Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1919-01-03
INTERVENTION IN RUSSIA

the BaiLlNlOIS A1hSi iSsHAA'
cent editorial, voices the sentiment
of parents and friends OF the a. H.
u and doubtless the views OF the
troops themselves, as to taxing part
Just now in crazy muddled Russia.
The article points out the tact that
there was possibly a time when inter
vention might have been timely ana
advisable, but the reluctance of our
government and the indetermlnate
policy Of England allowed that oppof
tunity to pass, and while Japan
was thus kept from attaining place
of leading prominence in the war
regarded by some as compensation for
such failure--the collapse q Ger
many has left Russia in Weltcr ana
the Bolsheyiki in the saddle Inc
American then asks:
What of tn fatuFe?s One 0f the
8 most pronounced principles Of MI
" ilson Is that OF self detern1inatlon
4 BY peoples, Application of this prin
eli pie would suggest that II bolSAe-
vikism is what the Russian people
want, then what they want is Boishe
yilzism and thct should end 1t. For
Bolsheyikism IS pathological age
for Russia and it marks the transl-
ton to something better. A new
and settled order is bound 10 come
about in time. Even Bolsheviklsm
is likely to wilt under the heat OF
settled responsibilities and from its
soil come forth a renewed state
However that may be, the line
should be drawn now at 1nterVen-
ton by the troops of the United
States in concert with those OF any
of the Allies, including Japan. The
w2r of nations is. over, and the
United States has no call to enter
into war with any class Of social
experiments. There was as bad as
Bolshevikism in Mexico and the
United States refused to intervene
save for distinct police and punitive
purposes and these were of little
- avail. If this was its attitude toward
a contiguous state it should be its
attitude toward remote state,
good portion of the population OF
which upholds the Bolshevikist re-
CINE. Those who propose interven-
ton do not propose any kind of sub
stitute government except some
other form of socialism. When the
United States harnesses it's troops to
the cause OF any kind of socialistic
regime it will be time for it to re-
nounce its own pure democracy.
Suppose that he Russian people
some percentage of them are in fact
starving-the United States stands
ready to feed them if they can do
this through the established govern
ment. But there is no call for this
country to throw it's troops into Rus
STA for the purpose of feeding the
populace. This should have been fol-
lowed as a war measure and not a
peace measure. Intervention in a
chaotic state because it is such is out
of harmony with thought of the |
American people unless they are
sure they are acting at the behest |
OF the people themselves who are to !
be served. Americans, in fact, are |
disposed to care no more for the |
fate CT tic Russians than the Rus !
SLAMS care for themselves. If they |
want what they have, let them have |
all of il they want. When they are |
ready to accept the serviceable |
Offices Of this country will do the |
work not IS military undertaking |
but as benevolent enterprise.
One thing is sure; that is that the |
United States is not going to back |
into lie shafts with Japan for dual |
intervention in Russia if for no other |
rcagon-and there are dozens of |
othe!iF-than that by so doing it |
wouia mesh itself in aseries of prob |
lens relating to Japan's demands |
and expectations as result of COM |
mon action. 1t is time this kind of !
talk ceased. 1t is certainly not in |
line with anything to which the |
United States has been committed.