New Britain Herald Newspaper, May 10, 1919, Page 10

WO BOLSHEVISM SNARED “THE GREAT BEAR OF THE NORTH’ ONE of the greatest tragedies * " history has been the overthrow of Russia, the decline from the aigh med at the begin- . position she ass ning of the world war to the humili- ating and horrifying of ! the present moment. He who knows intimately of the events leading out from the time ex-Czar Nicl was ruthlessly compelled to abdicate until the revolutionaries under Trot- sky and Lenine assumed control of the government contributes valuable a2 to this momentous turn in the of “The Great Bear of the spectacle orth. The wri of the following art en “The influence of the revolt on the disintegration of the army and the development shevism in Russia” is Captain - antfler Tschekaloff, of the Russian srtillery, who served in the trenches from the beginning of the war until the time of the revolution. He ar- rived in America, coming by way of Archangel, and is rcuniicd at Jast - with his father, who came to Amer- ago and established himself on a New York farm. Interesting and nsational closures are herein made concerning the reaction te the revolution follow- ing the:decline of the former Czar’s gtar. The birth and development of Bolshevism is laid bare. One of the most striking revela ptain Tschekaloff's statement that Keren- gky might have 7 5 Bolshevisyn had he and his lieuten- ants trampled on the red flag at the psychologizal moment. This an important contri temporaneo and fall dis- docu chronicles democracy By Capt. Alexander Tschekaloff N THE beginr of Ma 1917, after the abdication of Emperor Nicholas II, the Russian army, whi at that time consisted of about 20,000 000 men, was reformed by the revolu- tionary groups then at the head of the government. These amounted to the following me First. The e tary chiefs were abolished. Second. The right of the chiefs to nflict disciplinary punishment-in of proved guilt was abrogated. There were instituted instead tribunals com posed of elected privates, who were to decds in each case on the punishment of the culprit. Third. The obligator: officers by the priv Fourth. Special reforms sures ting titles of mili- se saluting of was canceled. collegiate organs were established, such as committees of elected privates, who were trol their chiefs in matters j to serv; The activity of these com- mittees consisted later in taking upon themselvos the administration of miij. tary units, completely ignoring chiefs. ‘The members of the commit- tees were elected for a certain definite period, but they could be re- elected as soon as the activity of the committee did not please the majority. This point of revolutionary reforms broke the two fundamental military laws governing all the armies of the world.: The first, that the army iy being governed by the unipersonal will of the chief within the authority incumbent upon him; the second, that the control of the activity of the chief was to emanate from above. tes to con- ertaining the not Fifth. All military formations were abolished. The armies were to march in a crowd and not in units. 8ixth. The points of the law pun ishing the subordinates for insulting their chiefs were abolished, j Seventh. Capital punishment treason was abolished. Eighth. to smoke officers. Ninth. The soldiers were allowed (o sit in the presence of their officer: Tenth. The soldiers were allowed mot to cede their places to officers in tram and railway cars where they en- Joyed free transportation. Eleventh. Lastly, the army, which was reformed according to the above mentioned lines, was dubbed tionary.” for The soldiers were allowed in the presence of their “revolu- Beginning of Mob Rule 1t is not difficult to see that the re- forms enumerated were for the pur- pose of discrediting the authority of their. chiefs in the eyes of their sub- ordinates, stripping the commanders of all power conceded taem by law. Notwithstanding the nonexistence facto of military chiefs, the revolu- tionary authorities demanded the pres- ence. among the revolutiona of persons who only bore the titles of chiefs and who W exposed to most obnoxious derision and ius and the danger of being m Thus the Russian arm depriv guidance through the establis ‘he above mentioned reforms, g rmed into & mob of 20,000,000 farmed men. Such condition the ‘Russian army prevailed through the months of May and June, 1917, at the time when Minister of War Kerensky, of the above mentioned revolutionary reforms in the army, decided upon an advance in Galicia. Kerensky for this purpose rgde the front, exhorting the attack in the name oi the revolution. Kerensky could not fathom that armies had to be commanded and that troops which had to be exhorted to sdvance constituted no army. - t1r00; the ults ot originator he! soldiers to hich wil membered mn Rus: woops the name of slory of the of the gr at e Wwere (¢ follo prc movement artil oimnple the ma sia at mum s and aban- ionary attack, tndoned n dvanced tc out first one shot second Thus began the Reign of Terror . uillotine in the Russi the Bolsheviki there were other less humane instruments for the destruction of men entrenchments, enemy to be seen It secmed at this moment that the i revolutionary troops, com- manded by their committees, guided by the appeals and exhortation of Keren- sky, could advance and vanquish the power of German militarism. This hope, however, lasted only until an unusual and exceptional picture was unfolded before the eyes of the ob- servers. The revolutionary troops obeying their committees and chiefs, exhorting them to advance and occupy the neighboring villages, convoked a big meeting in the German entrench- ments they had occupied for the pur- of ascertaining if the majority to advance further or if they atisfied with the occupation of ed German tresches. Opine and the meeting did not end soldic fire Nowhere was the the conqu ions di reach discu rupte grouj 15 by the of app: developed tho revolutionary 1ich hastened to save them Panic apidly among started a umeiul o the revolutio in mos tion dering of quartermastcr’s cug tionary troops. that the Russian revolutionary transformed to mo! armed men, were to the Germar abandoned Tarnopol by the revolution- troops and tert panic yanied by lo peaceful accom ini Everybody saw clearly troops, s of millions of more dungerous s themselves than to the Under such conditions was e omewhat later R AflLe 1oV nentioned 1 the revolutionary is: Germans understood would hinder their limitless advz into Russia. However, apprehending the immensity of the Russian terri- wreat o2 forces. the that nothing tory wemanded nsiderable force of German troops of oceupation, the to arrest their pur- revolutionary their activity to centers of Rus- shape of detailing and to her )ntries of a cided Russian car 1 other sia. This took the to the in capital throu crowd of G of h neutral ¢ hose duty titute 21 prol Moreover, L forcef in Ru espe ich, by sor former mili the soldiers all chiefs 1d nts were, las wmed force in Petro- purpose of deposi overnment. which favored rermany zing for the s o and if there was no an cities, nevertheless in the hands of of such armed force could be observed in Petrograd as early as June, 1917. Drilling and exercising of unknown persons took place daily systematically on the outskirts of Petrograd. Those curious to find out what it all meant received eva about the formation of an army of workers or of a special revolutionary arm for the struggle against the ter-revolu- tion. Thus were forred, trained and armed ires of what was later called the Red Guard. which were to be the stay of the German dictator- ship in Russia answers cou the ¢ Plain German Propaganda An ensive agiwation place nong the peopic by Germarn agents ting that the was advanta- geous and indispensable only for the entatives of the it was in the 1 proletariat to as possible; they @ that the land helongs to the that the peasants alone rttul that it 1ould be t away from the gen- tlemen owners. 1t was 2lso asserted that the end of the war would give much bread to everybody. Everywhere could the declarations, “All power to the prole o Peace,” “Land to the Peasant. A considerable crowd of people began following these fons, calling themselves “Bol- Thus, Boishevism repre- ted in itself the idea of German prop; a and was the tool which Germany for the establishment Rus Bol- hevism rapidly, contaminating the ds of the Russian peo- ple by its enticing declarations. ook war capitalists and 1 . and that f the R end the war as pre screa peopie and were ils owner should belong tariat,” “Ha read.” declar: sheviks usc of hor dietotorship in pread K masses Being a witness of the Boishevist propagandz in Russia, a witness of Copyright 1919, by Public zer Co. the formation of a Bolshevik army in how the people were more and contaminated by lastly the rograd itself, observing masses of U miore Bolshevism, informed as to the per- head of the Kerensky's Bolshevist government did not undertake any measures for the struggle against it and for the t of its leaders. The revolution. ary el with Kerensky at their head, after annihilated the Russian their revolutionary reforms. could find no means to fight BB ViSm. The inactivity of the government continued 5, 1917, when the organized the Bolsheviki undertook their first armed movement in Petro- grad for the purpose of the vernment. As a jucky chance there at that time in Petrograd a few of troops into which Bolshevism N0t vet penetrated and which crushed on July 5 the Bolshevist armed movement. movement, arre having army by revolutionary July of untii seizing had The leaders of the Bolsheviks were arrested and, at that time, Kerensky's government had the opportunity of crushing and destroying the Bolshe- vik leaders. It is interesting to note that almost all the arrested leaders of the Bolsheviks were Jews who had adopted Russian pseudonyms, prob- ably for the purpose of masking their identity and facilitating their activity. As shown by revelations, which took place later, the majority of the arvested persons were found to be German agents receiving considerable subsidies from Germany. Considering the activity of Kerensky's govern- ment, it is necessary to mark the pro- found indignation of the intelligent and well-meaning circles of Russia at the refusal of the government to pass judgment on the arrested leaders of the Bolshevils. The government of Kerensky, on the contrary, lifted their arrest, leav- ing them full liberty for further prop- aganda of Bolshevism throughout the country. The following occurrence is o less revolting and consisted in rep- resentatives of Bolshevism entering into the composition of Kerensky's government, the same who had been ed during the crushing of the evist armed movement. Bolshe having been crushed in the of Petrograd on July 35, could gloat over its victory when it entered inio the composition of the governigg streets groups. Kerensky’s Opportunity The sovernment of of which was osed of Bolshevists, cognizant of the annihilation of Rus- sian military power, was occupied ex- clusively in fomenting the struggles of revolutionary parties. The occupation of Riga by the Germans, as well as of the Aland Islands and their descents in Finland, their approach to Pskoft, the panicky flight of the Rus- sian revolutionary troops and, lastly, the threatening of Petrograd itself were facts which made Kerensky's government remember that the war with Germany was still going on and that at the head of the most important national problems loomed the military problem. For the solution of the latter, i e, how to save and arrest the fleeing Russian troops, there was convoked on August 26, 1917, the so-called “All- Russian Assembly” in Moscow of rep- Kerensky, half resentatives from all revolutionery par including the Bolshevist. Gen- eral Korniloff, the then in-chief of the Russian arm as other military authorities, pressed their opinion at this assembly in regard to the measures to be taken which could save the Russian arms. In general these measures amounted to the abolition of all the revolutionary reforms established by the Kerensky government during the first two months of the revolution. Kerensky indicated at this assembly that he would not stand for any coun- ter-revolution, neither from the Right nor the Left party. It is evident that these words of the then head of the Russian Government were the answer to the commander-in-chief of the army and’ the military authorities. Their measures for the saving of the Russian army were considered a ‘counter-rev- olution” by Kerensky, a “counter-vevo- lution from the right” The All-Rus- sian Assembly in Moscow, which at- tained no results, showed the indis- commander- , as well ex- putable fact that the Russian army could not be reborn so long as there would be a revolutionary government and long revolutionary ideas would dominate in Russia. The Russian officers, recoznizing this fact, also many representatives of the Russian intelligence with Gen- erals Alexieff, Korniloff and others at their head, refused to recognize the revolutionary government, organizing from their midst a special officers’ armed unit counting in the beginning 5000 men. The point of rally of Gen- eral Alexeieff’s army was in the vicin- ity of the city of Novocherkask, in the Don district. 'This army was obliged later to meet stronger forces, and not a few of Russia’s best sons found their death among the ranks of this arn Lacking in regular sup- ply of military equipment, ammuni- tion, technical means of warfare and, lastly, provisions, this army was often under great stress. Nevertheless, the spiritual advantage belonged to this small handful of the best Russian so as men. giving them strength and energy to come out victors from the unequal struggle. In a later time this army moved to Siberia for the purpose of joining the Russian and Allied forc operating there against the Bols vists One month tioned All-Rus: Assembly, rumors pegan to circulate tenaciously in Pet. rograd about the intended armed seiz ure of the governmental power by the Bolshevists. At the same time news of the revolutionary forces from the front were of the worst. The .Ger. after ian the above-men mans were under Helsingfors, in Fin- land, before Pskoff on the northern front and before Kieff in the south. The fall of these cities was expected from day to day. Kerensky's govern- ment, recognizing, probably, all its weakness in the conduct of war as well as in the crushing of the in- creasing Bolshevist movement, did not have the courage to own up to it. Last- ly, in the last days of October the Bol- shevist “Red Guard,” fully equipped at that time with arms, trained by Ger- man instructors, arrested the ma- jority of the members of Kerensky’s government, took possession of all the pbanks and government institutions in Petrograd. The coup d’etat took place and the Bolsheviki usurped the goverrmental power. Kerensky succeeded in fleeing from Petrograd, thus avoiding arrest, but his words pronounced at the All- Russian Assembly, that he would not stand any counter-revolution from the Bolsheviki, were not realized. Germany’s plans, with this coup d’etat of the Bolsheviki, were thus realized, and, placing at the helm of Russia a government composed of Cerman agents, with Lenine and Trotsky at its head, Germany could do anything it pleased in Russia. The first move of the Germans was the signing of the Brest-Litovsk peace agreement, which gave them the pos- sibility of sending considerable forces from the Russian front to the western. After this there was sent to Moscow the German ambassador, Count Mir- bach, to observe the activity of Ger- man agenty in Russia. There began the export from Russia of all that was lacking in Germany. Arms and equip- ment of the former Russian army, an enormous number of guns and ex- plosives, cereals and provisions, coal and oil products—all this was shipped to Germany. The Reign of Terror And Russia, depleted of her armed strength, suffering under the lack ot food, condemned by the entire world, was then living through the most dif- ficult period of her history. Each Rus- sian who did not share the viewpoints of the Bolsheviki subjected to the most noxious insults and to rob- bery at the hands of the epresenta- tives of the Bolshevik government. But this was only the beginning of the Bolshevik regime. Later, in 1918, there started the Bolshevik terror. Arrests and capital punishments in masses be- gan, and if there was Lo guillotine on the places of Russian cities, neverthe- less in the hands of the Bolsheviki there were other less humane instru- ments for the destruction of men Remembering that time, there arises in the heart the desire of cursing this revolution, all the utopian revolution- ary ideas which plunged Russia into such a shame, such unfathomable hor- ror, which destroyed Russia’s military power and allowed the Germans to inflict their dictatorship on Russia. At present, when the inconsistency and criminality of the revolutionary ideas in Russia have been recognized by all, and especially in view of the fail of Germany, Russia may expect an end to her sufferings. May the revolu- tionaries remember to what are lead- ing experiments in socialism and the great ideas of liberty, equairy and fraternity. was When Will the Next Ice Age Come? another Ice Aze— Sn\v,L we have a new Glacial och—and when will it arrive? The period m: answer is that such a shivery Though conceiv- y arrive at any time. unlikely, it able that fifty years from now the whole United States might be covered by a sheet of ice many feet thick, un- melted by the hottes There have certainly been and perhaps many ages of ice in the history of the planet on which we dwell, covering vast areas with glacial sheets. Such epochs extended over nobody knows how many thousands of years, and were Succeeded by periods of warmth. The fact has been fully established that the cold periods cevered the en- tire earth; likewise the warm periods, That is to say, it was colder every- where at the same time, or warmer everywhere—not merely over limited areas. The reason why offers one of the most puzzling problems that science has endeavored to tackle. Has tho sun’s heat waxed 1ed at in- tervals, thus causing great climatic changes on the earth? This is a theory long ago offered, but it does not gain acceptance today. A theory deemed much more plausi. most is entirely long ble is that which attributes the ice ages to volcanoes—a juxtaposition of things that seems very odd, but which is easily explained. In 17 the canic catastrophe of wh record. The mount ayama, on the main blew up. For year itest vol- history ha ins called Assam- land of Japan, afterward the all over the earth was with the dust it threw to a height of at least fifty miles. Benjamin Ira ribing the phenomenon, . wrote: Chere was a fog all over Burope and North Amer- ica. It of a permanent nature and dry. Rays of the sun passing through it were so faint that when collected in the focus of a burning- glass they would scarcely kindle paper.” occurred on was It was a cold summer and the win- ter that followed (1783-84) was severe. The next two years were likewise very cold. Why? Because the volcanic dust clouds, floating high in the atmos- phere, interrupted the sun’s rays and prevented them to some extent from reaching the earth, ‘When, in 1815, Mount Tomboro, east of Java, exploded, the catastrophe was followed by three years of cold all over the world. Fifty-six thousand people were killed and there were three days of darkness to a distance of 300 miles. We had then the famous “year with- out a summer,” when there was snow in ever; In 1883 Krakatoa, a mountainous island in the strait «f Sunda (between Java and Sumatra), blew itself to pieces, the disaster being one of the greatest in all volcanic history, and for three years temperatures were much below normal in Europe and America. A cold year followed the explosion of Pelee, on the island of Martinique, in 1902; and we had a twelvemonth of low temperature after the great out- burst of Mount Katmai, on the Alas- kan Peninsula, in 1912, It doesn’t really matter where the voleano that produces the dust is lo- cated. The material is so light that it may take two or three years to settle to the earth, and very soon it is distributed by the winds through the atmosphere of the entire globe, So serious is the interruption of the sun’s rays by a cause of this kind and so great the diminution of the amount of heat delivered upon the earth that any long-continued series of volcanic outbursts of first-class importance might radically alter our climate—quite possibly, if they kept on long enough, introducing us to & new Age of Ice,