THE WAR

Evening Post, Volume XCIII, Issue 129, 31 May 1917, Page 6

THE WAR

It would be most interesting to learn. to what extent the Council of Workmen's .and Soldiers' Delegates really represents the rank and file of the Russian Army and fhe mass of the Russian people, especially in its formulation, of such large' questions as relate to the framing of. peace and the responsibility of the nation. Jt is highly probable that, whatever system was followed in selecting the enormous number of delegates and subsequently appointing the Council, the central body has not even the vestige of a mandate from the bulk of those they represent. In such matters, indeed, the Russian people has had no opportunity and has no means to express itself, even if it has clear ideas on the subjects. The actual position must be that the Council, composed no doubt of highly. intelligent and earnest men, has adopted a formula with which it believes its constituents will not quarrel; and it is. thus for practical purposes the political mouthpiece of the people. Russians are living in Easy-street to-day, and.bo long as the governing party, be it composed of new regime Ministers or the Council of Delegates, leaves them there, most of them will wjllingly leave foreign affairs to settle themselves. _ It is easy for the Council to issue articles telling the Western Allies iha,\ rtot at. Russian soldier will be sacrificed" to adjust " historic injustices " like that which France cherishes in respect la AlsaceLorraine. The articles quoted to-day are clearly aimed at abolishing the Allied war aims as they are concerned with the French and Italian aspirations.-after new territory, or old possessions lost before this war. No forcible annexations of ouch ground arc, in the Russian formula, to be 'made; and no bloodshed

for their sake will be permitted. But that is only one part, and the lesser part, of the annexation question. The manifesto says nothing of the forcible annexations by the other side. Is Russia prepared, even in its most revolutionary moments, to allow the Central Powers to keep all that they have forcibly annexed, including Russian teiTitory ?

As long as the politics of Russia are in the- present indefinite state, and its leaders have not made up their minds whether there is any cause to go on fighting, it is vain to suppose that the army -can be got into first-class order. If the cable news can be credited, not only is the army uncertain, but the industrial organisation of the country has been seriously upset. . M. Kerensky, who is doubtless using his utmost effort/ to bring.the fighting services back to efficiency, has exhorted them to be ready- to take the offensive, for which the season has already arrived'; but it is by no. means reassuring that-he. has had at the same time ; to warn them of the danger of "going down in a pool (of alcohol." In the nation which among its earliest war measures abolished the use of vodka, this statement is one of grave import

For the first time for several weeks there is news of the Kaiser. But he is a changed man, and the brightest; words he can address to his troops, already depressed by- tremendous losses and a. long retreat, come "from a heavy heart." He no longer speaks in the tones of one who rules all the agencies of frightfulness, the master of vast conquered territories, .the war-lord certain of victory, 'glorious and complete, over a host of perfidious enemies. He cannot, it seems, even conjure up a fitting word of hate for his dearest enemy; and the only'thing that seems to guarantee the speech as his own is the appeal to the name of God.' The speech, if the cablegram does it justice, could not have been a very cheering thing for those of ,his soldiers who knew him in his brighter and more enthusiastic days. His emphasis on the Allies' unprecedented supply of munitions, and the value of the experiences gained on the Somme, on the "good enough" motive which inspires the French, on 'the efforts of the submariners who are "doing their best," and on the gratitude which the people in the Fatherland—most of them in mourning—will shower on ,the surviving soldiers, must have struck some of his veterans as, lugubrious.' In such a context, it was a poor effort to say that Britain is only fighting to increase her power without enquiring where right may be. That at least was untrue and ■ insincere; and many Germans know that the British have to do no careful heart-searching to discover on which side right is; and may have •come to the same conclusion themselves.

The sinking of the hospital ship Dover Castle, reported yesterday,, was, fortunately, attended by remarkably small loss of life, only six men being lost (missing), although the ship contained patients. The sinking followed very rapidly on .the renewed threat to destroy all such vessels except those in a certain limited zone' in the Mediterranean, and it will be interesting to learn whether the Dover Caetle was in that lane or not. No possibility of evading responsibility exists, for the steamer was torpedoed twice, no doubt by the same submarine standing by to "see fair play." The British Admiralty report, states that the Dover Castle was torpedoed without warning; and, of course,, that makes the iniquity of the attack all the worse, because it subjected those on board to risk of far greater disaster than was necessary, since the attacker had no need to fear being fired on (unless, of course, the hospital ship had an escort). This reference to the failure of the enemy to warn his victim recalls a very important feature of the Austrian Note to the United' States, delivered on /6th March. The Note was an effort to make clear, in reply to the enquiry of the United States, Austria's attitude on several questions relating to submarine war; and it was a remarkably long message, couched in most involved language. The point i-eferred to relates to warnings given to shipping, a^nd no mention of it wasv made in the brief cabled summaries published here. Its attitude, stripped of verbiage, is displayed in the following sentence : The commander of a war vessel can .himself give warning to an intended victim so that the crew and passengers may save themselves at the last moment; or the Government owning the.war vessel can issue a warning of full effect before the departure of. the vessel which is to be sunk; ,or it can, if -it establishes extensive jne'asiuresagainst enemy sea trade, employ a general warning for all enemy vessels. Austria (and, 'of course, its argument was dictated or advised from Berlin) contends therefore that the mere declaration that all ships will be sunk within certain zones ifi sufficient legal warning for individual ships, and that the onus is on the .persons who use the ships if they suffer frtom attack. On the same extraordinary argument it.must be conceded that the Dover Castle was " warned."