Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1918-03-23
HUNS MOVE ON MOSCOW
FROM THREE DIRECTIONS
Orders Issued to EvaCuatc liospi-
tails and Other institutions
at Gihatsk.
MEN DECLINE TO DEMOBILIzE
All Available Rolling Stock Is Being
Used for Evacuation of Petrograd
Along TraES-Sibcriun Railroad to
IRA! Mountains.

MOSCOW Tuesday, March 19.--Not-
wiihStandiug that peace with Germany
has been ratified by the Congress OF
Workmen's and soldiers Delegates.
the German advance in Russia still
continues. tho evacuation OF Pctrogra!
having served only 10 change tho Ger
Maa objective to Moscow.
..ccording to reports printed in the
new splDers this morning, the Germans
are ;n"Niug toward Moscow from three
directions. southwest. west and north
west. From the southwest they re-
Gently have advanced twenty-five miles
from 1\onoiop. Province of Tchernigov.
T.. the general diI cctiou of ErNansN.
Hhioh Is $50 miles from Moscow by
rail
l'ro,n tho wcst. t':- Germans are ap-
20 miles from Moscow. In tho nor ~
west they have cupturch the station
OF Roscuov*kayi.. in the Government OF
Nitelsak.
The order TO cvacuatc the hospitals
and other institutions in Gjhatsk. 100
miles from Moscow, indicates that 4
further German advance is considered
imminent by the government.
The Governments OF Poltava. Khar-
kov and Tchcrnigov have all been de-
.iarcd in =, state of siege by the Tx
rGine government in an effort to savs
kharkov and prevent further adj
vance by the .tustrians. supporting the
Ukraine bourgeois Rada.
NJ. Tchitcherin. of the BolShevik For
ciCn Office. in Il statement issued to-
day, SAYS TN the Soviet government
is negotiating formally with UkraiuS
for peace. and that he hopes formal
negotiations will open shortly.
SOVIET ;.DvERNM
SI:I:i<S TO DISAHM MEN
The Soviet government is rapidly
dissenting and disbandinG tho old army
and eliminating it's Influence from pu3-
lie affairs The Moscow soviet has re-
moved from its executive committee
all soldier representatives. and similar
action is taking place throughout Rus
STA, tho old army is presumably out
of existence and not entitled To repre-
scniation.
The new voluntary army Will select
representatives in tho various Soviets.
The old soldiers arc unwilling at many
p!accs 10 surrender their arms and re-
turn to work. AT Pctrograd three reg
iments declined 10 be dcmubilizcd. The
!olshcvik Red Guards entered the bar
racks. surprised the sleeping soldiers.
seized their arms and forced them 10
leave the city
The rctrugrad Soviet has issued
statement saying that these regiments
were under influence contrary I" the
revolutionary movement, were lazy and
undscipiincd and refused to assist in
guard duty. In explanation Of the
rONcrnmcnt's evacuation OF pctroErad
the Soviet has issued a statement say
ing the commissioners went TO Moscow
FOR the purpose of saving Pctrograd
from destruction. as they believed the
governments removal vii. dcmonStr rat e
the strength Of the Russian peoples
government and show tho Germans that
the capture o! the capital would be
useless. us the government Is prepared
to rali back constantly before the Ger
nan advance. resisting and slowing
down the enemy onslaught.
MI available rolling stock is being
used for the evacuation Of pctrograd
along the Trans Siberian Railroad to-
ward the Ural Mountains.
The Puiilom munition works and the
Schlusselburg powCcr factory. near re-
trograd, employing from 10000 to
40 900 workmcn. arc being moved 10
Omsk and Tobolsk.
The entire western end Of the Trans
siberian Railroad is congested with
trains OF machinery. guns. ammunition
(Conlinuod on Fourth Page.)