A MOVING APPEAL.

Auckland Star, Volume L, Issue 191, 13 August 1919, Page 7

A MOVING APPEAL.

NORTH RUSSIA'S PLIGHT. AXEIES ASKED TO KEMAIN. FEAR OF BOLSHEVIST MERCY." j (By Tabic.—iPress Association.—Convrlglit.i * ! (Kcceivcd 10.10 a.m.) LONIKIX. August 10 (delayed). Archangel advices state that a moving appeal has been issued to the western democracies by the President of the Zernstxos of Northern Russia against the withdrawal of the troops, thus leaving the population at the mercy of the Bolsheviks. The ap]val recalls the crimes ol" the Bolsheviks, their dispersal of the Constituent Assembly, and wholesale murders of those demonstrating in favour of the Assembly, the signing of the Brest Litovsk treaty, the dissolution of the workers" and peasants' organisations, their shooting of everybody who criticised them, nnd arrest and expulsion of nonBolshevik Socialists.

Despite this terrorism, however, the peasants in various parts of Russia rose to right for a Constituent Assembly. Now they heard that their allies were leaving Russia. This morai material blow would make tiie struggle against Bolshevism beyond their strength. They would not give up fight, but asked the nations to remember that help not only called forth gratitude, hut brought certain responsibilities to the helper. "Consider those thousands of executions of old men and women, those suffering from hunger, the absence of elementary justice and freedom which will undoubtedly result from the departure of the Allies." says the appeal. "We ask. we demand, that the western democracies think what this 'blow will mean. We appeal to those feelings of human justice which never can die in the hearts of free democracies."—i Renter. \

The Allied expedition to North Russm. • originally intended to prevent the use of j the ports ou the Munnan coast a = sub- i marine bases, subsequently protected the | Constitutional party which was strong in : that area from the "inroads of Bolshevism j It received aid from six or seven thou- | sand residents of Archangel, and from I the population of the Munnan coast, and these are terrified at the prospect of tho Allied withdrawal, believing that it will be the signal for a general" massacre all : along the coast. Mr. Churchill informed the House of Commons recently that i withdrawal was intended, and that it yould be carried out before the winter. Writing on the situation at Archangel on July 29, the "Times"' correspondent j stated that the position there was exceedingly serious. The troops were tired and unlit, while increased German intluence and the spread of Bolshevik views by a proportion of tiie inhabitants menaced a safe withdrawal. General Iron- ! side was compelled to combat an insidious propaganda amongst tiie troops, j ■which was preaching the doctrine that they had no business in Russia, as the ; war was over. Reinforcements were useless, as H was impossible to get troops I and stores up the shallow Dwina to the j advanced forces on the higher reaches, j strong forces could keep j Archangel open, and General Ironside ' was confident that lie would lie able to extricate all the forces and evacuate \ Korth Russia without further assistance, ! He could have done much more earlier in : the year if he had been better supported. Paying a tribute to General Ironside's ! ■tremendous energy and fine fight against i ■heavy odds, the correspondent said that no man ever contended against more con- j flicting issues. He was fighting enemies at Home as well as abroad, and was never ' given definite instructions- By official muddling sonvuvhere he was kept in ignorance of the movements of Admiral Kolchak, who. apparently as far back as May 17. had given up hopes of wintering at Archangel, and ordered the retirement of his right flnnk. Throughout the winter campaign General Ironside kept up the spirits of his sickly army and imbued them with his own spirit of "Never say die." He thus enabled them to inflict a lieavy upon the Bolsheviks. The Correspondent concludes with an interesting picture of Bolshevik existence. He says: "Life is by coupon, and everything is regulated, while all are compelled to work by an iron discipline that is unlikely to suit the free Anglo-Savon peoples." Speaking at a mooting of members of ■fhe House of Common-, at which General Brigs*, Chief of the Rriti-h Military Mission with General Denikin, gave details of Denikin"? achievements, with the

help of tiie British. Mr. Winston Churchill (Minister for Wan said that Donikin | "had th<» nucleus of a good army. They j might advance or they might be driven | back, but they would continue to fight while they lived. He reminded the meeting that General Denikin and Admiral | Kolchak from the first declared war on the Germans, and never swerved from the path of freedom and honour, which we I ourselves had been trciding since fiio war began. He could not forget what Russia did for us at the beginning of the war. | when Paris might have been taken if she I had not pushed on her armies. It was j most pathetic that in the peace celehr.-i- | tions the Russians could not take any part. Our policy was after all most moderate. It was to endeavour to give a mea=nre of support to General Penikin ■which did not involve the sending of troops. -