The Washington herald., 1918-06-28
The Coming Of Kerensky.


the mettle of Alexander Kerensky, the moderate
MARKHAM Socialist who today should be dominat-
ing Russia instead of the frotzy disciples OF BOZ
shevism. who have followed HIM
Kerensky. in very real sense, is the Madero OF
Russia, saerihce to his own idealsm Had ne
ruled like Tsar or a Diaz he could have saved
himself in Petrograd He chose greater role.
But he was not alone martyr to his own idealism.
He was a martyr to the blindness of the ailies' as
we'll
II is needless to recount the sorry pages OF
history that were written year ago. The Isar
Nicholas fell; there followed brief upper middle
class rule of Miliukoff and Lyof. But 1t became
clear in few weeks that Russia was going to make
the full leap from autocracy into socialism The
star of Kerensky began to ascend. 1t was exactly
AZ this moment that London and Paris began to
show strange purblind lukewarmness toward the
Russian revolution. Indeed, the Tory press OF
London almost said openly that the restoration OF
the Tsardom might not be bad thing for Russia
Kerensky knew the temper Of his people, knew
how ardently they longed for peace, knew what
thoughts were in their minds He recognized that
it was necessary, from their point of view, that
the war aims of the allies be made absolutely clear
and unequivocaL Russian thought, particularly
among the lower classes, was murky on this point.
To them the revolution the big thing OF the
age; not the war. The was a mere incident,
a mere accompaniment, OF the revolution. kerensky
saw that to hold Russia to the allied cause drastic
measures were necessary He was an active spirit
in promoting the iI-starred conference OF Social
lists at Stockholm. The allied government regarded
this as a mere German trick and rebufed Kerensky.
The enemies of the gallant young leader, the
Lennes and Trotsky who were Syndicalists and
anarchists rather than true Socialists, spread their
poison with the systematic aid of German agents,
who had spun their snaky web into the very heart
OF the illiterate peasantry and working classes OF
Russia Unsupported by Great Britain. France, or
the United States, Kerensky went down, although
the coup by which he ovcrthrown was hardly
a bit more representative of the popular will in
Russia than the coup by which Huerta became
dictator of Mexico.
The monster blunders of allied diplomacy in
dealing with Russia are universally recognized.
Are they to continue? The Bolshevik are at the
end of their tether. Russia is about to enter new
pkase. Germany will be the gamer by it unless
a positive program is initiated by Washington Lon
don, and Paris. We do not pretend to say what
that program should be. Even Kerensky himself,
discussing the matter in London, does not go fur
ther into the matter than to say that financial and
economic assistance" from the allies particularly
America, is needed
He is coming to the United States to lay his
cause, the cause Of Russia, before US, because VIC
in the best position to help Russia, and because
the Russians have more confidence in than
in any other people. President Wilson is in pc
stion to determine allied policy towards the great
Slavic world which is cropping its way into
the brotherhood of liberal nations. Reactonaries
abroad would not dare to dispute his decision,
whatever it be; the President himself told the
Mexican editors that the influence of the United
States somewhat pervasive" in the councils
OF the world.
No deadlier blow could be dealt Germany than
Russian revival. 1t would mean the eclipse of
mitarism in the very citadel of junkerdom-the
Baltic provinces of Livonia, Courland and Esth-
onia, which linked ethnologcaly and CONNER
cially to East Prussia-and would shake the Teu-
tonic structure to its very foundations Kerensky is
not speaking mere moonshine when he says:
IL believe, indeed, am certain, that the Russian
people shortly will join you in the fight for the
, great of freedom"