The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1935-05-18

BY H. r. KNICKERBOCKER
Copyright. 1885. by International
News Servlce)
REVAL, ESthonia, May 10 q.
N.S0.-Shrieking like the signal
of a jailbreak in an American
penitentiary, the great siren atop
the dome on Government Hill in
Reval squawls alarm. Instantly
throughout the city dozen other
sirens take up the scream.
At the same moment in the bed
room Of every minister, govern
ment official, police and defense
corps officer throughout Reval
electric bells set up chorus OF
ear-splitting clangS.
Out into the street dash men,
some from their fire7sides, some
from their beds, some in evening
clothes, some buttoning their
clothing. Each carries in his hand
a giant firecracker, and soon the
winding thoroughfares of the old
city reverberate with detonations.
Has Reval gone crazy? Is this
D combination of Halloween and
an American Fourth of July?
It's "Red Alarm"
Not at all. This is an old Baltic
custom. It is the Communist
alarm. It means Everybody out
to fight the Reds"
On shipboard they hold fire
drill, collision drill. In the Baltic
they hold Red putsch drill.
Ordinary states have to help
their citizens protect themselves
against crime, fire, war. So they
have police departments and
burglar alarms, and war depart
ments and war alarms. In the
Battles they have counter-Com
muniSt departments and Com.
nnunist alarms. One push of a
button mobilizes the whole re-
sources of the nation to defend
itself against attempts at insur-
rection.
The alarm system is peculiarly
Esthonia'S. This little state has
worked out it's counter Communist
system of defense perhaps more
carefully than the others be-
cause Esthonia has had one vely
bad scare. Many Americans may
have forgotten that in December,
1924, a little force of around 200
Communists came very near TAX
ing power in Esthonia, and that
would have changed the whole
course of European history.
Carefully Planned
The putsch was carefully
planned. A few picked men just
before dawn were to surprise and
seize the strategic points in the
city, particularly the telegraph
and radio stations, as the work.
men came to work in the morn
ing they were to be armed, and
were expected to join the uprlS-
ing. Meanwhile the Socialist Sow
let Republic of Esthonia would be
proclaimed by radio, and an ur-
gent appeal sent to the Soviet
Union to help the government
against the counter reVolutionA-
Ties.
At that time Trotzky was in the
saddle in Moscow and world revo-
luton was a primary aim of the
Soviet Union. Just over the Es-
thonian border waited the Red
Army. AS soon as it became evil
dent that the Reval Reds could
hold out until the Red army
reached the city it was to march.
It never marched. The Estho-
MAN workmen had not been suf-
ficiently prepared. They merely
gaped when they were handed
arms. Army and police over
powered the tiny corps of pro-
fessionals Reds, and the Battles
were saved.
But it gave all this section of
Europe a profound fright. Today
Stain is in power in the Soviet
Union and his policy, the direct
opposite of Trotzky's, is to build
Socialism in Russia first and let
the world revolution take care of
itself. Nevertheless the Battles
are taking no chances.
Huge Force Ready
Over a quarter of a million
men stand ready today in Finn
land, Esthonia, Latvia, and Lithu-
ania to answer the Communist
alarm with guns in their hands.
Finlands defense corps has no..
900 men, four times as many as
the Regular Army, nearly as many
as the entire American Regular
Army.
They have adequate equipment
for infantry, machine-gun, cavalry,
artillery and signal corps regi.
ments. In fact they have all the
arms except an air force and
tanks. The Finnish corps costs
around 100000 a year. large
sum for Finland, contributed about
60 per cent by the state and 40
per cent by private sources.
It is significant that 81 per cent
of the defense corps soldiers are
peasants and fishermen, about 80
per cent are from the middle
classes and not more than 20 per
cent are workmen Membership is
voluntary. They drill a minimum
of "a hours a month and have a
seven-day camp in summer and
another in winter.
Esthonia's defense corps num-
hers $4,000. It specializes in
sharpshooting, and every year