The Washington herald., 1918-01-28

'I feel with all American citi-
zens." said Col. Thompson. that the
Presidents message was most time
ly. and that it's bearing on the great
questions of the prosecution OF the
war, and the aims for which the
war is being waged. has been most
beneficial to the allies. So far as
its effect on Russia is concerned
draw my conclusions from private
advices as wen as from the press
dispatches. The message boldly met
the Russian demand for peace
terms. and in very great measure
II runs along the lines which are
approved by the Russian democracy.
"It would look as IL the Presi-
dents message was already the final
blow to the German program mas
much as German autocracy and
Russian democracy appear to have
ceased all endeavors 20 meet on q
harmonious basis. and negotiations
arc reported TO be at an end.
MY information Is that at the
time the Presidents message was
cabled to Petrograd, Lenine was at
the Smolny Institute. and Trotzky
was at Brest-Litovsk. My cor
| respondent says that when Lenine
had finished reading the message he
pronounced II the greatest step yet
taken toward a general democratic
peace. and carried il personally TO
the telegraph office where he or
dered il transmitted verbatim to
Trotzky.
my correspondent says: The
feeling among Americans here is
that separate peace is less probable
than at any previous time
! Since l got this telegram the
New York papers say that the ar
mistice has been etXneded for period
Of thirty days, but that all negotia-
tions have been broken off and that
| KuehImann, the German secretary
of foreign affairs, has hurried off 70
Berlin where there was talk Of his
resignation impending.
Kills German Program
81 think &is is all that is necessary
for me TO say at this time as TO the
effect of the Presidents speech upon
the Russian situation. II has killed
the German program. I DO not believe
now that the people in power in Rus
sia have ever contemplated that they
4 could make a separate peace with the
! German autocracy II they ever did
contemplate II. WHICH L NoNbAH AAA@s
speedily discovered that st was impos-
sible in view OF the refusal of the Ger
mans to accept the Russian principles
of no annexation. no indemnities. and
! self-determination by small nationali-
ties. There is nothing in common be-
! tween the German autocracy and the
Russian democracy. and this difference
was only intensified by the discussions
at Brest-Litovsk.
"On the other hand. President Will
sons address showed that the Ameri-
| can government and. presumably the
allies also. were in accord with the
Russian democracy in favor Of open
diplomacy as against secret treaties,
which have never been possible in this
country; that they were with the Rus
slams in favor of no annexation OF con-
quered territory: that they were with
them on the question of self-determi-
nation Of different nationalities, and
very strongly in favor Of the creation
Of real democracies throughout the
world, and of an arrangement by all
nations which would prevent a recur-
renee OF wars.
s"The effect OF President Wilson'S
/ speech in Germany should be quite as
favorable to the allies as it has been
I in Russia There has been some diff
fculty in getting the speech printed
in the German newspapers. The Ger
man general stan is afraid Of the
truth, and the newspapers at first only
printed portions Of the President's
speech, and garbled portions at that,
| Just as they did with the reports OF
the peace parleys at Brest-Litovsk.
/ No Anarchy In Russia
What will be the outcome OF the
anarchy and nihi,ism now prevailing
in Russia? was asked
There is no anarchy in Russia
There is trouble and confusion due
to the fact that the Russians were
unprepared for a government and alsc
due to the fact that ever since the
revolution the great masses Of thu
people have been in constant dread oi
counter revolution which would taxi
from them their liberty and in meas.
ure, large or small, restore the prin'
ciples of the old regime. / have seer
it printed far and wide in American
and English newspapers that anarchy
has prevailed in Russia ever since tht
revolution, and that this anarchy hs:
spread and become terrible and uni
versal in its eXcesses since the erec'
ton OF the present Bolshevik gov.
ernment. / read the same thing in
the Petrograd newspapers that were
opposed to the provisional govern
ment which preceded this government
A careful examination of all the I'm
cidents cited in proof Of the charge
of anarchy made then showed thai
there was less disorder per capita ir
Russia than in the United States al
that time.
THE Russian people are WORTHY
of all praise. Bonn and raised il
the densest ignorance. with restrict
ed lives and brutalized surround
ings, they have already emerged al
an amiable race at heart and ar,
only violent and dangerous wheI
they are made to believe that theil
liberty is threatened. The peril L
their liberty, real or fancied, bai
been responsible for every bit o.
disorder and every bit of bIoodshet
that has occurred in Russia sine
the Revolution of March, 1917"
What can you say of the report
ed reputation by the present gov
ernment of the Russian debt?
Il do not know that the presen
government has repudiated tn,
Russian debt. I have seen news
papers reports that someone hai
prepared a draft or formula de
claring that the interest on thii
debt held abroad shall not be pait
and the interest on the debt with
in Russia shall not be paid to any
one who has wealth above a GER
tain fixed amount. do not know
whether this is true OF not. Many
reports which have come out oi
Russia have proved to be eithel
misleading or unfounded. 1t IL
just possible that someone has beer
a A l. l.