The Knoxville independent. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1894-current, 1918-01-19

the KovnO district had deserted be-
cause they were about to be moved to
the west front.
M. Radek, one of the Russian dele
gates, asserted Monday that the Rus
slams were Strengthening the front and
would send home every. soldier who
was not willing to fight. He asserted
they wanted no help from the allies or
America because their strength lay in
their weakness; that the country for
many miles was destitute, and that
while the Germans could drive them
back 1t would do them no good and
they would not want to have millions
of starving people on their hands.
Conditions In Petrograd are becon-
ing more desperate daily. The city is
full of crime, disorder and dirt, and
the people have little food and coal.
Very severe winter wea Their is adding
to the distress there.
Breakup of Russia Continues.
The bolsheviki seem content, for the
present, to permit the breaking up Of
Russia into separate nationalities. A
kind of a truce has been patched up
with the Ukrainians, and the many
other new governments" apparently
are not molested. Lithuania is the
latest to declare itself independent.
Finland is well on the way to indepen-
dence, having been recognized by Gen
many, Sweden and France, and its rep
resentatives being well received by
other governments.
The. Cossacks of the south were hav-
ing a harder time; official dispatches
from Petrograd reporting lhSr ~
had been defeated and put to flight by
the bolsheviki forces.
The Bulgarian parliament was In
formed by Premier Radoslayoff that a
peace compact had been formed be-
tween Bulgaria and Russia, with the
consent of the other central powers.
On the other hand, the bolsheviki gov
eminent rejected the separate peace
proposals made by Turkey, asking the
latter to participate in the general con-
ference.
Col. William B. Thompson, who com
manded the American Red Cross mis-
sion to Russia, has just returned to
this country and has much good to say
of the bolsheviki government. He is
convinced its leaders are honest and
sincere and not in the pay of the Ger
mans, and he believes the movement
they have set on foot may result in O
world peace.
Fighting of the Week.
A number of attacks in force and
continuous activity Of the artillery
marked the week along the west front
but there was no great battle and nc
serious attempt to break through the
lines by either side. The sector Sc
lected by the German high command
for the expected big offensive was rot
4 revealed but the belief grows that Il
will be in Belgium and that the maiT
objective of the kaiser will be the cap
ture of Calais. Possession of this por
of course, would be of inestimabl'
value to Germany, both In the subma
rine campaign and in threatening Eng
land with direct attack, as we'll as in
terrupting the short route between
England and France
! In Italy the weather and possibl,
shortage of ammunition brought al
most to a standstill the attempts O
the AuStro-Germans to break througj
into the Venetian plains Heavy snow
fell in the Alps and threatened to shu
off communication between the Tren
tino and the fighting line, and tn
weather was stormy all the way iron
the mountains to the Adriatic.
Vice Admiral Sims reported the tor
pedoing of the American STEAMSHIP
Harry Luckenbach nine members o
the crew being missing. The Britisl
admiralty announced that the hospita
ship Rewa was torpedoed and sunk Il
the Bristol channel. She was full d
wounded soldiers, but all of them wer
safely landed, though three Lascars o
the crew were lost. This new bruta
crime of the Germans afforded th
London Times opportunity for mil
criticism of President Wilson's hig
idealism, the. paper asking: us an
peace thinkable with the authors an
supporters of system by which sue
crimes are coldly sanctioned as legiti
mate acts of warp
The Rewa was displaying all tn
lights and markings required by Tn
Hague convention and was not with
the so-called barred zone, but sue
facts no longer mean anything to tn
Germans, if indeed they ever did.
Baker Defends Himself.
| The investigation of war prepare
tons by the senate committee reache
the stage on Thursday wheresthe pres
ence of Secretary Baker was require