Evening star., 1921-03-17
Editorial Digest
Is Russia's Red Star Waning?


sia," says the Topeka Capital (republi-
CAM. lis branded with a question
mark" and this insignia, it might be
added, seems to be attached to most OF
the newspaper comment on the counter
revolution. While the virtually univer-
sal ill-wishes for Lenin and Trotsky
father certain amount of hopeful
further than to say, with the Buffalo
Commercial (democratic), ''soon or late,
ooishevism will fall" and these few arc
careful to avoid names and dates.
That the present revolt has the virtue
or being home grown product and not
imported from the foreign or war offices
OF the allies, the New York World (dem-
ocratic) is certain. The Russians are
lighting. it assures its readers. Ito re-
dress the wrongs they themselves have
endured at the hands of the bolshevk
minority, and to overturn the Moscow
dictatorship"
1t was the 'haYds-off'' policy. at last
Florida Times Union (democratic) be-
lieves. that has permitted things to
tester in Russia, and now the cure is
coming from within" That this cure
may be effective it must be uninterrupt-
ed. the New York Mail Independently
wisest policy for western nations now
to secure Russia from external attack
and to seek to strengthen the insurgent
enorts Of disorganized minority" for
this would soon end the paradox of a
nationalistic army keepiSg a communis-
tic government in power" 1t is. in
deed. mot only bad morals" says the
Syracuse PostStandard (republican),
but bad diplomacy for outsiders TO in
tervepe."
This time" the Cleveland Plain
Dealer independent lcmocratic) as
sures its readers. the Russians will be
handicapped by no untimely succor.
They invite the worlds friendly interest
and best wishes. and very little else,
for. it concludes, "it is an allRussian
job"
Left alone, the fate of the communis-
tic leaders depends entirely on this ma
tioDalistic' army. number Of writers
assert, but. as the Fort Wayne Journal
Gazette (democratic) remarks. lit is
we'll to remember that the red army
is the largest in Europe, the best
equipped and well officered": hence. if it
will hardly succeed" As long as the
military forces hold. the Baltimore News
independently agrees. "Lenin and Trot-
sky have nothing to fear However,
the Spokane Spokesman Review Gndc-
pendent republican, takes comforting
thought from the fact that ''mutiny in
the army and navy" was the factor that
the kerensky government" and it con-
fidently pictures the soviets drifting
upon the rocks by way of the same
channel.
Lack of a good leader is serious
drawback to the counter revolutionary
movement, in the opinion of the Sioux
City Journal independently. Kerensky s
first failure. it thinks, was due to the
fact that he used the gloved hand"
The man who rescues Russia from its
direful position" 1t concludes, must and
will be on the ground"
The Oklahoma City Oklahoman (dem-
ocratic) finds it especially interesting
to hear that kerensky is the moving
spirit Of the revolt, but laments that
the majority of Russians. while they are
against the red leaders, are not "organ-
ized and equipped and many Of them
do not appear to be inclined to fight
for their rights The Memphis Com
mercial Appeal (democratic) says:
"Kerensky is by no means the man to
lead this new revolution. because he has
been tried and found wanting. He is
possessed by neither the force nor the
ability to make a success of such a
tremendous endeavor, and even should
he triumph through chance or good for
tune it is more than doubtful that he
prosperity and contentment"
However the counter-revoluton
ends" comments the Nashville Banner
independently. it will likely bring
more horrors and bloodshed for the
Russian people. II 1t is put down by
Moscow it will be with an iron hand.
Besides those who die in battle hun
dreds will be executed" But. it con-
cludes. 1T is impossible that Lenin
and Trotsky can last" No matter
how long they last. the San Antonio
Express Independent democratic)
thinks. the world will wonder that
they could have endured.
The Portsmouth (Ohio) Times Gn-
dependent democratic) traces the re-
volt to the fact that the country is
not producing and the people, hav-
ing no incentive to create values for
themselves, are failing even to sus-
tain themselves" To the Wheeling
Intelligencer (republican) it is a po-
litical matter. THE people have come
to the realization that they have
changed one despotism for another"
and so they struck this blow for
freedom" as a natural result"
The Brooklyn Eagle independent
democratic) sees Lenin as "a con-
servative among the communists" and
as a result opposed by extremists all
around him" But he is a compro-
miser, too. and as this uprising Is a
revolt Of the Industrial workers,
'Tenin may save himself byscompro-
missing with them as he compromised
with the peasants" since there seems
to. be as much human nature, in Rus
sia as in other countries, II not more"