now anxious about England's commit
ments in that region. 1t fears she may
y drift into "a series of costly, ehrCnic and
indecisive expeditions in various parts
of Russia, or at best to permanent occu-
patton with large bodies of troops, of
the various Russian provinces"