New-York tribune., 1919-10-27

pro-German circles in Japan. To be
sure.
"L'Europe Nouvelle" has it on the
authority of the Italian newspaper that
the treaty had been concluded in
Stockholm, feature not brought out
at the time Of Senator Lodges ,nquir-
les. The French periodical purports to
know that the scheme had the approval
of the Russian monarchlst element.
In tho meantime General Yudenitch's
cavalry Is reported to be in fast ad-
vance on the suburbs of Petrograd.
Seeing that last week the capture of
the former Russian capital by his
forces had been announced, his latest
progress comes somewhat in the way
OF an anti-cilmax.
There is a report that the Esthonians
are shelling Pskov, seat of the North
western Russian government. No doubt
Trotzky is tickled by this news, if true.
For the Esthonians were doing their
best to obtain Russian cooperation
against the Bolsheviki. and since in
their neighborhood the Pskov govern
ment represents anti-Red Russia it
should be clear that their friendly
overtures did not meet with the ex-
pected response. The fact is that
1.-THE Westminster Gazette" six weeks
ago limited at the refusal of the
Pskov government (Which is cooperat-
ing with the Centralists (Kolchak and
Denikine) to acknowledge Esthonian in
dependence as being responsible for an
Esthonian-Bolshevik rapprochement.
This recalls little story printed in
"The Esthonian Review" a monthly
magazine printed in the English Ian
guage in London. According to it, some
time before the formation of the Pskov
government q group of Russian anti
Bolsheviki who were trying to astart
something" sent an emissary, in the
person of a prominent Russian general.
to the Esthonian government at Reval
IN order to negotiate for Esthonian as
sistance against the Soviet The point
to be borne in mind is that at the
time the Esthonian government had an
army, whereas the Russian group had
| nothing Of the sort. Naturally, the
first question the Russian general was
asked at Reval was, What about Es-
thonlan independence? His reply was
the Russian equivalent to nothing do
ing" Whereupon they Inquired what
he would do should he be ordered by a
Russian government to deal with a de
facto government of independent Es-
thonia. He answered.: "Of course. I
would turn my bayonets against it,
That day, as Dante would say, they did
not negotiate any further.
Alter the government of Mr.. Lloyd
George has been called moribund for q
year Or so, after its collapse has been
predicted daily as inevitable on the NOR
row, its enemies must realize with no
little dismay that the patient is quite
capable of surviving even such severe
bumps as that administered by the
Commons adverse vote on Thursday.
1t certainly takes an extraordinary de-
gree of vitality for Cabinet to con-
tlnue its existence under an all-round
oarrage such as the Lloyd George ad-
mlnlstration is subjected to in the
press, in Parliament and in public
addresses, electioneering and other.
Tories and Laborites, Independent Con-
servatlves and anti-coalition Liberals
are equally vehement in their attacks
on the George Churchill -Bonar Law
Curzon combination, the one side de-
nounclng it for not being this thing
or that and the other execratine If
because 1T is too much so. In last
weeks Parliamentary showdown the
most conspicuous feature was that the
Asqulth Liberals and Labor, in voting
down an amendment favorable to
a'lens' cooperated with the rabidest
tories on basis which meant the sac-
rlhce OF tlme-honored Liberal and La
Dor principles. Anything seems good
enough against Lloyd George. Was il
me New Statesman" that recently said
there is only one thing on which Brit.
1sh public opinion, so hopelesslv torn
on other Issues, stands united. and that
Is the desire that Mr.. Lloyd George be
gone?