The Clio messenger. (Clio, Mich.) 1907-current, 1920-09-02


government Of a small minority rule,
that 1t was built on force, that the
rule of might prevailed, that violence
was the law, that a dictator was the
prophet, turned to the thought that
the soviet government was the begin
ming of the "New Order" for which
they themselves had been looking and
working. They suspected that the al
lied governments were doing the bid
| ding of the capitalist class, which
| they knew had far too important a
voice In government affairs. and were
trying to hinder and obstruct the So
Wet government, trying to prevent Its
succeeding, In the fear that its sue
cess would bring the New Order" to
the rest of the world and destroy the
special privilege class. This thought
gave them an interest In the success
of the bolshevik experiment, a SYM
pathy for soviet success.
Pretended saviors arose In Russia,
Denikine, Kolchak, Petlura and fu-
denich. These men were heralded to
the world as patriots, leaders seeking
to deliver the Russians from the yoke
of violence and autocracy fastened on
the people by Lenine and Trotzky.
The allied governments did not Off
cially favor these counter-revolution-
airy movements in Russia. but rumors
were allowed TO go unchallenged, sug-
costing that the allied governments
were furnishing arms and money to
these uprisings in Russia not having
openly INTERVIEWED. the Russian prob
lem belonged to the Russian people.
The phrase INSTRUMENTATION" had
been driven into the minds Of the
world. Here was violation Of the
fundamental meaning Of national
freedom, world liberty. The Allies
gave their open sympathy-at least,
when II was printed they did not Off
cially deny ito every uprising In
Russia, regardless of the character
of the leader and the purposes Of the
movement. Then came stories that
some of these "white hopes" were
brigands. adventures, reactionaries.
The people reasoned that the only
ground for unofficial interference ex-
pressed in favoring these revolution
lists with the moral support of the
Allies was that they were against
the bolsheviks. Being against the boil
sheviks did not amount to good and
sufficient reason in the minds of the
people. 1t must be remembered that
the general public looked upon boil
shevism as the "New Order" and its
enemies as the social "standpatters"
of the world.
KoIchak Called Reactionary.
Gradually the public was enlight-
ened by the press, and Admiral Kol-
chalk was pictured as reactionaTy.
1t was pointed out that he was sur
rounded and supported by the favor
ties of the old regime that his plan
was to re-establish the rule OF the no
bility. Later reports showed that his
leaders we're the Cossack generals,
Semenoff,' Kalminkoff and Rozonoff.
The world knew something about
these Cossack generals. They were
said to have been part of the cars
paid terrorists; now that the car was
dead and they were no longer on his
pay roll they had become lawless mer-
cenaries. and had seized upon the
movement of counter-revolution In ST.
IBERIA to loot and pillage the people
From the best information have been
able to get, coming from American
soldiers, part of our expedtionary
forces In Siberia, l have learned that
while the Russians in Siberia are OPP
posed to bolshevik violence and soviet
rule, they are more opposed to the
coming into power of a government
headed by these hated Cossack gen.
erals. The British government open
ly recognized and aided Kolchak; pri-
vately and secretly Lloyd George adj
mitted that Kolchak was a reaction
airy. On January 16, 1919, at q con-
ference of the allied leaders in Paris,
the official minutes of the conversa-
lions held report Lloyd George as hav-
ing said:
Moreover, from information re-
ceived it would appear that Kolchak
had been collecting members of the
old regime around him, and would
seem to be at heart a monarchist. 1t
appeared that the Czecho-Slovaks
were finding this out The sympathies
of the Czecho-Slovaks are very demo
cratic, and they are not at all pre-
pared to fight for the restoration Of
the old conditions In Russia"
It was the duty of the allied govern
ments to keep the people informed
concerning affairs i'm Russia. The press
of the world is civilized human and
patriotic, and would have respond
ed to all reasonable requests made
to give the truth to the people. The
intelligence departments Of the vari-
Gus allied governments had in their
possession the truth; they allowed It
to spoil, while misleading. disappoint-
inc raports worn allowed IN circulofa