The Seattle star. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1899-1947, 1918-02-21

I picture than the Russia Of yes
terday--unIrss II he the picture
Of the Russia ~ today and the
Russia ~ commonwealth on tho
knees Of the gods.
The Russia OF yesterday quit
fighting YEsTERDAY-quit be
cause she had fought 80 long under
| fed. under ARMED. aforementioned
and minied that she could fight no
more. And that Russia passed thru
trials Of which Americans know
nothing Those terrible trials. and
the noble heroism manifested during
] those trials these arc subjects or
which tho world viii not know even
In part for years. and all Of which
the world can never know.
The Tolntoy who sings the horrorr
OF the war OF 1914 In Russia. as Toi.
stoy sang In "war and Peace" the
horrors Of the Napoleonic cam
rible and more gruesome than even
Tolatoy ever dreamed Of.
Corruption Stopped Fight
Russia quit fighting bccaus. the
old ruling Russian class was ineffi.
Glen, and corrupt. Che quit fight.
ing because her rulers sold out their
bleeding soldiers 10 the enemy while
the blood was stun pouring from
those soldiers wounds.
I Russia quit fighting because 10
this treason In high places was add.
Cd an almost unbelievable ineffl.
cheney. The cars ring did not want
60 conduct n successful war against,
Germany. More than that. they did
not know how.
Grain Disappears
When trainIoads of grain--not
carloads. TRAINIOADS - des-
tined for the Russian army dis
appear. and when II IL finally
found that those trainioads of
grain have been delivered over
the Austrian frontier 10 the en-.
emy. II IL possible TO gain some
conception Of the ininmansge.
ment and the corruption that
put Russia out 81 the war before
the revolution blsred.
Upon taking up my work under
the kerenHky government. I was
sent Into the First Reserve regi.
ncnt--compoaed OF soldiers who
had been evacuated from the front
My task was TO teach these soldiers
geography and history In order tina,
they might know what patriotism
was. and be filled with ardor TO
fight for native land.
How can n Russian who does not
know where Riga In. or what Riga
t.. be patriotic about the deeds Of
The army IN the Riga section,
All Of the men in this regiment
had been In service n, tho front two
years or more. Mos, all OF them
had been wounded. Some OF thcm
had been wounded two. or three. or
four times Many ~ them had tho
highcni war medals such as the
Cross Of &, George WHY. THEY
HAD ALREADY GIVEN SEVERAL
LIVES FOR THEIR COUNTRY
every one OF tbefn--without food,
without clothing. without arrns.
without ammunition.
An Fight Gone
Therc vas no such thing ~
fnstiiline Into them the arv1or Of
patriotism. o. the desire 10 FIGHT.
They simply had no n,orr fiehs
In them. They had paused thru
The unbelievable. I 20 teach
thevu patrtotisms You can i'm
agine what they said 10 me. Ny
hesrt failed me.
Tho Russian people quis fighting.
BEFORE the revolution came TO
pass, simply because all people.
high and low. found out by many
bltterest trials and by many shock.
Ing revelations how the cars re-
gime was running the Russian ship
on the rocks and drowning all the
passengers like rats.
When they discovered how incon. |
potent the monarchy's conduct Of |
the war was. the most conservative
OF the capitalists and the most rad. |
ichl Of tn. workmcn had Joined |
hands in a war industries board |
which was fast remedying the cars
Russian soldiers
twrrc being fed and armed.
But whcr both these extreme
classes. and all tho people in be.
tween these extremes. learned how
their nobly patriotic efforts were be-
ing frustrated by ro;tsnness at the
top. and how Premier Siurmer was
even then dickering for a separate
peace with Austria. then ali hands
Joined In the dethroning OF tn. car.
Some of the reactionary clements OF
the duma took part In that revoiu.
ton.