Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1919-01-27
RUSSIAN FACTIONS
+! PRESENT Problem
Doubt of Any Considerable
-
Number Entering Farley
= at Princess Island.
ACUTE SITUATION ARISES

= Increasing doubt is felt in Wash
ington by persons in touch with Rus
sian affairs about the acceptance by
any considerable number of Russian
factions of the allied proposal to con
fer at Princess Island February 10.
= So far as this government is con-
cerned the matter is being handled
entirely from Paris, and officials are
without any intimation of the course
the arrangements for the conference
are taking.
Significance is attached to the at
titude of Sazouoff. in Paris, Russian
81 who represents, in fact, IL not tech
!. nically. both the factions OF Gen.
Denikine. in southern Russia, and Ad-
miral Kolchak of the Omsk govern
.ment. Not only has Sazonofr voiced
his opposition to the joint meeting
of -Bolsheviki factions with rep
-resentatives of the soviets' rule. but
he has laid before the peace confer
ence a proposal that anti-bolshevists
be permitted to raise a volunteer
army in Europe TO fight the Lenin-
Trotsky regime.
Views of Russians in o. S.
Representing the same elements In
this country as those back of Sazanon
in Pari. is the present Russian en-
-bassy staff. Ambassador Bakhmeten.
now in Paris, along with other at
taches of the embassy. has not been
heard from recently. But A. j. sack,
head of the Russian Information bu-
reau in New York, which works IN
conjunction with the embassy, has Tor
weeks been conducting propaganda
1or allied Intervention to overthrow
xbolshevism-
Only two weeks ago yesterday,
when he addressed group OF prom ,
-inent Washington citizens, Mr.. Sack said
rensphaticalfy that Russias hope OF
stable government lay in such inter-
svention, and that the Russians alone,
exhausted and lacking food ana
equipment and other supplies, were in
no position to combat boishevism.
Chance of Agreement Remote.
Under these circumstances it IL ap-
parent to observers here that the
-chances Of meeting on common
ground with the bolsheviki of the
groups which are in thorough accord
al
shevism are slight. Many of these
Factions are not in accord among
Themselves about many points or the
future program in Russia, but they
are on record as regarding the soivetS
government as no government at all.
but as organized anarchy. murder and
violence. Their feeling is that to con-
Ser with the bolsheviki= would ALLEVIATE
their supporters in Russia. who look
no them for the overthrow, and not for
a compromise, with the bolsheviki.
Bolshevik Attitude Underlined.
! Though there is difference of opinion
about the attitude of the bolshevikt.
it is most generally believed that after
dickerinK to see how far they can
impose their own terms upon the
allies they will accept.
This belief is based on the very rea-
son that the anti-boisheyists object
ITO the conference. the theory inst tne
boisheviki will be the gamers. and
mot the losers. By suspension of hos
tiiitjes even if nothing comes from
-the meeting. 1t is held that the boil
-sheviki are willing to accept breath
ing spell for the same reason that
accept an armistice before she sur
.fere6 q military defeat. for purposes
of recouping her strength The situa-
-tion To made difficult by the fact that
the opponents Oh the pOISneNIki Pi8C0
no reliance or trust In their words or
promises
Should these assumptions be correct
the allies may be placed in the din
cult position of having the bolsheviki
accept their proposals. and the anti
-bolshevist factions reject them.
such a possibility.-it is argued. is an
other reason why the boisheviki will
t-.bs willing to accede to the allied sug-
gestion. .
In such an event the bolsheviki
sscoufd assume the martyr-fike attitude
of being willing to discuss terms.
while their opponents relied only on
military strength.
= Intervention Issue a Topic.
= notwithstanding these delicate
questions raised by the allied propos-
Gals II 10 admitted that such an effort
lat bringing about peace in Russia
without Intervention hardly could
have BEEN arranged without taking
the bolsheyiki into account The boil
-shevfki. aside from their ethics, now
exercise . decided and considerable
-faxna ava yy,naf ~ takaa fy9fr