New-York tribune., 1918-02-13
Convention Says Trotzky
Has No Right to Dis
band Army
His Followers Barred
President Urged to Free Those
Who Failed to Register
for Draft

The Russian Civic Convention COM
pleted its four-day session in Airing
ton Hall late yesterday afternoon BY
addressing two resolutions to Presi-
dent Wilson, one denouncing the Boil
shevlkl and the other calling upon the
President to safeguard the rights, of
Russian citizens in the United States
under the military service regulations.
The convention went on record as
declaring that no self-apponted gov
crnmcnt in Russia has any right to de-
clare peace or to disband the army
during the war against the Central
Powers for worldwide democracy.
President Wilson Praised
It's attack on the Bolsheviki regime
brought no response from it's cham
plons here because the followers of
Leninc and Trotzky were barred from
the final session. Waldemar Kruklak,
secretary Of the convention, in his ad-
dress TO the delegates, praised Prcsi-
dent Wilson as having been first to
recognize the cause of free Russia, and
called him the spokesman of civiliza-
tlon IN its war against Prussiansm.
He added:
I'VE Russians know that the best
sentiment of Russia to-day is with
President Wilson in all that he says
about terms of peace in Europe. We
Know that the best sentiment of 5,COO,-
600 or 100000 Of Russians in the
United States is not in sympathy with
this laying down of arms by the self
appointed rulers of Russia while a war
for the freedom Of the world is in prog
ress and must be decded'
President Seminovsky and Secretary
kruklak signed the following telegram
to President Wilson:
"The first of all-Russian civic con-
ventions held in America, with dele
gates selected by 10000 organized Rus
sian citizens in the United States,
greets the American people through the
first citizen Of the United States. and
acknowledges with gratitude that he
was the first to respond TO the Russian
revolutionary free people. We recog-
nize in you the first to declare to the
whole world the terms of a general
peace, supported by the highest ideals
of international justice.
eve greet and thank this country,
which has SO Hospitality and so widely
opened it's doors, giving US refuge here.
on behalf Of ourselves and our brother
~ Americans with whom we have cast
lots, that vast majority Of Russians
in the motherland and here in America
belong to that political school which
recognizes in Russia only the Constitu-
ent Assembly as having the right to
work out the internal and foreign poll
cies of a sovereign people, and that,
therefore, nobody has the authority in
the name of the independent Russian
peace other than the Assembly.
1--WE protest against any kind of
separate peace signed in the name Of
Russia"
Asks Aid for Draft Violators
The second message addressed to the
Presi ident was a petition for the release
OF Russian citizens who failed to reg
lister last June, as required by the
draft laws Most of the Violations
they contend, are due to ignorance of
the language and misunderstanding Of
the rules, rather than to any criminal
intent. Thirty-four Russian Quakers
held in Arizona prisons are specifically
mentioned in the petition.
The rights of unnaturalized Rus
slams are also to be safeguarded by a
committee appointed to confer with the
representatives of Russia in Washing
ton. The convention sent telegram
to Ambassador Bakhmetieff, calling his
attention to what some of the delegates
called a failure of the Russian En-
bassy to protect the rights of Russian
citizens, particularly in respect to the
draft