Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1922-04-08
ireland continues4 to be the "most distressful
s~EMENoFF's ARREST.

For a man who but recently functioned as ,dicta-
tor IN a territory comprising a large share of north
ern ASA to be arrested in New York OF a charge Of
robbery is one of those dramatic changes of fortune
50 strange. and yet SO natural as outgrowths of a
war which disturbed human relations everywhere
and which removed entirely, in certain cases, re.
stra'nts and inl'ibitions which civilization has bull
up. Z. A8
General Gifcgoorie sennenoff Vas. the military
leader in, charge Of the forces iii Siberia which. to.
ward %theselosc Of the main,war BY the signing of the
arlnistice, opposed sthe assertion OF Bols!1evist. SUI
premacy. and soughfthe establishment Of a Siberian
state under CONDITIONS Approximately in accord With
the civilization OF the world at largcss
The conditions in Siberia we're complicated. "a
small detachment ofsAmerican troops had been sent
to guard military stores and railway supplies which
had been destined for the use of the Russian govern
ment i'll, the war ahd for aid in the repair of the trans
Siberian railroad. The collapse Of the czarist gov
eminent and later of the kerensky. regime, and The
elevation ofshe Soviet organizations TO a position of
power had thrown everything into confusion. No
where throughout what had been the Russian en-
pre- was there anything which represented organiz-
ed and responsible government: Here and there
ment Of separate states independent IF the Bplshe-
v'sm which had seized Russia proper. 1t was one of
these movements which Semenof headed.
Japan, acting as one Of the Allies, and under
color-ot a declared purpose to stem the rising tide
Iof Bolshevism and to prevent valuable stores from
falling into the hands, first Of the Bolsheyists. and
then OF the Germans, who were using the Bolshe-
visit movement for their own purposes, sent a large
force to Siberia. Her explanations were plausible,
Dut her action caused anxiety, for just in the back
ground was the strong suspicion that Japan, arnbi-
ftious and resourceful, might anchor herself so firm
" IN Siberia that it would be difficult to dislodee
her, and neither. the United States nor her European
associates in the war looked with favor on the de-
velop'nent OF Japan into a great Asiatic continental
power There was friction between Japanese sol
I0lerS and American soldiers and some -poscouee for
the adjustment Of which diplomatic conversations
Were necessary? Semel1off's forces contained unrulv
groups which had apparently chosen his side as the
ono which gave the best promise Of loot. = There
were vague rumors that Senaenof, ostensibly work
ing tor the establishment Of a Siberian republic, was
really IN thesnlploy Of Japan. and thathis activities
were really directed toward preparing the way for
permanent Japanese occupation.
These were some Of the confused conditions
which existed in Siberia toward the close Of the
war and Immediately following it. American officers
are reported to have denounced the Cossack general
as a bandit. If they have made this charge, their
standing entities it to respectful attention. There is
FEASIBILITY. however, in the frank statement made
by Sernenof that everything was confusion and
that everybody stole from everybody else I'm
d%oubtedly many Of Sencnof's men were quite as
lawless as those on the other side, and it could
scarcely have been. possible for him to, control or
even to be informed Of all their acts. vt is quite
conceivable that i'll the general footing which pre-
vailed. stores belonging to an American company
may have been taken by some OF ;Se,nenoff's men.
without the knowledge or consent Of Semenoff him
self.