Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1919-01-10
AMERICAN AND ALLIED
 OPERATION IN RUSSIA
 Of FRIENDLY NATURE
"There Is No Russia. What Was Rms. sia Is q Vast DiS0rganized Aggrc- gatiOn of Local Governments"

Washington. Jan. 9.-Operation of American troops in Russia was de- tended and criticised today in the Senate, half q dozen Senators parti- cipating in d vigorous debate which continued several hours.
 Senator Hitchcock. of Nebraska. Chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee. opened the discussion by delivering prepared speech in reply to recent addresses of Senators Johnson of California, and 1.aFollette of Wisconsin, republicans, who had sharply criticised retention of Amer ican soldiers on Russian soil. Senators Johnson, Borah, of Idaho, and France, of Maryland, Republicans. replied to MT. Hitchcock and Senators Swanson, of Virginia and King of Ntah, Demo- crats. defended the administration course.
 Chairman Hitchcock justified inter- vention in Russia, denounced the Bol- shevik government as pro-German and declared that the expeditions in both Northern Russia and Siberia were purely defensive and entirely friendly to the loyal Russian people
 Reports of fighting by American forces in Russia have been gross ly exaggerated" said Senator Hitch- cock, as only 126 Americans have been killed since the landing at Ar changel. From Vladivostok to the Ural mountains. he said. there has been no fighting for months, and the inter-allied forces have been received by the Russian people with "open arms.'
 Senator Borah in reply opposed an, intervention with Russian internal af- fairs. Without criticising the send ing of troops to Russia, Senator Borah said, retention of American forces there now is justified only in holding military stores from the Germans or in carrying out the general purposes of the war against Germany.
 Senator Borah said Russia should be permitted to work out her own governmental affairs and he joined with Senator Johnson in demanding an official statement from the admin. istration regarding it's plans and pur poses in Russia,
 Senator Swanssn. in defending the administrations course. cited Presi- dent Wilson's statement in his II peace principles. and declarations ill the armistice terms imposed on Ger many as assurances that America Ys friendly to the Russian people and that Russian territorial and political integrity and independence are as- sured
 The administrations policy was at tackled by Senator France as "suspic- iOusly secretive.' The Maryland Sena- tor cOntended that Russia was a neutral when her soil was invaded by the allied and American troops," and declared that the "invasion,' like the German invasion of Belgium was most unexplainable and inexcusable.
 Senator Nelson. of Minnesota, Re publican, asserted that Bolshevism is losing ground gradually while Sena- tor King expressed regret that great CT vigor had not been exercised by America and the allies for the pur- pose of "walling in the Bolsheviki- those murderous madmen."
 Washington, Jan. 9.-American ana allied operations in Russia are friend- ly and not hostile to the Russia people although in opposition to GermanBol- shevik forces, Chairman Hitchcock or the senate foreign relations committee said in an address today replying 10 the recent demand of Senator John- son. of California. for an official state ment of the American policy in Rus sia. There is no Russia" he declared. "What was Russia is vast disor ganized aggregation of local govern n:ents."
 Senator Hitchcock prepared his ad- dress after consulting with Acting Secretary Polk at the state depart ment. After pointing out that seizure of the ports of Vladivostok, Murmansk and Archangel was proposed by the supreme war council to prevent Ger many from obtaining valuable stores. he said
 "In each case it was done as a measure of war against Germany and not against Russia. In each case the attitude of the Russian people at the ports named and in the neighborhood was friendly and remains so today. In each case the local Russian govern ment exists and functions in co-opera- ton with the American and allied sol diers.
 Thus we and the allies seized these highly important strategic points with handful of soldiers as an important offset to German opera tions in Russia.
 There is no Russia. What was Russia is a vast disorganized aggre- gation of local governments. Lenlne and Trotzky have the great cities of Petrograd, Moscow and some others and thus have the center of the wrecked nation. but it is the most un- happy, most lawless, brutal and most bloody. Other parts of Russia are comparatively calm and orderly
 "The very fact said Senator Hitch cock, that line of communication across Siberia. 1000 miles long from Vladiyostok where our troops are to the Ural mountains where the troops of the Ufa government and Czechs