The Dominion WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 29, 1017. TOWARDS THE LIGHT IN RUSSIA

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3176, 29 August 1917, Page 4

The Dominion WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 29, 1017. TOWARDS THE LIGHT IN RUSSIA

Some observers ha^ e m-edicted that if the ConfcWe%hkh £ now assembled. at Moscow should succeed in tho pro alliance 0 Socialists and more modparties and ■ elements—which .thought about the Revolution, Russia' will surmount her domestic II 1 « n lli is P lain at all cvents that tho Conference will mark a turning-point, for good or evil, in tne history of tho Revolution. It represents the culmination of an organised effort to bring together in harmonious bo-operation parties and groups In Russia which not long ago seemed to be hopelessly divided and at variance. The important feature of the main Conference now sitting at Moscow-a number oi detail conferences havo also been convened—is that tho moderate middle-class parties and organisations winch were thrust aside by tho bocnihsts in the early months of the Revolution are fully represented. It was originally proposed that the <- o'.iferenco. should assemble four v.wks ago. Under tho arrangements clion made in regard to representation, and a cablegram which arrived at the end of last week indicates that they have not been altered, those summoned to attend included not only representatives of the Workmen's aud Soldiers' Council and tho Peasants' Council, but all members of the Duma, prominent men from the chief centres, representatives of tho Zemstvos, municipalities; labour unions, and universities. In other words, as an American writer put it at tho time, the Committee of Public Safety at though overwhelmingly' Spc'.rthst in sentiment, has recognised tho need of bringing back to the support ,of the Revolution tho radical and progressive elements that' have been ousted or alienated from the Provisional Government under pressure from tho Leninist fanatics: ■

It lind become (he custom (he added) to speak of the Duma as an unrepreeenlntive body, and the recent Congress of Workers and Soldiers called for its dissolution. To-day it is perceived that the Duma did contribute its share to tho Revolution,- and that jt still embodies an element essential to national solidarity. So with the Zemstvos, of which Prince Lvoff was tho great representative, aud whose services to tile nation were everywhere acknowledged until tho foolish Socialist claniour against tho "bourgeois" forced their elimination. Iu the present hour of grave crisis it lias been shown that the "bourgeois" are more faithful lo tho Revolution than the Maximalist fanatics, who do not hesitate to play with the ruin of tho Revolution and of Russia'for tho rerlisaliou of their uncompromising programme.

With tho reservation that an effective working , agreement between the Socialists and other parties is not assured, theso observations ho'rJ good/at the present hour. There is' no doubt that such an agreement is an essential preliminary to the restoration of orderly government in Russia, and that the failure of the parties to agree would threaten a worse state of anarchy than iias yet. been experienced. Events since the Kovohition have shown that although the Socialists are in a position to dominate the Government they are incapable of governing efficiently if denied the aid of other parties; The original Provisional Government found itself overshadowed and dominated by tin Council of Workmen's and Soldiers' Delegates. The first reconstruction of the Revolutionary Government, in May, represented an attempt by Prince Lvoff and his colleagues to establish _ a stable central authority by bringing Socialists and Moderates together in a working coalition. The_ attempt failed, because the Socialists continued to dominate tbe Coalition Government from outsido. <is they had previously ' dominated the Ministry headed by Prince Lvoff, in which M. Kerensky was tho only Socialist member. In subsequent developments the Socialists gained comnleto control of the Government. The result, in spite of M. Kbp.bnsky's brilliant gifts and his untiring labours in the interests of discipline and efficiency, has been disastrous. Under the Socialist rcgimo Russia has suffered military disaster and has dangerously approached a state of economic chaos. Tho most hopeful feature of the existing situation—as a whole (ho outlook cannot he called bright—is that the move reasonable section Jt the Socialist group, headed by M. Kerensky, has now taken the initiative in an attempt to achieve cooperation with the parties and organisations whose aid the Socialists as a body formerly rejected. Krrensky is not free from blame in the matter ot the division of partics which has led to such ca-laiui-tous results, hut his latest speech shows that ho is now concentrating his magnificent powers upon the consolidation of opposed groups which is vital to the salvation of Russia and the Revolution. Dissension bclwf'Oti the Socialists and Constitutional Democratic members <>[ tho Government camo to a head on July 15. On that date two members

of tho Provisional Government returned to Pctrograd from Kief!: and announced that on their own responsibility they had conceded tho demands of the Ukraine, or Littlo Russia, Un- a degree of autonomy verging on independence To the non-Socialist elements in the Provisional Goverment, who for the common good had submitted to Socialist domination, this, in ihe words of a recent commentator, was the breaking point.

Poland (ho goes on txi observe) had been gn-en her freedom, Finland was on the eve of proclaiming her independence, and now a vast section of the national territory, the Ukraine, with a,population, perhaps, of thirty millions, was to be virtually lopped off. To tho .'Constitutional Democrats and Liberals in the -frovisional Government this was an abandonment of all senae of national responsibility, which could end only in ™" U u J 1 ? Y ay wonld be °P en for the ■monarchists to come out from hiding and point out that Russia was in charge of a group of madmen who wero destroying tho heritage, of a thousand years. -Iho non-Socialist Ministers declined to lend themselves to such jolly,_ and resigned. Kerensky at the time bitterly denounced their action as "desertion," but tho declaration he has now made in reference to "thouhfl'iendly attitude of certain Hussian nationalities" is a vindication of tho non-Socialist Ministers and ah admission that his denunciation was unjust. He now declares in regard to these nationalities that the democracy will give What it has promised—that is to say, autonomy—But that .whore the limit of toleration is passed he will cry: Hands off!" furthermore that tho Government will forcibly prevent the reopening of the dissolved Finnish Diet. In point of fact, Kerensky set to work almost at once to redeem, his error in tolerating tho follies which forced the resignation of his non-Socialist colleagues. By Jiily 24 he had reconstructed the Government on a coalition basis. Under the arrangement then made and still in force the Provisional Government consists of fivo Socialists and as many non-Socialists. Prominent middle-class representatives have also taken charge of a ftuniber of public offices without assuming Ministerial rank. The effective consolidation of parties, groups, and organisations is still, however, -far from being accomplished. government is still threatened, on the one hand by ths extreme Socialists and anarchists and on the other by tho continued alienation of a powerful section of the middle-class parties. ' It is in these circumstances that the Provisional Government has summoned what has been described as virtually a Russian States-General. It seems likely that this _ gathering, rather than the Constituent Assembly, which has now been postponecl to November, will show in its outcome whether or not Eussia is capable of exchanging anarchy for discipline and achieving orderly and stable government. The outcome cannot be foretold. Speedy suppression of a strike fomented by the extremists in Moscow and the welcome accorded to General KokNH.OFF may be noted as promising indications. On the other hand it is stated that as yefc there is little sign of an agreement between the parties. *41l that can tie said meantime is that if tho Conference results in substantial progress towards working agreement between the partics now opposed a mighty task will remain to be attacked, but the outlook will be very greatly brightened.. Failure to approach an_ agreement would mean that Russia and the Revolution were in deadly perl.