Evening star., 1919-03-08

been permitted to go TO Russia from
Germany. He added that he believed
that Lenin was not so faVorapIe TO
Germany, however, as he was deter
mined to establish d world wide So
cial revolution.
Russ Army Melted Away.
. Ambassador Francis told the COM
fnittee that the Russian army num-
@bered some 12.o00,000 and that It
melted away like snow before the
sun when the Brest-Litovsk treaty
was made He said he believed that
this Immediate demobiIiZatiop was il
accordance with the ideas OF Lenin
and Trotsky. The men, he said, left
their regiments and went heine By
~fhe hundreds of thousands.
: Twice. Mr. Francis said, he issued
proclamations addressed to the Rus
stan people Once, on March II, 1918.
urging that the people organize ana
expel the German inraders. For this.
he said, soviet officials urged that he
be sent out of the country. On July
4, 1918, he issued another address 20
the Russian people, and the centra,
soviet again urged that he he de-
ported. Nothing, he said. was ever
done about this matter.
Senator Nelson asked Mr.. Francis
shat had become of the constituent
assembly called for under the Ks-ea-
Sky government The ambassador told
the committee how the assembly had
convened with some 423 members, the
Bclshevists being in the minority. and
how it had endeavored to do business.
but had been prevented by hoishevist
orders
"a drunken sailor late the night of
the meeting of the assembly went
INTO the hall" said Ambassador Fran
els, "aud said, I am tried of this busi-
ness, / want to go to bed Well give
inc ta,,
The bolshevik. soldiers were 81
about. The constituent assembly
broke up about 5 O'Clock in the morn
ing. proposing to meet again at II
O'Clock. But the bolshevik govern
Tnent took charge and the assembly
,Dever met again
- ME- Francis declared that the boil
,eheviks had never called for the cleo
ton of a constituent assembly and
that apparently they had no intention
ef doing so.
Describes Vologda Sojourn.
Mr Francis described his sojourn at
Vologda. where he esta blished the
american embassy. He said that it
became the "dipIomatie capital" of
tries having Joined him there. The
soviet government did not bother
them much. he said.
The soldiers were hungry and we
gave them food" he added. Finally.
he said, he was warned from the CEN
tfal government at Moscow that Vc-
16gda was not safe. He and the other
diplomats were urged to come to Mos
.oow.
sMr. Francis said he feared if they
went to Moscow they would be held
~ hostages. In the end he said they
we're determined to go to Archangel.
journey and the obstacles placed In
their way by the bolsheviks
zsMr. Francis told the committee
About the establishment OF the pro-
1isional government in the north,
ghere the allied influence prevailed.
He said that he was glad indeed to
Aee American soldiers in Archangel
efter ths experience that he and the
ye9t had had in getting there.
He said that while he was there he
American troops. although they were
under the command directly of Gen
Poole OF the British army. who COM
1nanded the allied forces. He said
the government at Washington that
this should be so. He testified That
during his stay there he had no dim
culties with either the British or the
Describing the coup d'etat by which
the government at ArchangeI was
temporarily kidnapped, he said that one
norning Gen. Poole met him and said
before.
II said" said Mr.. Francis, .the hel,
you say, who pulled 1t orr Gen. Poele
replied that Russian officer on his
staff. named Chaplain. had done it.
This ofi1cer was an anti-bolshevist and
had done good work in getting the
bolshevists out of ArchangIe. but now
he saw no further use of the proyis-
kond government, since the allied
forces were in command I said that
this was the greatest usurpation of
power l had ever seen. told him not
to circulate the proclamation of the
revolution which he still had
Yanks Ran the Street Cars.
Mr.. Francis said that ii. was largely
Through his insistence that the pro-
ayssional government had been brought
hack. which he said was a real repre-
sentative government He said that
apparently IL had been arranged to
make 1t look as though the Americans
were in back of this coup d-etat.
american soldiers were running the
street cars and were patroling the
streets.
Il called up the major in charge of
the battalion and asked him how il
happened that American soldiers were
running the street cars" said Mr..
Francis He replied that he had
sbeen called up and asked if any
scars. AS many Of them came from
Detroit. he said, about Sne-haIf of
them could operate the cars. For
thirty hours the American soldiers
were operating the cars in Arch
angel and not taking any fares while
American soldiers stood at the cross
~1ng5 and kept the crowd back"
Mr.. Francis told the committee that
1he had originally left Petrograd be-
cause he feared that the Germans
would take the city and that he
would be held as a hostage.
: o. A. Martusaine, who described
himself as a Russian peasant and al
present the ofhcial representative in
this country OF the Russian govern
ment of the north. told the commit
tee yesterday afternoon that the
SEnited States and the allies could aid
cHussia only by helping to crush the
bolsheYists- With Lenin and Trotsky
overthrown, he said. the masses Of
people now ruled by terror would