The Dominion. TUESDAY, APRIL 10, 1917. THE RUSSIAN OUTLOOK

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3049, 10 April 1917, Page 4

The Dominion. TUESDAY, APRIL 10, 1917. THE RUSSIAN OUTLOOK

No one can. have followed'. the recent course of events in Russia without anxiety. Only scraps of news havegL'cachcd us since the revolution, ancl these have been in some instances contyadictory, in others indefinite, and leaving much to theimagination. The part expected of, Russia in the • war is a great one, though not so great as many in the earlier days of the war believed. Then the tendency was to conjure up' vast armies. gathered .from the huge population of Russia which were to play the part of the steam roller and crush by sheer weight of numbers the forces opposed to them, rolling steadily forward and onward to Berlin and victory. To-day the part allotted to our Eastern Ally is a less ambitious one. We are now content to hopo that. Russia will .be able to exert sufficient pressnire on the Eastern-front to prevent our enemies detaching any'of their forces for service on other fronts. Wo may hope in addition that men arid munitions may be available to assist the Rumanians to clear their country of the invaders; and still later on we may. look for a big oft'qn'live. For the moment, _ however, there must be some anxiety as to whether our Allies arc in a position to hold their own. Unfortunately we have nothing definite to guide us on this point, flow far fhe disturbed conditions'arisipg _ out of the war have interfered with transport and the supply of munitions, a,nd to what extent the. army commanders have been hampered by the changes which have taken place, can only be guessed at, and that in the vaguest possible manner. But while it must be recognised that the immediate effect of . the revolution may have been prejudicial and may lead to temporary disadvantages in the prosecution of the war, it seems reasonably clear that these disadvantages . are likely to prove of a. passing nature. The little news that has reached us has made it plain that the Provisional Government is having a (Jifficult time.. It is hampered and obstructed in the performance of its duties by tho overbearing attitude and the constant interference of the Councilof Workmen and Soldiers appointed at the time of the revolution to work with and assist the Duma Executive Committee. The Council of Workmen and Soldiers is an unwieldy body, hastily appointed,'•and representative of only a very small section of the workmen and soldiors, of' the Empire. From what can bo gathered, it is almost if not entirely representative only of the workmen and garrison of Potrograd.- Its claim to speak and act for. the Empire is quite unjustified, and its disbandment would .greatly relieve the tension of the situation if this could be managed peaceably. The cliffa- 1 culty will be to induce it to abandon tho powers it has arrogated to itself, and until that is accomplished it will continue to be a source of danger. A cable message to-day states that the First Army, the Black Sea Fleet, and the Sebastopol garrison havo presented a resolution to the Duma protesting against the interference - of the Council of Workmen and Soldiers, and probably this will be followed by other similar protests, and may lead to'fhe ireoing of the Duma Executive Committee from what must be an intolerable restraint militating against its efforts to restore internal order and ensure increased efficiency in the prosecution of the war. The strongest ground for confidence in our Ally's determination and ability to carry on the struggle to a successful issue is to be found in the spirit of tho Russian people to- ' wards the war. There is acimdant evidence to show that not tho least of tho reasons which led to the revolution was the bitterness of feeling engendered by, tho,. widespread belief

amongst the people that Russia was being crippled in tho prosecution of tho war and her soldiers sacrificed by the-treachery ancl indifference of her political leaders. The enthusiasm of the people for the success of Russia in-trie struggle with Germany and Austria had been' dampened and ghilled by the repeated" disclosures'of flagrant dishonesty and shameful treachery in high places. The people hoped against hope that the Tsar would rid himself of His ovil advisers and take as his counsellors and Ministers men associated with the progressive fiovement and above suspicion of corrupt motives. Me. Hamilton Fife, the Petrograd correspondent of the Daily Mail, in a surprisingly outspoken and strangely propnetic survey of the situation, written prior to the revolution, remarked:

All honourable and patriotic Russians are hoping and praying that the Tsar will .throw his weight strongly against the clique which has betrayed his and the country's interests. He can count upon the support of the nation. The nation is determined to carry on the war, and it demands that the methods of carrying it on shall he more vigorous and competent than they ever have been yet. Little complaint is made of the military direction of Russia's forces; It is in the rear that she is weak, as England was before the. change of Government. ' She-needs men who can and will give her an improved railway service, better methods of food distribution, an internal policy aimed at conciliating and consolidating tho people. . : . All the best minds and hearts in Russia are on the side of the Allies. . . . It is the Reformers (by which I mean all. tho honest and intelligent' men in Russia) who stand for loyalty to the Allies and continuation of the war. It is the Reformers who now hold office in Russia and who shape its policy and control the administration of its affairs. The Press' censorship in England _ and France places a severe restriction on the discussion of Russian affairs, but in Italy and in America the situation has been freely and frankly discussed. The views of the Rome Tribima may bo taken as representative pf the generally held opinion in wellinformed circles:. "There is," ,it states, "no important difference of opinion in Russian circles regarding the war. ' It must be prosecuted at all hazards." [That is the spirit of the people on whioh w© luust build our hopes of an early ending of internal dissensions with the object of enabling the Government and tho nation to concentrate their energies, on the prosecution of the war. In a message which we publish today, M. Rodzianko, President; of the Duma, makes an appeal to his countrymen which should bring the dreamers down from the clouds, steady . the extremists, and quicken the patriotism of the whole nation. "Lot the reverse on the Stochod," he adds, "b'e a warning to the citizens to work. < There have been enough dissensions. The country is in danger." Here is a rallying cry which should divert the attention _of the people from their internal differences to the urgent task] which immediately confronts them.' "Tho country is in danger." There is ground' for hope- in this blunt and uncompromising presentation of the position by the head of the Provisional Government. There is hope, too, in the bold choice of a watchword by the powerful Democratic party:- "War until victory." ...