The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1918-08-05
The Murder Of Cen. Won Eichhorn.

The Murder of Gen. Won Eichhorn.
Coming so close as it does upon the
killing of Count Won Mirbach, the Ger
man ambassador at Moscow, the death
of Gen. Won Eiohhorn, the German gov.
ernor general in the Ukraine, strongly
indicates that underground Russia has
again taken up its familiar weapons, the
pistol, the knife and the bomb, for a
merciless war upon autocracy. II is a
repellent kind of warfare, never to be
eondoned except in the weak who are
trampled under the despot's iron heel, yet
one of Germany's greatest poets, in a
time when Germany still worshiped free
dom, glorifed William Tell In famous
drama upon which official modern Ger
many frowns. William H., before being
appraised that his fayorite Gessler's
wounds had ended fatally, made haste
to send him telegram Of sympathy.
Yet even ii the fanatics of the revolu-
tion had not de"reed a new terrorism,
the deeds of Eichhorn in the Ukraine
since he became governor last April, were
such as must have exposed him con
stantly to peril from an outraged and
Infatuated people.
Beginning with a declaration Of mar.
tial law, he proceeded to arrest members
of the very government which had made
peace with Germany, and in May set up
new government TO give assent to new
and unjustifable German demands. At
the same time the Cossack Gen. Skoro-
padski, relentless reactionary, was put
in command TO carry out an anti.revolu-
tionary program. To get more grain
for Germany a house to house perquisi-
ton was made Peasants were tortured
% make them reveal where their stocks
were hidden, those who resisted were
shot. and communities which failed to
supply their quota were treated as
though they were in occupied hostile
territory. When disaffection grew, he
sent TO Berlin for more troops to help
quell 1t. When the railway men refused
TO help ship grain out of the country he
sent to Berlin for men to operate the
railways. To bring the people into pow
erty which would make them trade with
Germany, he annulled the agrarian re-
forms of the revolution, making heavy
claims upon the peasants for rents.
These were the things which marked the
Gessler of the Ukraine as logically the
next victim after the German agent at
Moscow.
The assassination of Count Won Mir
bach Germany passed over; win 1t be
obliged also TO ignore the assassination
of Gen. Won Eichhorn at Kew II not,
what will be done about it, In Belgium
it might burn a few cities, hang q few
priests and burgomasters, extort few
more million marks of blood money. In
the Ukraine the case is not so simple,
especially if, as appears to be the case,
the assassin came from great Russia ex.
pressly for this deed. Already mighty
wave of hostility to Germany is spread
ing in the Ukraine, where the common
people, unlike the propertied classes, are
anti German and ready to join forces
with Russia and the allies. The Ukraine
is big country with huge population,
and Germany's position there is preca-
rious in the extreme, With every sol
der possible needed in the west, the
central powers cannot afford to do any
thing TO spread the guerrilla warfare
which is already menace.
The real enemy, moreover, is not easily
to be reached The real enemy is the
revolution, using against the kaiser's
emissaries the same weapons which It
used under the old regime against cars
Against this menace even military
despotism is helpless. Germany may be
able TO police Belgium, but it cannot
police the vast areas in the east where
it presumes 90 plumber and TO oppress
In the midst of hostile population its
agents cannot be protected or even
avenged. The death of one agent more
or less may not matter, even when he is
a distinguished diplomat like Count Won
Mirbach or distinguished soldier like
Gen. Won Eichhorn. But it does matter
greatly that the revolution has declared
a relentless war and sealed the declara.
ton with the blood of these proconsuls
When there is a Russian army in the
field there will soon be no proconsuls to
kill. These assassinations must be TAX
en- as the work of fervent patriots whose
aim is to force the abrogation OF the
Brest- Litovsk treaties, TO bring Russia
again into the war and t. make an end
of German despotism. However we may
deplore their methods, we can find some
explanation of it in the helpless condi-
ton to which Russia has been reduced
by the bolsheviki. But assassination is
undoubtedly being taken up as merely
step toward open warfare.-Springiield