The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1918-08-03
STATEMENT REGARDING THE
CONDITIONS N FINLAND.
BY Santeri Nuortiva, of the Workers
Government of Finland.-Pub-
lished by Request.

AASAsSa W AsS4oS6s-
The news that the Finnish "White
Guard" government is about to de-
clare war on the Allies or that the AL
lies will be compelled to carry on an
acsual warfare against Germany's
Finnish white Guard" which with a
large army of their German allies is
trying to occupy the Thurman coast,
is by no means surprising. Several
months ago pointed out to the Unit
ed States Government and to the peo-
pie of America that that would be the
eventual outcome Of the situation.
The Finnish junkers, in order to
subdue the majority of the Finnish
people, which was backed by the
Workers Government, invited Ger
many into Finland as a natural de-
fender Of oppressive autocratic rule.
1t appealed to the Finnish junkers,
outnumbered by the awakening peo-
pie Of Finland, as their only salvation.
But even if the Finnish junkers by in
viting Germany's help originally did
not have in mind the furtherance Of
German imperialistic aims, but were
primarily interested in the preserva-
ton Of their own class rule, it is per-
fectly obvious that they could get
German help only on terms of their
helping Germany. The German junk
ers are not altruists. They work for
their own imeprialistic purposes.
Finland is point Of utmost STRAIT
egic Importance to the warfaring ma
tons. The occupation of the Aland
Islands by Germany and German
domination in southern and western
Finland makes Germany an undisput-
ed ruler of the Baltic Sea and the ad-
joining countries, including Scandina-
via. With. Germany entrenched in
Finland and on the Aland Islands,
Sweden and Denmark are more than
ever made dependent of Germany.
The greatest of Germany however
lies in the occupation of Kola PENN
sula and the so-called Thurman coast,
as well as EAST Karelia" between the
White Sea and the Finnish border. A
German-controlled Finland stretching
from the Aland Islands in the south
west to the White Sea on the north
east, and to the Artic Ocean on the
north, in addition to Germany's occu-
patton of the Kola Peninsula, will not
only menace the sea lanes of the Ar
tic Ocean, which have been so import
ant during the past few years, but it
will menace Norway and the North
Sea, making possible an attack on En-
gland from new angles.
There is no doubt but that the Ger
man imperialists conscientiously fig
ured out these advantages when they
more than three years ago entered in
to an agreement with the Finnish re-
dictionaries, encouraging the recruit
ing of Firms into the German army
and establishing in Germany a special
Finnish battalions to be used for the
occupation Of Finland Such plans
were in detail proposed to Germany
by the present dictator Of Finland,
Mr.. Svinhufvud, and agreed upon.
Certainly Mr.. SvinhufVud well de-
served the Iron Cross which was CIV
en- him on his recent visit in Berlin.
1t is a pity that the plain facts of
the real nature of the Finnish "White
Guard" have not been realized in
America until now. 1t is pity that
pro-German propaganda, obviously in
terested in descibing the German in
PREVENTION in Finland as a "work of
civilization" against the "anarchistic
rule" of the "Red Guard, so cleverly
succeeded in muddling the situation.
If the truth about these things had
been understood few months ago,
the situation today could have been
very different. If the Finnish Work
ers' Government, which did not repre-
sent an unorganized band Of rowdies,
as told by those who were interested
in Germany's domination of Finland
had been given material support by
the Allies at that time, the situation
today would be vastly different.
have been told that when the Work
ers' Militia of Finland was being driv-
en- back by the German army, backed
by the Finnish "White Guard, the
Finnish Workers made several ap-
peals for cooperation to the Amer
lean representatives in Russia, but sc
far as I know, those appeals were left
unheeded, thanks to the prejudice
which was so cleverly created against
them by German agents.
But it is not yet too late to correct
this mistake.
The Allies may prevent Germany's
plans in Kola from being carried out
and have their movement crushed by
sending there a considerable army
They may for some time save the sit
uation by organizing some "independ
ent state" in the Kola Peninsula. The