The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1918-12-10
RUSSIAN MAKES
APPEAL TO U. S.
TO AID COUNTRY
People Are Left Helpless by
Failure Of Allies to Provide
Arms, Says Kerensky Sup
porter.
(By Associated Press)


NEW YORK, Dec. 1O.-Vladimir I.
Lehedeff, of the Russian Army, former
secretary Of the Navy in Prince Lvoff's
and Kerensky's cabinet and one OF
the leaders Of the party Of Socialists
Revolutionists, has come to the United
States to enlist the sympathies OF the
American democracy for the move
ment Of the Russian people who were
fighting for months on the Volga front,
together with the Czecho- Slovaks, sus-
tanning the line against the Bolsheviki.
Deprived of the aid from the Allies
which these Russian forces had been
led to expect. they have been COMPEL
ed to retreat, and today Russia Is
menaced by the Bolshevist danger I'M
less help Is given her. 1t is to enlist
this help that Colonel Lebedeff has
come to this country. Later he Is 60
ing on the same mission to France.
Colonel Lebedeff was sent to this
country by the Congress Of Ufa. His
recent military experiences have been
entirely on the Volga front, where
month after month. waiting for aid
from the Allies. which failed to come.
he and his forces struggled against
superior numbers. but were finally
compelled to retreat before the Boil
sheviat menace
Workmen of Petrograd started the
movement and were Joined by group
Of soldiers from torpedo boat destroy
ers on the Neva at Petrograd. Branch
ing out. this movement next showed It,
self at Moscow. whether the Petrograd
workmen sent delegates. At the cap
ital OF Old Russia. a similar workmen's
organization was formed, and the
same thing was done in Samara, Sara
TOW. and elsewhere, all these organiza-
lions having the common aim Of op-
position to the Soviets.
Peasants Joined Move.
The peasants were not long in join.
ing this democratic movement. I'm
PEELED by famine and Bolshevist ter
yorism, they flocked to the standard
raised by the workmen and the sail
ors. At the same time the Unions of
Soldiers. which had been forced I'M
der the Soviets to do so-called neutral
work. such as the policing and guard
Ing ofrailroad property, the arsenals, |
etc. began to show evidences of organ |
ization against the Bolsheviki.
The Bolsheviki were not slow to
adopt retaliatory measure against this
democratic coalition against them.
Their methods were of extreme ter
rorism. Disposing Of arms and ammu-
milton they began freely to shoot all
protestants against their authority and
Kolpino, near Petrograd, and Sormcvo,
near Nizhni-Novgorod. witnessed
scenes of the shooting down of the
workmen's protestants against the
Bolshevist regime.
AS the numbers of the Army Of the
Russian People grew, there was an
& ed, olr ~ia
ton of war. Colonel Lebedeff says
that they had nothing except what
they took or captured from the Boil
sheviki
On the 22d of July, the Russian army
sticking closely to the idea of it's OBJ
legation to the Allies to enlarge the
fronts against Germany, took the City
of Simbrisk. Here luck awaited them.
Simbrisk was filled with ammunition
factories. Colonel Lebedeff's forces
got in Simbrisk much Of clothes, ar
tillery, and large ammunition, but I'M
fortunately they could not get there
any rifles, and therefore the efforts
Of the Army Of the Russian People
was still very seriously handicapped.
Forced to Retire.
There were not enough rifles to arm
the peasants who Joined the move
ment. The workmen were equally en-
thusiastic. Twenty thousand of them
from the Ichevsh ammunition factory
arose against the Bolsheviki, and
forming themselves into one hundred
companies they marched upon and
captured the cities of Elabouga and
Sarapoul on the Cana River. For
three months this division fought the
Bolshevists without help. But the
strength arrayed against them was too
great, and the colonel expressed the
opinion that eventually the entire or
ganization has been wiped out
I'VE held out as long as we could,
but without support from the outside,
the time came when we had to give
way. We had huge front to protect.