Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-07-11
SEES GOOD CHANGE
FOR ALLIED ACTION
Special Gable to Epening Public Ledger

Special Gable to Evening Public Ledger
COPYRIGHT, 1918, by Ne,D York Times Co.
London. July 1.-THE Daily Chron
iclo says editorially:
There have not been many pieces
of purer. luck for either side than
that which has befallen the Allies in
the matter of the Czecho. .Slovak con-
troll over the trans.Siberian railway.
Are we going to take advantage of
it, or is the opportunity which has
been literally thrown at our heads to
be frittered away as so many others
have been? Ever since the signing
of the peace of Brest-Litovsk the
cause for Allied Intervention in Russia
has existed"
The paper then reaffirms that no
opposition to Germany's eastern pro-
ject can be expected from the Boil
sheviki as long as Lenine directs their
policy.
"As matter of fact" it says,
"Lenine's complaisance to Germany
went much further than the published
treaty. 1t is known to the Allied
governments that he has signed a
definite agreement with the Germans.
giving them priority and special con-
cessions in raw materials-that is, in
all the product of Russia's great nat.
ural resources of forest farm, and
mine. His plan is not to resist Ger.
man expansion in Russia, but to ac-
cept it in view Of whatever loaves
and fishes it may bring, and to this
plan. which seems to have been dis.
tasteful not only to his allies. the
Social Revolutionists of the Left, but
even to his henchman, Trotsky. he
appears to be irretrievably commit.
ted"
Treaty Ignores People
The Chronicle points out that there
has never been anything to show
that the Brest- -Litovsk treaty carried
the consent of the Russian people
and that the heads of parties COM
prising a great majority of the con-
stituent assembly, the only duly
elected democratic organ of the popu-
lar will existing in Russia today"
have only recently reaffirmed their
; refusal to recognize the treaty of
Brest-Litovsk and their determination
to regard Russia as remaining in a
state of war with Germany. "a war
in whose further prosecution they
would under certain conditions vel.
come Allied assistance"
The editorial proceeds:
1t has been obvious from an early
date that for the purpose of rebuilding
an anti-German power in Russia,
oiptlld, oleTeu peculiar advantages. It
is sufficiently remote from Germany to
make IT difficult for n German army to
crush movement at an early stage
before 1t got on its feet. 1t possesses
, tce-free communication with the outer
world across the territory of our
Chinese ally. Moreover, it is peculiarly
easy of access to the only great Allied
military force not ear-narked for service
elsewhere, the Japanese army.
Urges Japanese Help
Against these considerations only two
points appear miltarily impossible. Both
of these objections have been incalcu-
lably lessened since they We're originally
urged 1t has become clear that anti
German and anti-Bolshevili Russia will
rot look askance at Japanese help if it
is properly sponsored by the alliance as
whole, and Japanese troops could have
no better introducers than the Czecho-
Slovaks, a Slav people.
"As for the railway, it is in Czecho-
Slovak hands, and while 1t remains so
there should be no serious obstacle to
the Allies pushing far westward very
rapidly indeed"
The Chronicle says that the railway
will need attention, but points out that
at the time of the Russo-Japanese war,
when it was but a single track line
and had big breach in its continuity
at Lake Baikal, it supported an army
of half million men at its eastern ex-
/ tremty