Evening star., 1918-07-07
HUNGER DROVE FINNS
INTO ARMS OF HUNS
People, Desperately Hungry, Unable to
Get Grain They Had Paid For,
Either In Russia or America.

| the entente nations is expected at
| any hour"
Even when we left Moscow we
heard Of large German reinforcements
beng sent into Finland.
The Mourman soviet urged the al
lies to Increase their forces at Mour-
man. The central soviet government
at Moscow also urged the augmenta-
/ tion of the allied forces at Mourman.
The reported recent landing of Amer
| in response to that request. In the
event of the Finnish German troops
| moving against Mourman and Arch
| angel there will be opposed to them
about $4,000 troops of the soviet re-
public and several thousand troops OF
| the Cllies.
Last July deputation of Firms
called on Kerensky and arranged
with his minister of food supply to
furnish Finland with 100000 tons Of
wheat. Finland is non-agricultural
country and always has been de-
pendent on imports for bread. Keren-
sky's government procrastinated and
failed to deliver the flour.
Then came the October revolution.
which overthrew Kerensky and put
| ate asked the soviet government to
| make good Kerensky's promise Of
food for Finland. calling the soviet's
! attention to the fact that the wheat
had already been paid for. The soviet
| responded that it could not feed
Petrograd. let alone feed Finland.
The Finnish government finally de-
| SPARED of ever getting any grain out
! of the soviet government. 1t turned
to the allies. A DR.. Ignatius. justice
of the Finnish supreme court. left
Finland for America via Stockholm.
America a largo purchase of silver
for the Finnish mint. The Finnish
government then had a balance in
| New York banks of something like
$16,000.000. One single deposit was
100000. DR.. Ignatius bought his
! house. He made arrangements with
| the Swedes to transport that grain
across Sweden partially by inland
| waterways and partially by railway.
He then proceeded on to London to
arrange with the British for tonnage.
People of Finland Hungry.
Somehow or other Dr. Ignatius fail
ed to persuade the allied governments
to feed Finland. Probably the allies
found 1t utterly impossible. Finland's
s.25o. 900 people were hungry. There
| was actual starvation in certain sec
tions of the country. Finland kept
getting hungrier. and at last the
Finnish senate had to admit that 1t
was having difficulties in getting
grain from the allies.
The Finnish government gave up all
hopes of getting grain from the allies
| and began secret negotiations with
Germany. although negotiations with
the allies continued. 1t was. then a
question of which would feed Finland
Germany or the allies, and Finland
would go with either side that offered
her food.
The radical labor party, made up al
most wholly of workmen in the cities,
| formed huge cooperative society in
which all the labor unions Joined. The
conservative and the socialist forces In
Finland have for several elections been
| about equal First there would be a
conservative speaker Of the diet and he
| would be succeeded by a socialist. The
conflict in the diet was sharp. and since
the first days OF the Russian revolution
class feeling had been growing This
| radical labor party was defeated at the
polls In the midsummer elections 1t
charged the conservatives with election
frauds. 1t then brought the conserva-
tive senate. which is the name of the
able to get food for Finland. In desper-
alton the Finnish senate redoubled its
efforts to obtain wheat from Germany
Promised Russian Grain.
In the meantime representatives Of
| the Finnish labor party had gone to
Petrograd to talk with the radical work
men elements of the soviet. The soviet
leaders whispered sweet nothings into
the ears of these Finnish radicals and
told them If they would overthrow their
bourgeoise government, which was ne
gotiating with the German government,
the enemy Of all laborers, the soviet
| government of Russia would furnish
Finland with grain.
Id a. ~
nish workmen. They Immediately be-
gan to arm themselves. and following
| the example of the Petrograd workmen
they overthrew their government
The situation had different results,
however. In Finland nearly all of
the farmers were land owners. They
heartily disapproved the methods OF
the bolsheviki in Russia. When the
labor party had formed its army it
called 1t the red guards. The govern
ynopt narfv forr,a1 army nd co Had