Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-05-23
SIBERIA NEEDS
AID OF ALLIES
Outside Help Is Declared
Necessary and Is Expected
by People
FEARS GERMAN SLAVERY
Special Cable 10 Euening Public Ledeer


Copvrfoht, 1918. bv Ncto York Times Co.
London. May %
The Chronicle publishes an article bv
Joseph Okulch urging the need of Allied
Intervention in Siberia OkulCh is a ma
tive Of Siberia and one of its most prom
inent public men He was a member of
the council of the ministry Of commerce
and industries in the former Cars and
korensky.s governments He is president
of the Association Of ShipownerR on the
N"n'sei River president of the Central
Siberian Board Of Trade. manager of
the Union Of Siberian Creamery Asso-
cations and is also a CossaCk of the
Nenisei regiment He writes
Having Just returned from Siberia. I
herewith declare that the power Of the
Rolerevist Sovio's in siberia is not based
on any class in that country They were
elected last year by certain earrisons
with Rolshevist loaninge anN therefore
they cannot base their power on the
soldiers. as these were demohalized nor
on the industrial prGletariat. as such
does not exist in Siberia. the obvious
reason for that being the absence of
industrial Centers Also they cannot
base their power on the Siberian peas
antry. witch has never known feudal
oppression % any agrarian difficulties.
Townsproplr Trrroriyed
"Terrrrtzed townsreorln dare not OK
press their protests in active form the
peasants on the other hand. living in
villages. do not understand what is going
on and do not care N understand it,
either only in isolated cases when their
interests arc imperiled. dn the Cossacks.
who are partly dsarned. after feeble
tentative resistance to the Red Guards
who are armed 70 the teeth with all mod
ern weapons. which they removed from
tie German front
Every day secs Siberia approaching
nearer and nearer to the point of com
rlnte exhaustion Of her economic life
This IS all to the interest Of German i'm
rPrialsts, who are dreaming Of capturing
the entire Russian market and valuable
raw materials for feeding their faCto-
ries Siberia does not want 70 become a
German colony. and what ie more. she
must not become a German colony
Al present Siberia has vast stocks of
huttcr about $4,000 tons She has aIqo
about ffty tons of gold. also copper and
other minerals She can live quite an
independent life. and her $4,000. 600 in
hahitants are sufficiently active and en-
ergetic not to become slaves to thu
enemy.
Outside Aid Imperative
From this IT will he seen that the DO
litical situation is such that outside heIn
is imperative. Such help she expects in
Joint intervention by the Allied Coun-
tries. Siberia expects help from tho Al
lies in the form Of an internationa ov-
pedition. which will he enthusia stiCaIIv
received from Nladivostok up 10 the ItraI
Mountains. which will clear the Siberia "
Railway line and various towns from
Bolshevst bands. and will enable the
population within three or six months TO
organize elections for a Siberian con-
stituent assembly. which in its turn will
elect a responsible Government for ST.
IBERIA
1T is not yet too late to reorganIze
the financial apparatus Of the country.
and it is quite possible with the helm Of
the CossaCks to organize military guard <
for the defense of the frontiers Of ST.
IBERIA. on the European frontier, as well
as on others. not only will regenerated
Siberia be very useful for the remaining
parts of Russia hut II will save II from,
becoming a sphere of influence for Ger
man capital
II venture to emphasize that DELAY
will he fatal. Siberia expects the initia -.
tive from England. if for no other rea-
sons than the latter's own interests"