The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1927-12-06

lished in French what kind of persons
these Bolsheviki are. At the same
time they are more or. less well in
formed about the action taken by the
revolutionary minority in France.
Soldiers returning from furlough and
above all the lately recruited troops
sent as reinforcements, took with
them "The Wave" issued by Brison, a
fighting newspaper" of the socialist
minority which appeared weekly and
every single number of which often
passed through hundreds of hands.
The socialist interventions in the
Chamber on December 29th and 30th
1918 (Alexandre Blanc, Cachin,
Brison), and chiefly that on March
Oath 1919 (Lafont, Cachin, Mayeras)
and in June 1919 (Cachin, Lafont)
reused powerful response. Almost
all the soldiers of the army in the
Orient belonged to regiments which
had been recalled from the French
front because of their "evil spirit"
Thanks to the afflux of reserves the
sailors were extremely irritated
against their incapable and absurdly
l'eactionary officers. At first they
found the Bolsheviki sympathetic,
then they became their friends. Dis
cussions were held everywhere on
Bolshevism and on revolution.
The General Staff made every eff
fort to maintain the morale" among
the troops. They spread the most
fantastical stories about the Boil
sheyiki, stories about children who
had been eaten up, prisoners who had
been cut to pieces, etc. They were re-
ceived with mockery. The General
Staff went further; propagandists
were shot and hanged. Jeanne La
bourbe and ten other comrades, five
Of them women, were murdered by
French officers in the night of
March 1st. This cruel deed taught
caution, but action developed more
and more.
The French "police" fortunes pris-
oners, for instance Lastochin, Presi-
dent of the Party Committee of the
Bolsheviki, Satjai; Real-Admiral
Legacy bombards Cherson and slaugh-
tiers more than 100 women and chill
dren. These events increase the
Indignation which prevails. 1t was
frequent occurrence in Odessa that
French soldiers tore off their medals
and threw them to the ground in a
fury when they witnessed Russian
workers being taken to prison.
AT the beginning Of February, the
disintegration Of the army reached a
serious degree, towards the end OF
March it had developed so far that
even non-eommissioned officers were
infected with it. Some Of them, chiefly
those in charge of training soldiers,
sympathize with the Russian revolu-
ton, others are full of indignation
against the government which they
hold responsible for the disintegration
in the army. A single example: Cot
tins attempt on Clemenceau's life
was greeted with passionate enthu-
siasm by the soldiers and sailors.
In this way, hatred of warfare and
the luminous example Of the Russian
revolution disintegrated victorious
army in few weeks.
Facts.
In February, the territory of nc
Ukraine under occupation extended
from Tiraspol on the Dniester to tFt
Black Sea, that is to the territory oil
Chcrson and NiGolaiev. The front
forms appro' imately curve the
centre of which is Odessa. The
whole of the Crimea is occupied; the
troops are composed of French
Greeks, Poles, Serbs and volunteers
In Sebastopo there is an English
division. Bertelot, the General in
command, has his quarters in
Bucharest and is endeavoring to eff
feet a general mobilization of Rou-
mania General d'Anselme holds the
command in Odessa.