Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1920-10-03
RED LEADERS FACE
CRITICAL PERIOD
Should Lenin and Trotsky Emerge Sue
cessful, Then Whole Eastern World
May Be Disemboweled

power of Moscow. But from the prog
ress that is being made at Riga. where
Polish and Russian delegates are dis
cuSsing the armistice and peace sit
uation, come few signs that agree
mentS will be reached before Tues
day. On the other hand there are
increasing signs of unrest on the part
of the reds because of the Poles con-
tinued advance toward wilma. they
already having captured strategical
points at Grodno and Ida. That the
Riga parley will eventuate in nothing
tangible is the belief felt in some
diplomatic quarters, in which case the
Poles and the reds will usher in their
period of winter warfare. Trotsky at
tempting to carry out his threat and
the Poles, following French advice and
policy, striving to undermine the red
leaders of Moscow by continued in
cursion. possibly to line far within
White Russia.
Continued success for Gen. Wrangel
he having captured Karkhov. means
eventual union of the Wrangel and
Ukrainian forces. and if such si:-
| uation should eventuate. the over
whelming force and influence of the
junction will have far-reaching eff
feet on the tenure of Moscow leaders.
and particularly so should the Poles
continue their sweeping success.
Poles Pressing On.
win per1lS on the south, south
west and on the Polish frontier line
the bolsheviks are able to concentrate
/ at no point to advantage unless con-
! centration be on the Polish front, and
| If this concentration has been effect
| ed in anticipation of the reds threat
| ened drive this week. it is having but
| little effect inaSmuch as the Poles are
| pushing the bolsheviks before them
all along the line
Should the bolshevik leaders wealth
| er internal Russian storms. check the
i Poles, and beat Wrangel, the bolshe-
| intensive propaganda work among
! the peoples of the east, Lenin and
Trotsky undoubtedly hoping to use
| the orientals as their last weapon in
a mad struggle against European ma
tions. In Baku, Azerbaidjan, but re-
Gently conference was held between
/ delegates of practically all oriental
| and near eastern peoples. in which
Bella Kuhn. Karl Radek. Enver Pasha
and M. Zinoviev were the leaders.
No effort was made to conceal the
| fact that the bolsheviks yet look to a
| great conflagration against organized
| authority over the whole of the Mos
lem world. and among the peoples
| steadfast to other religions. All are
| being organized in anticipation of the
! sweeping moves on Europe. True. il
is, bolshevik promises of support have
| been more or less discredited in Eu-
rope because of he known position of
Lenin and Trotsky. but that they are
| all powerful is. Al idea that easily
| can be implanted in the minds of the
through pretexts Of loot or play upon
| religious prejudice. might be willing
tools in the hands of the unscrupu-
lous gang which presides in Mos
COW.
Distfnct Peril Seen.
Such a movement properly engi-
neered from Moscow would be a distinct
foreign offices of European capitals
realize. Whether the attempt of the
reds would succeed depends largely
upon the loyalty of the greater pro-
portion of the peoples of the east to
the present system of things and the
organizing ability of the bolshevik
leaders. That the Baku meeting was
| preliminary to far-reaching organi-
zation, is indicated by the fervent ap
peals made to the delegates to spread
bolshevik gospels broadcast. The boil
sheviks undoubtedly will have some
difficulty in organizing properly the
peoples of the east, but were they
to succeed they would compose such
a terrible force that even the boil
shevik leaders could not control them.
| gButoif, these now sleeping oriental
peoples merely overthrow existing au-
thority, not admittedly largely Eu-
ropean, and left only ashes of peace
and prosperity in the ruins of their
anarchy. then Lenin and Trotsky
would consider they had established
a real democracy. For they know
no other.
Though the idea of eastern peoples
| forming a co-ordinated massive army
| to move On Europe may be discounted
| to a degree, it nevertheless is a fact
nations bordering upon regions oc-
cupied by the followers of Moslem
and Buddha are in dread lest a holy
war be proclaimed and that this up
rising, supported by Russia, might
accomplish the overrunning of a vast
section of the continent.
! The greatest danger of arousing
the east lies in what the peoples of
the east will do to themselves and the
centuries-old work in intoxicating in
them spirit of progress. This would
be left a grim corpse. Russia itself
! so teStifles.