Norwich bulletin., 1919-04-19
THE ALLIES IN RUSSIA

an offensive which might bring victory into the heart of Russia A great part for German militarism, the realiza tion of German domination throughout the world Under such circumstances ! even the so-ca1led socialists revolu :, tionists of the left, who had co-op erated with the bolsheviki up to. the moment of the Brest-Litovsk treaty, 1 revolted against the bolshevid and | the Germans. and organized the, as sassinatlon oi Non Mirbach. Lsnine and Trotzky, in their servitude to i their then powerful German masters, i ordered the execution of many of the | socialist st-revolutionists of the left. | It was at this time that Russia ! called to the allies for help, not only 1 for general. but also for military help, , just as France and England called upon the United States for help when their extraordinary missions, led by Marshal Joffre and Lord Balfour, i visited this country soon after this countrys entrance into the war. It is | true at this time there was not an organized Russian government in ex- 1 istence. The provisional government had been overthrown and the constit- uent assembly had been dispersed by bayonets. But the members of the constituent assembly, who convenedi secretly in Moscow in April, 1918, ! called upon the allies for military 1 help, sending their message through
 Alexander Kerenslsy. The Moscow con-
 gross of the party of socialists s-revolu-
 tionists, the party which held the ma | jority in the constituent assembly, called upon the allies for military help i in the resolution adopted in May, 1918.
 The constitutional-democ party ] also called upon the allies for military
 help. With the exception of the bol-
 sheviki, there was not a single polit-
 ical group in Russia that was opposed
 to an allied army coming to Russia. The bolshevist opposition was natural, since they were depending upon the Germany army.
 The allies came to Russia upon the invitation of the Russian people for the purpose of fighting the Germans and ther supporters, the bolshevlks. It was clear from the outset that they were invited only for such a purpose,
 and the allies themselves have given guarantees not to interfere with the
 internal affairs of the Russian peo- pie. Such guarantees were contained
 in the declaration of the United
 States, English, and Japanese gov
 ernments and in the many appeals and declarations issued by their diplo-
 matic and military representatives in Russia.
 
 rifces, was and is entitled to allied
 help. On the other hand no one has . any right to interefere with the sacred
 right of the Russian people to choose the form of government they want. The future Russian government will
 be chosen at the all- Russian constit- uent assembly elected by the entire
 people, and the allies should render ; the Russian people all the help they need to enable them to o~ate a real [ democratic government through con- : stituent assembly. l This, 1 hope, answers the question , Just as all Russian democrats 1 was : for rendering Russia all the economic
 financial, technical and military helI f she needs to enable her to re-estab-
 fish the municipalities and zemstoys elected on the basis of universal sui Y frage, which were dispersed by the bolsheviki, and to convoke an all-
 Russian constituent assebly whicl q would define the constitution of the a state and solve Russia's main politica ! and social problems.
 - As for the present, may say tha : our relation to the allies will depend = fully upon their capacity for honesty { and unselfshness toward us. There e are grave symptoms in eXistence o1
 1 the one hand. an inclination to use oul t misfortunes for purely selfish pur- S poses. and, on the other hand. alnos : complete indifference toward the caus, : of our freedom. This indifference i k encouraging to those elements in. Rus e sias life who would like to bring tn, $ country back to where she was befor, . March, 1917.
 q Having watched the allied policy ii r Russia, 1 may say tha the policy ha r been so undefned and contradictor, S that I cannot find single principl n which would explain it. The alliet d policy is an enigma 10 us and in con = clusion, I will say again: Sincere hell !excludes the elements which are usu e ally called intervention Help, ever r kind of help. should be rendered tn l. Russian people. but they themselve v must define their form of governmen d and their political future. And the l. will do it through an l-Russian con & Stituent assembly.