Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1918-02-16
THIS WEEK OF WAR
Rev;e,u of Facts and Some Deductions TEerefro. by
Member of the Times Republican Staff

Russia has been lost to the allies fol
months, and now Russia appears lest
to herself The once great empire is
being dismembered, and the crumbllns
Of the past few weeks has assumed
the proportions Of an avalanche. Inc
farcical negotiations for peace at Brest-
Litoysk have been terminated with the
bolshevik declaration of mo war but
not peace" and this has been answered
by Germany with the announcement
that military operations against the
bolsheviki will be resumed and tina:
the new Ukrainian republic will be de-
Tended against the attacks of tn"
Lenine- TrotzkY soldiers sent to force
the Ukraine to remain under ibolshevik
domination. The kaiser also threatens
to send an army to capture Petrograd,
and is in a position to make good this
threat at any time, altho at the ex-
pense Of weakening his forces on the
western front.
The plans Of Germany in eastern
Europe are working out to the salts
faction of her military dicta tors, altto
endangering continuance of their
and are still seeking the dismember-
ment Of Russia and to break it up into
small states, hoping to secure thereby
both political and commercial control
over each. Germany holds by military
power all the territory adjacent to the
Baltic sea with the exception Of Petro-
grad and it's immediate environments.
Poland was lost to Russia early in the
war and was promised autonomy be-
fore Car Nicholas was deposed. Ger
many is waiting Ikea vulture to grab
off part of Poland unless Berlin can
exercise dominion over her affairs.
Finland early in the revolution set up
an independent government and the
bolshevikists have failed in an attempt
to supplant it by one more socialistic.
The Ukrainians have established an in
dependent republic which promises to
endure, with the assistance OF German
arms and influence. Bessarabia also
is seeking to establish itself as a re-
public free from the entangling ALI
ances of the ephemeral bolshevik re-
gime. The Don Cossacks continue in
their refusal to recognize the authority
Of L.enine and Trotzkv. Populous cities
and communities in Siberia are setting
up local governments and paying little
or no heed to those temporarily in con-
troll in Petrograd, while on the Siberian
Pacific Japan and China are in control
and guarding the immense stores con-
signed to Russia when that nation was
a recognized ally Of America. Thus II
will be seen that the bolsheviks have
lost all of Russia from the Baltic to
the Black sea, except Petrograd, and
now stand to lose that. The fnish
Of the Trotzky crowd seems not far on
The Ukrainians can not be blamed to
a great extent for entering into sepa-
rate peace with Germany. It was an
act Of self preservation and choice
between bolshevik domination or Hun
domination. Germany offered the easi-
est way, out, altho securing a rich bar
gain for the Berlin government. The
Ukraine has large stores of grain
which the Germans need in their bust
ness Of subduing the world and prob
ably will gain access thereto, altho an
army may be necessary to exact the
full measure. Germany has promised
and Austria has been coerced into
promising territorial concessions In
Galicia. Austria IL sufficiently hungry
TO give up lands for crust OF bread
The Ukrainians are said to be repre-
sentative Of the best type Of Russian
middle and peasant classes and shrewt