The Greeneville daily sun. (Greeneville, Tenn.) 1918-1920, 1919-07-11

By FRANK ]. TAYLOR

AChiVSN 1860 0t0AA4 correspondent
NEW YORK, July 11.-Creatiol
of an enormous Red army, estimated
by various authorities anywhere from
two to four million men, under diff
ficulties which have scarcely been
equalled in history is feat which ths
bolsheviks have accomplished. The
Russian Red Army is a huge effec.
tive force closely bound to the poll.
teal organization of the bolsheviks
Trotsky, more than any other Rus.
sian is the genius behind the Red
Army. He has modified every man
Of military age at the present time
and spends his almost boundless ener-
gy going from front to front re-or.
ganizing and enthusing local leaders.
Trotsky is "Russia's man of IRON"
The bolsheviks have over mobili.
zed, and the opinion of many who are
informed as to the actual situation,
This is probably means of prevent
ing unemployment and discomfort
ment, though ultimately it makes
Russia's economic situation more diff
ficult
The bolsheviks feel confident that
no outside army can take Moscow.
For Petrograd they fear. It's fall
would be a tremendous moral blow
to bolshevism, it is recognized by boil
shevik leaders, but they hold that the
economic problem confronting them
would be materially improved, since
they would be relieved of the respon-
sibility for feeding Petrograd.
The problem confronting Field
Marshal Trotsky is not manpower,
but finding cannon and locomotives.
Most of the soldiers have rifles, which
they proudly display as American
makes, but artillery to supply the in
fantry is lacking. At present the boil
sheviks make up for the shortage by
dragging guns from one front to the
other to meet attacks. This dismays
the food department, which is losing
its transportation to the bolshevik
war department.
First hand acquaintance with the
bolshevik army soon convinces one
that the Reds are not all the long
bearded, dirty barbarians as they are
described in reports. The Reds, SO
far as the soldiers concern, impressed
the United Press correspondent as
being good-hearted, simple Russians
who believe they are preventing their
country from being invaded from for
eigners.
The soldiers were always ready to
fraternize and were never abusive.
A cigaret insured the friendship of
any of them. The Russian soldiers
suffer from lack of cigarets. He
saves bits of newspapers or any other
kind of paper, and rolls up anything
that will smoke. with car load
of American cigarets judiciously used
you could win over the whole Russian
army" remarked one Russian.
The Russian Red has about the
same ideas in mind as the soldiers of
other lands. AS soon as one singles
out man who can speak language
one knows, usually German, the first
question is, "When will there be
peace? We want to go home. We
are tired of war"
The army is not strongly bolshe-
vik in sympathies. This was called
strongly to the attention of the cor
respondent in conversation with
troops near the front and with others
on trains. In Ponjewesch, corps
headquarters in Lithunia, young
Lett volunteered to lodge me over
night, until the train for Dvinsk left
next morning.
That night he invited a friend, for
merly professor in charge of the To-
cal high chool, hut now modified
into the army, where he could be
more closely watched by the bolshe-
viks. The two sounded me out care
fully, and then unburdened their
minds. They thirsted for news from
the outside world, and wanted to get
away from the Reds that they might
point out that Russia is bolShevik by
but small percent. Yet they served
as officers in the Red army, modified
because of their former military
training.
eve have to serve-there is no
films will permit Films for making