Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1918-02-27
RUSSIA To FIGHT
To THE LAST DITCH,
HER RULERS SAY
Prepared TO Make Peace, But If
Germany Doesn Want it
Will Make War.
RESISTANCE is IMPERATIVE
By Associated Press to Every Evening

The Russian revolution will defend
itself against Germany, says an official
Russian statement sent out by wireless
and which announces Germany has
refused 10 grant an armistice The an
nouncement reads:
IA peace delegation now is on the
way 10 Brest-Litovsk We expect any
moment news that it has arrived Mt the
place appointed for peace negotiations,
but there is no arrnistIce. The German
government has formally refused an
armistice and the German detachments
| continue tn advance
1--WE are prepared TO Sign their peace
of usurpation. We have already de-
clared this, but there arc many lndIGa-
tions that the German irnperialists do not
desire peace at the present moment, but
rather an immediate strangling Of the
workmcn's and PEASANTS revolution
Resistance tn the German hordes
thus becomes the principal task of the
revolution brave, heroic, obstinate re-
siatance Every position, every railway
station, every locomotive must be de
Tended. Every possible. obstacle must
he put IN the way Of the enemy
ONE SOURCE or STRENGTH
"Our greatest strength is in our wide
territories Enemy dctachments still
very small. hive occupied Reval and
Pakov Even petrograd itself, which IS
still far distant, ran no way decide the
destiny Of the revolution The govern
rnent of the Peoples Commissaries can
and II needs be-, must retreat, must
gather its forces and must appeal 10 the
country to use its whole strength for the
defence Of the revolution Should the
threat to take Petrograd increase, the
government will remove to Moscow or any
other city Of Moscow.
"If Germany plundering raid should
advance, the task Of the government
would be to destroy the possibility Of a
simultaneous catastrophe decision by
the Germans They are attempting to
crush the authority Of the councils and
are in search Of it on the routes leading
| To Petrograd
| we will bar these routes by every
i thing we can lnterpose as obstacles,
This, ut the moment, is the principal
task of the heroic Petrograd proetariat
and its revolutionary staff. But at the
Same time we must act in such manner
that the German generals NAV declare
they recognize the authority of the coun-
cils, not only in Petrograd, but through
| out the whole country, north, south and
| on both sides Of the Trails Even II they
think they can reach Pctrograd by mere
military promenade, we will prove to them
that they will have to dispersc themselves
| all over Russia before thev can reach
and crush the authority Of the councils
will they have adequate forces to
carr out such task If we defend our
selves heroicaIly? No. They never will
| have forces enough such an enterprise
inevitably will resolve itself into an al
venture and will fai. However deeply
| they penetrate Russia, then the more
surely will they bring about the outbreak
OF a revolution In Germany Patience
and firnaess are necessary.
The first symptoms Of panic created
by the Germans plundenng rad have
| become bygone events. The towards are
in flight and have made room for the
| braves who are rall,ing themselves in
hundreds and thousands for the defence
OF the Socialist Fatherland
IF peace with the revolution is not the
aim of the German imperiallsts. they will
see the revolution knows how to defend
itself.
ARMY WONT FIGHT.
The correspondent Of the Daily News,
writing Sunday, says:
Russian troops, almost without ex-
ceptlon, have refused fatty to fight. A
| division which was supposed 10 be defend
| ing Narva has arrived at Gatchina.
Ensign krylenko protested They re-
piled they did not intend TO tight
Immediately the hrss few German
troops appeared the Russian peasant
soldiers, who being peasants, not in
| dusti ialists, were Interested merely in
the land question and cared nothing for
IL.
uncomfortable way, threatening to sack
| all the towns on the way.
The Russian army WAS Germany 5
| strongest weapon. In driving it towards
| Petrograd they were driving herd of
stampeding cattle which would trample
down everything In its way. The reyolu-
| tionary workmen could have put up a
real fight against the Germans, but they
| could do nothing against the Russian
army. which must disappear before the
| revolution can begin to create any real
military force for itself The workmen
| of the towns are eager to fight.
Some correspondents, describing the
| bulk of the population rs lost III bewdder-
ment and apathy, think such resistance
as may be offered will amount to little
They say no amount of talk by the Boil
shevik leaders can cover the plain facts OF
| the situatlo n.
GERMANS IN PETROGRAD NOW.
"An sorts of preparations are ln
progress" says the Petrograd CORE
spondent of the Daily Express. ''One
cannot help thinking, however, that the
state Of siege of Petrograd will be merely
technical, as Germans, with or without
uniforms, are already in the capltal. A
great many Austrians are here, too.
The demeanor of the Germans thus far,
has been exemplary. The soldiers walk
about the streets quietly, and the Of
fIcers, following the Russian custom,
carry no sword. They speak German
IN an undertone,
The Germans In Petrograd already
have organized 10 police the city, the
correspondent OF the Morning Post re-
ports.
In several dispatches Nikolai Lenine
| figures as the backbone of resistance to
the Germans, although originally he
was responsible Tor swaylng the executive
committee of the Soldiers and Work
mems Delegates in the direction Of con-
Guiding peace on humlliating terms.
The Daily News correspondent cites
differences between Lenine and Irotzky
and the divergent tendencies among the
Bolsheyiki during the crucial discussions
of the last week
Other dispatches indicate continuanc,
OF the tension between these party sec
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