Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1920-10-17
BY OLIVER OWEN KUHN.

w IITHIN the next thirty days
NJ il pretty we'll will be de-
" termued whether or not
Lenin and Trotsky are to
remain in power in Russia. AT least
events are almost certain to prove
whether the great drive now being
carried on by Gen. Wrangel in the
Crimea and north of the Sea of AZov
is to be effective and whether the
bolshevists have power to crush this
worthy revolt against anarchy and Sc
dition.
Beginning October Is armistice
terms signed in Riga during the past
regime and Poland will become eff
fective The armistice is to last TWEEN
ty-one days unless forty-eight hours
notice be given of intention to break
the agreement entered into.
In the signing of the armistice the
bolshevik leaders have gained their
most cherished wish. The armiStce
and preliminary peace terms have
been designated by NJ. Joffe. head of
the bolshevik delegation, as peace
for neither victor nor vanQuished.
but temporarily it will At in with the
plans of Lenin and Trotsky to check
the growing menace brought to bear
by Cen wrange1. 1t give; Moscow
an opportunity to direct Its sole at
tention to the doughty leader of south
may be curbed. if he is not, indeed
utterly crushed before the power
of purported preponderent Russian
armies.
Ability Is Questioned.
The ability of the bolsheviks to de-
feat Ukraine and Wrangel at the
same time is seriously questioned, as
France has given Wrangel material
aid since it was decided to carry out
Francophile policies in Russia and
support Wrangel Ever since the
Polish-red warfare began to die down
after the tremendously successful
Polish counter drive along the eastern
front, the reds have been sending
troops to the south. They are In
position to strike almost Immediately
and with Poland no longer to be con-
sidered it is unquestioned that prac-
tically the full power of the boishe-
vik army will be mustered against
wrangel BY virtue of this and the
fact that Wrangel has had plenty of
time to augment his forces and pre-
pare for just such an offensive, the
test in all probability will be clear
cut from one viewpoint at least-bol-
shevik leaders will learn that they
can or cannot crush Wrangel. And
should they not do so Wrangefs pres
tige will grow by leaps and bounds to
the consequent disadvantage of LenIn
and Trotsky. IT on the other hand
the reds are able to deal swiftly with
wrangel and prove that his power
can have but little weight in the set
Element of preSent-day problems and
that he can never hope TO reSuscitate
Russia then the reds again may turn
their attention to other fields. BY
virtue of the trickery and deception
practiced by the Moscow government
in the past, il is TO be supposed that
If the terms signed at Riga are I'M
satisfactory, the reds then will try
to rectify them by military might.
Even though a so-called binding peace
treaty had been signed. this would
not prevent the bolsheviks from fol-
lowing whimS Of the moment 1t is
believed if they realize they cannot
be beaten by internal Russian mill
tary crises they certainty will strive
to rectify the Polish frontiers, which
are not wholly advantageous 10 Rus
STA. to say Ihs least lrasmuch as
large sections u white Russia are
surrendered Temporarily 20 the Poles
and bolshevik 5-5-szce in the Bal
kan states is CeEa-2yed-
Russ Armies Want Peace.
Advices received in all world CAPT.
tails indicate the lost power of Lenin
and Trotsky over their armies. The
ill-fed. badly clothed, poorly armed.
motley array of troops which the
largely through the necessity for
bread and clothes. has dispatched
several missions to Moscow to de-
mand peace. One of these was exc
cuted. but, nevertheless. the soldiers
are insistent, il is said. that wars
come TO an end and that there be
some semblance OF restorative proc
or