New-York tribune., 1918-07-21
Waiting On

Most problems will settle themselves
if YOU give them time. Then there is the
power of accommodation, by which we
make the best of what happens. There
fore, something will always happen, and
whatever happens will probably turn out
for the best. This is fine moral philos-
ophy in Asia, where life is all taken for
granted. But it is very bad political
counsel 1t is both the pretext and the
apology for inaction and procrastlnation.
We have not acted in Russia because
we could not make up our minds what
to do We have waited for something
to happen, intending to make the best of
it. By inhibiting ourselves from action
we made it impossible for England and
France and Japan to act. They also had
to wait for something to happen.
And what happened was marvellous
and unexpected. pro-Ally army ap-
peared in Russia magically.
Lord Robert Cecil, in an interview with
The Associated Press correspondent at
London, says, the presence of the Czecho-
Slovak army in Russia at this time is one
Of the miracles of history. So it is. Sud-
denly, out of the appalling and German
serving chaos in Russia appears this
army. well drilled, carefully organized,
and ably led, stretched across the back
bone of the Russian Empire, over line
nearly 5000 miles long"
1t is now, as Lord Rotsert says, the
only definite and dynamically organized
force we know of in Russia. And it is
for the Allies. 1t is on our side. Nobody
could have imagined it's coming to pass.
After the Bolsheviki had delivered their
country at Brest-Litovsk, there were
10000 or 100000 Austro- Hungarian war
prisoners in Russia whom nobody cared
very much about. They had never been
worth their keep in the Austrian army.
They wouldn't fight. These were the
Czecho-Slovaks.
But now they refuse to go home. IN
stead, they set out for France in an
way around the world. They arm and
organize as they go. Necessity obliges
them to do things which were thought to
be militarily impossible. They take the
Transsiberian Railway. They clear ST.
beria. They support pro-Aily pro-
visional government there They hold
Nladivostok.
This heroic, unprecedented little force,
| incidentally creating an Eastern front
on its way across the world to join the
polus in France, is now calling for aid.
1t cannot mind the whole of Russia Be-
sides, it is anxious to go ON.
IF the Allies allow it 10 be wiped out
says Lord Robert, "for want of ammuni-
ton, food or moral support, there is
absolutely no ieaven left to leaven the
lump. and small hope remains of pre-
venting the Russian people from being
overwhelmed by a terrible series of eco
nomic disasters during The coming win
ter
And we have yet to make up our mind
what to do in Russia
Only the circumstances arc new. What
Lord Robert Cecil calls the historic
miracle was unexpected. But as to the
use of action in Siberia and as to the
great necessity of recreating an Eastern
front--nothing OF that is new; and if we
had resolved upon action three months
ago the Czecho-Slovaks, instead Of hav-
ing to call for help, now would be re-
ceiving it.
We have been afraid to act in Russia
without an authoritative invitation The
necessity for action arises from the fact
that Russia cannot issue an authoritative
invitation. She cannot summon the only
cohesive uniting force that latently ex-
lists, namely, the force of a national re-
solve to expel the Germans from Russia.
That is all the Allies propose to do
that and to save Russia from immediate
ruin and famine-and if the Russians
cannot understand it, and cannot trust
us to do it, then we must do it in spite
of them