New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1919-06-22

could gather his mind together to
speak q word in reply. Then he
said:
mr.. Commissioner, I am not q
diplomat or general, and ! can
afford to be as ignorant as am.
don't understand you. Your prop.
osition sounds good, but it sounds
too good. In America we would say
there must be something on it.
have to ask you frankly: Why do
you make it,"
Trotzky was annoyed. Besides his
power of being passionate he has
great power Of being supercilious.
He showed it now. His black eyes
blazed out his impotence. One of
his vices is intellectual pride. One
of his virtues is that he confesses
it. In public speaking he does not
f1atter an audience. He will even
go to the other extreme He will.
openly sheer at it. He will freeze
it with contempt. A Russian jour-
nalist once described him, on such
an occasion, as a freezing fire. HIS
face then is the face of Mephisto-
pheles, diabolically intelligent, dia-
bolically scornful, redeemed only by
eyes of much human suffering in a
long and relentless pursuit of
human cooperative Utopia.
"Listen to me carefully" said
Trotzky to Robins. Follow me, step
by step.
1--WE have started our peace me-
gotiations with the Germans. We
have asked the Allies to join us in
starting peace negotiations for the
whole world, on a democratic basis
no forcible annexations, no punt
tive indemnities, and full accept
ance Of the principle of the self
determination of all peoples. The
Allies have refused to accept our
invitation. We still hope, of course,
to compel them
How" interrupted Robins.
"By stirring up the comrades in
France and in England and in Amer
lea to upset the policy of their gov
ernments by asserting their own rev.
dictionary Socialist will"
Some contract" said Robins in
good American, which was at once
put by the interpreter into good Rus
sian. (Trotzky speaks English, but
prefers to speak Russian.)
Eyes, large contract" said Trot-
ky, land we may fail at it. In that
case we shall continue negotiations
with the Germans alone. Our prob
lem then is this: How to get the
Germans to sign a democratic peace
for Russia. Now observe.
Germany, of course, will not
want to sign democratic peace.
Germany will want peace with an
nexations. But we haze these rav
materials. Germany needs them.
They are bargaining point. If we
can keep them away from Germany
we have an argument in reserves
big argument-perhaps a winning
argument. Therefore, want TO
keep them Away. Do you see?"
II begin to see," said Robins.
II want to keep them away" re-
piled Trotzky, "but you know our
difficulties at the front. The front
is in chaos. Send. your officers,
American officers, Allied officers,
any officers you please. will give
them full authority to enforce the
embargo against goods into Ger
many all along our whole front"
Good Ne,Us +
Robins, seeing, fastened. For
few months, anyway, the Germans
would get no goods from Russia.
Several months would have to pass
before any peace could be signed.
(Several months did pass.) During
that time the Germans would be cut
off completely from Russian raw
materials. Robins ran with the good
news to the diplomatic and military
circles Of the Allied and American
governments at Petrograd.
But in those circles it was not
good news at all. 1t was news not
worth carrying. 1t aroused only
the mild wonder, Why did Robins
bother with it?
DO you mean to tell me-" said
Robins, "that you aren't interested
in preventing hides and fats and
oils and nickel and copper and lead
from going into Germany"
The diplomats and the generals
looked at him and felt sorry for