KERENSKY AT THE FRONT

Otago Witness, Issue 3315, 26 September 1917, Page 54

KERENSKY AT THE FRONT

REMARKABLE SCENES. A newspaper correspondent who accompanied Alexander Kerensky on his visit to the south-western front in June gives some vivid pictures of tho remarkable scenes which took place during tho tour. In the course of a day the popular War Minister, with whom was General Brusiloff, addressed meetings with an aggregate attendance of some hundreds of thousands of soldiers, and everywhere ho left his auditors boiling with enthusiasm. -In nearly every case Kerensky and the Commander-in-Chief (since resigned) were chaired back to their car on the shoulders of the troops. One of tho Trans-Amur regiments paraded with red flags, on which was the inscription "Down with the war," and a picture of hand 3 clasped in friendship. Without giving tho usual greeting, Kerensky called out the regimental committee and commander, and sternly asked: "What is the meaning of these flags?" Ho was told that tho regiment desired a speedy peace, as it was sick of the war, and also a new commander. To this the Minister replied: "You desire tho conclusion of peace; but don't you knowthat such a peace now would mean disgrac-o to Russia and death to freedom? It is not Sukhomlinoff who tells you this, but I, Kerensky. I am ashamed to find such a regiment in the Russian army." The oomnoftteemen were much chagrined by this, severe dressing-down, and the soldiers in the first ranks raised the cries "Shame t ' "Away with the flags!" The pacifist in-

scriptions_ at once disappeared, and Kerensky, turning to the regiment, said: "If you leceive tho commander you wish for, will you give me your word of honour that your regiment will become tho bravest on tho south-western front, and always go first of all into the attack?" The reply came back from hundreds of throats: "We give it! Wo give it!" The Minister then addressed himself to General Brusiloff: "Commander-in-Chief, I give you my word that at your first command this regiment will go into battle in front of all the others. Comrades" (he continued, turning once more to tho soldiers), "I have {riven my word for you, and you will not make it a falsehood.' 1 'We will not. Hurrah !" was the response. "Then," said the Minister, "wo will be reconciled again," in token of which ho kissed the chairman of tho regimental committee.