The Washington herald., 1918-02-18
The Paradox in the East.

Russian reasoning is as devious and distinctive
az Prussian reasoning The Trotzky peace IS a
curious product of the Slavic intellectual process
II is eelke in its slippery elasticity and its reser-
yations. 1t is not peace that Russia IS reaching
for. but an armistice, far as 1t IS transiataOe
into English terms of logic.
1t is "no-war but no-peace" plan; the very
game that the Russian has played for centuries
soairst all his enemies and always won Trotzky
does not want to fight, but he does not want to
make terms with autocracy at Potsdam Ihere-
fore he retires to the twilight zone, where he can
he At peace in the midst of war. For his purposes
the menace of war, the threat OF war, must remain
to make sleepless the nights of Hindenburg. II
the Germans decide to carry through their pro-
gram of conquest and take the Baltic provinces,
well and good; they will have to hold them Hold
ing them means soldiers. Literally, the occupation
means hundreds of thousands, if not millions, OF
Teuton troops which the German general stan
wants to transfer to the Western front 1t could
transfer them with easy mind if Russia would de-
mobilize and agree to peace. But Trotzky is
true Russian not unmindful of what Moscow did
to Napoleon nor of what Manchuria might have
done to Japan had the Russo Japanese war been
permitted to continue year longer.
Nothing about the outcome at Brest-Litovsk
suits the crude creed of conquest OF Germana. Won
Kuehmann the German foreign secretary, ex-
presses the belief that Germany and Austria are
still at war with Russia. Could the paradox OF the
Eastern situation be more ftly expressed than by
the foreign minister of Germany saying that he
believes state of exists, while Irotzky,
Russian foreign minister, tells the Workmen's and
Soldiers Council in Petrograd that Russia "was
Withdrawing from the war, not only in appearance,
but in reality"
That is a beautiful and illuminating phrase of
Trotzkys-"withdrawin from the war" 1t sug-
gests the Bear -that-Walks-L -Like-a-Man going into
Information for a period of rest and recuperation
Il suggests something which, to the Occidental
mind, is neither fish, fowl, good red herring
The Occidental fights until the finish comes, ac-
cepts the verdict of force and reaches terms with
his adversary. The Russian quits in the middle of
fight, ignores the rules, suks in his tent until he
has cured his crouch or eased his mind, and then
comes back. He is a master of the waiting game
When all the other weapons in his armory have
failed, he out his enemy by his patience his
command of tedium, his sheer semi-subtle, semi
stolid imperviousness to time.
OF all the policies that could have been adopted
this is the worst suited for Germanys purpose
Germany wants and needs something conclusive in
the East. She wants something that will turn the
peoples eyes away from Bolshevism, some tangi-
Bile achievement which she dangle before them
evidence that final victory is in sight. Instead
OF udt' she Is duly presented Win gold-Drlck
and loud threats OF continuing against Russia
of taking Petrograd and annexing the richest por-
ton Of the country, reverberate from Berlin.
The cunning Trotzky has remembered what
sore of the statesmen of the Western nations have
forgotten-hat the deadliest possible dose for the
present worn state of German nerves is suspense
The Hun can stand defeat much easier than he can
the deadly monotony of period of desultory, indie
c1slve fighting. The attrition of morale in the
central empires today be summed up in that
word-"suspense." Keeping Germany on the anx-
ous seat keeping her at arms length, blowing hot
and cold by turns leading her into blind alleys of
hope through the camouflage of "open-air diplo-
nacy"-these the things for which the worn
and attenuated German nerves can find no antidote