The Knoxville independent. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1894-current, 1918-01-05
BRITAIN TO REPLY
TO PEACE PLANS
Prepares Serious and Reasoned
Answer, Declares the
Manchester Guardian.
PREMIER TO SEE CLEMENCEAU
London Times Petrograd Correspond.
ent Says BoIshevki Revolt Was
Managed by Germans, and That
Movement Is Anti-Russian.

London, Jan. 1.-The Manchester
Guardian says it Is the intention of the
British government, when the Austro-
German terms of peace are presented
officially, to return serious and rea-
soned reply. Premier Lloyd George
has arranged to visit France, accord
Ing to the newspaper, to confer with
Premier Clemenceau on this subject.
London, Jan. 1.-The Times prints
long letter from it's Petrograd CORE
'spondent dated Saturday, which pur-
ports to substantiate the view that the
bolsheviki revolt was managed by Ger
many, and that the movement Is
essentially antinational and anti
Russian. The letter says:
1T is notorious fact and has been
proved by documents in possession OF
the Kerensky government that Ger
many commissioned Lenine and gave
him money to go to Russia to SOW dis
affection In the Russian army"
One of the forts at Kronstadt, the
naval base near Petrograd, has been
blown up by an extremely violent ex-
plosion, according to a Petrograd dis
patch to the Times. There are no
details.
Report Fighting In East Siberia.
Correspondents of Reuters Limited
F., at Picking, Hardin and Petrograd re-
port fighting at Irkutsk, East Siberia,
between regular troops and red guards
and Cossacks and military cadets. The
fighting Is Of the flercest character
and has lasted nearly q week. The en-
tire tam IL ssis Re be afro
The local branch Of the State bank
the telegraph Office and other build
ings, have been burned. The popula.
ton is starving. The maximalists
have received e-enforcements from
Krasnovarsk.
The dispatches add that the red
guards have murdered the French con-
sular agent and two other Frenchmen
in Irkutsk.
The bolsheviki government is ex-
tremely efficient, energetic and decis-
i've, though faced by noisy opposition
from the privileged classes who are
doing all they can to check 1t by sa-
botage and libel, according to the Pc
trograd correspondent of the Daily
News.
BoIshevIE Rule With Force.
The correspondent, who has just re-
turned to Petrograd after lengthy
visit in England, says that the city Is
more orderly than for some months
before the bolsheviki took control. The
people may not like the bolsheviki, he
declares, but they obey them with
startling alacrity, and the government
Is based on real force.
The constitutional assembly, the
correspondent hears, will meet as soon
as delegates from the Ukraine arrive,
perhaps In ten days. He asserts that
\ whatever Is the decision Of the assem-
bly, as constituted at present 1t will
not alter the essential direction Of Rus
sian policy, although 1t might, by weak
ening the government at home, weak.
en- 1t in its dealings with the Ger
mans.
Any attempt to turn out the bolshe-
Wiki government by force would re.
suit only In anarchy favorable to the
Germans, says the correspondent, who
does not believe that such force is
available. He writes enthusiastically
about Leon Trotzky, the bolsheviki
foreign minister, who told him that
the war would be decided by social
rather than military pressure.