Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1918-01-10
GERMANS SEEK TO DEAL WITH
OPPONENTS OF BOLSHEVIST;

London. Jan. 1.-Pending the resump-
ion of negotiations at Brest-LitoNsll to-
lay, no fresh developments are report
ID from Russia regarding the peace ne
EQUATIONS. Special dispatches from
Petrograd report attempts by the Ger
man delegates at Pctrograd to make
some sort of a clandestine agreement
With the members Of the constituent as
selmbly. The correspondent of the Daily
News says that the Germans are trying
through a neutral diplomat to get into
communication With members of the as
sc1nblN. Their object is obvious. he
ADDS. as the parties opposed to the boil
lewis are quite ready to profit by
the bolsheVist refusal to make peace
and to tell the people that the bolshe-
them war.
Plot Aimed at Leninites.
The version OF the correspondent of
the DAILY Mail is thai the Germans
nave been putting pressure. direct or
indirect. upon the government in con
hectlon with the ~sunmoning of a con
stltuent assembly rs the Germans have
been making it pretty obvious tina they
are unwilling to recognize the bolshe-
lists as representatives of a majority
OF the Russian people or even as tenn
pofary trustees Of the sovereignty pow
or. The Daily News dispatch expresses
fear that Germany will find the. con
s%tituent assembly more amenable than
the bolshevists in regard to making
peace, and quotes Foreign Minister
TrotZky as saying hat the bourgeois
are prepared to give away halt the
country if they can obtain control, of
the government of the other half.
Ukraine Weak Link.
Regarding the attitude of the Ukraine
towards the Germans the Daily News
says that the rada is willing to strike
a bargain with the Germans. The Petro-
grad correspondent of the Times, who
is now in London. writes that the
Ukrainians are determined to send a
mission to Brest-LitoVsk. not to nego-
tate a separate peace, but to ascertain
Germany's intentions toward Little
Russia.
The Germans are willing, he says. to
recognize the rad on the basis that the
Ukraine supply Germany with food
stuffs and recognize German economic
interests in the Ukraine. Neither Of
these points, the correspondent adds. is
to Little Russian taste. but if the allies
fail to help the Ukrainians or adopt a
policy of compromise with the bolshe-
visits the rada must have to yield and
the Cossacks, too.
Revolt Not QueIIed.
Newspapers in Petrograd continue to
report fighting in the south. where, ac-
cord1ng to the correspondent Of the
Times, civil war is waging fast and
furious. The Austro-German delega-
tons in Petrograd profess to nave in
formation that the allies have decided
to break relations with Russia. Perhaps
this is the reason why the officials of
the British embassy have taken pains
to assure Trotzky that the departure of
Sir George Buchanan is purely on ac-
count of ill health and that he would
have left last March but for the per
suasion of former Foreign Minister
~Tereschenko. Trotzky also was fold
that the other officials of the embassy
have no intention of leaving Petrograd
at present. +. O. Lindley. councillor of
the embassy, remains in charge.
Amidst the Whirl of events involving
the fate of the nation the bolshevist
government has found time to decree
that Russia shall adopt phonetic spell
ing on January IA. Three vowels and
one consonant were eliminated from
the Russian alphabet.