Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1918-07-19
f|NlANO'S PLACE IN
THE GAME OF WAR

Statement on Finland by santcri
Nuortovn, representative Ia tho United
States Of the Workers Government of
Finland tthe Red Guardl, which hes
been driven out by tho Germans Ia al
Tho news that tho Finnish White
Guarl' government is about 60 declare
war on tho Allies or that the Allies will DO
compelled to carry ON an actual warfare
against the Gormany's Finnish White
Guard, which with largo army of thor
German allies is trying to occupy the
Murman coast, is by no means surprising
Several months ago ! polntod out to The
United Statce government and to tho
people of America that that would bo
the eventual outcome of tho situation.
The Finnish iunkcr9. IN order 10 suhdue
tho majority of the Finnish people, which
was backing tho Workers government,
invited Germany into Finland ns a natural
defender of oppressive autocratio ruio.
II appealed to the Finnish junkCrs, out
numbered by the awakening people of
Finland. as their only salvation. But
even If the Finnish junkers by inviting
Gcrmany's help originally did not have
in mind the furthcrancc of German i'm
pcrialistic aims, but were primarily
interested in the preservation OF their own
class rule, IL is perfectly obvious that they
could yet German help only on terms of
their helping Germany. The German
junkers are not altruists. They work for
their own imperiahst purposes.
Finland is point of utmost strategic
Importance to the warfaring nations. The
occupation Of the Aland Islands by Ger
many and German domination IN southern
and western Finland makes Germany an
lndiSputcd ruler of he Baltic Sea and the
adjoining countries, including ScaHdiua
VIA With Germany eutrcnchcd IN
Finland and ON the Aland Islands, Sweden
and Denmark are more than ever made
dependent Of Germany
The greatest interest of Germany.
however. lies IN the occupation Of the
kola Peninsula and the so-callcd Muir
man coast. as we'll rs 'F,ast karclia
between the White Sea and the Finnish
border \ German controlled Finland
stretching from tho Aaud Islands III the
East, to the White Sea, on the northeast,
and 10 the Arctic Ocean IN tho north. III
addition to Germany occupation on the
X ola Peninsula VIII not only menace the
sea lanes of tho trCtiC Ocean, which
have become So important during the
past few wears. hut II also Will menace
Norway and the North Sea, making
possible mn attack on England from new
angles
There IS no doubt but that the Ger
man lmpvrlalIsts consciously figured out
{ hose advantages when they more than
three vcats ago entered INTO an agree
lncnt with the Finnish rcactionancs.
the recruiting Of Fnns into
the German army and establishing IN
GERMANY special Finnish hattalione 10
he used for the occupation Of Finland
Such plans wcrc IN detail proposed to
Germany hy tho present dictator Of
Finland Mr. Swnhufvud and agreed
upon Certainly Mr. Swinhufviid well de-
! ervcd the IRON cross which was gwen to
him bv the German kaiser during his
recent visit IN Berlin
II Is pity that the plain facts Of tho
real nature Of the Finnish white Guard
have not been realized in America until
now 1t is pity that prot Jcrman
obviously interested IN dc
scribing the German intervention IN
Finland as a work Of civilization against
the "anarchistic rulc of the Rcd Guard
"a clcvcrlv succeeded IN muddhng the
situation II the truth about these things
had been understood a few months ago.
I he situation today could have been very
different II the Finnish Workers gov
eminent, which did not represent an
band of rowdlcs, as told bV
I hose who wore Interested IN Germany
domination Of Finland, had bccn given
material support by the Allies AT that
time. the situation TODAY would hC vastly