Evening Republican, Volume 21, Number 186, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 23 August 1917 — RUSSIAN NEWS ALARMSALLIES [ARTICLE]

RUSSIAN NEWS ALARMSALLIES

SEVERE REVERSES ON EASTERN FRONT MUST BE EXPECTED BY THE ALLIES. Grave concern is manifested at Washington over the Russian situation. News of a very depressing nature has been received in the last twenty-four hours. Just what the dispatches say has not been made public. Whether it is a serious political situation or military losses, or both, is not given out. Dispatches this morning indicate that the Germans are about to begin a powerful drive on the eastern front near the important port of Riga, on the Baltic. They are also attacking the Russian lines to the southeast in the vicinity of Dvinsk and further south near Brody and Tamopol in northern East Galacia. In three weeks of fighting Russia is absolutely helpless to arrest the enemy’s advance, having lost, through the disorganization amounting to mutiny, on the Galacian front practically all her guns and supplies. This condition accounts for the activities on the other front, but it is evident that Russia must have help at once or she is in danger of being overrun by Germany. One authority, in a position to know the situation, said: “Russia has stated her case to her associates in the war. She is in imminent danger of being over-run by the enemy. She has demanded dependable assurances, amounting to guarantees, that materials and provisions shall be furnished her immediately, adequately and continuously. There is not the least suggestion of golitics, internal or international, in ussia’s demand. She cannot fight effectively without supplies, and unless she is furnished them she will not be able to continue in the war, no matter how desirous she is of not accepting absolute defeat. “It was partly in response to Rus* sia’s representations that the AngloFrench armies and the Italian troops have been pushed forward in desperate fighting, reckless in a sense. It had not been planned to launch these offensives so soon, but the Russian situation made it absolutely imperative that the strength of the western allies should be thrown into the situation actively to relieve the ' tremendous pressure upon Russia.” An important meeting was held for the purpose, it is believed, of considering the Russian situation with a view of arranging priority of shipments and tonnage for the transportation of certain materials and provisions to Russia. Among those at' the conference were Lord Northcliffe, head of the British purchasing mission in America; Colville Barclay, counsellor of

the British, embassy, charge d’affaires in the absence of Ambassador Spring-Rice; Count Di Cellere, the Italian ambassador, and Andre Tardiem, head of the special French mission in the United States. The Russian authorities are understood to have revealed to the allies and America their feeling at the alleged neglect with which Russia has been treated, especially at the long delay met with by her in obtaining aid from the United States, where she is looking principally for assistance. X J Xl. X It has even been Intimated that Russia attributes in part to this neglect her.iinisfortunes in the field and her present state of comparative helplessness. ..... “The case,” an official said, ‘‘is this: Russia has nothing left with which to continue the war. The allies, and that means America, must give her materials and provisions at once or the allies will bring upon themselves what they have feared for months, the withdrawal of Russia from the war. Russia cannot fight with bare hands and empty stomachs. ,> There is'reason to believe that one of the causes making for delay in affording Russia the assistance she has desired has been the fear on the part of the allied powers that the provisional government in Russia might not be as secure as they would desire, and that there was a possibility that the Socialist element would secure control of the administration and, despite the known desires of the people and of the army, effect a separate peace with the Central Empires. . A person conversant with the situation .remarked today that the allies by withholding their help from Russia have contributed to the weakness of the provisional government, but that the latter, despite the many promises but lack of genuine aid from the allies, had been sufficiently strong to maintain its authority and to increase thus far.