The Dominion. SATURDAY, MARCH 17, 1917. RUSSIA AND THE WAR

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3030, 17 March 1917, Page 8

The Dominion. SATURDAY, MARCH 17, 1917. RUSSIA AND THE WAR

Teb sensational news to-day from Russia discloses a situation which naturally will cause a good deal oi anxiety, and the outcome 'of the upheaval which has taken place will be awaited with grave concern. But there are good grounds for the opinion expressed in America that so far as the war is concerned the changes which have occurred will not interfere with 'Russia playing her allotted part in the struggle, but, on the contrary, will ultimately result in a more strenuous and whole-hearted prosecution of : the campaign. For the moment this is. the chief concern of Britain and her Allies. The revolution which has resulted in the overthrow of the Ministry, the abdication of the Tsar,'and the placing of his brother, the Grand Duke Michael, on the throne represents a protest against a condition of things which has crippled Russia in her efforts in the war as well as a determined •effort to ovorthrow a vicious system of bureaucratic government which has hampered internal reforms designed to benefit the masses of 1 the people. The circumstances leading up .to the outbreak havo been freely discussed in the letters of newspaper correspondents in Russia and in articles in the magazines for many, months_ past. The popular feeling in Russia is in favour of a whole-hearted prosecrftion of the war. American, French, and British correspondents and writers who since the outbreak of the war have had opportunities of judging at first hand, the sentiments and feelings, of .the Russian peoplo are practically, unanimous on that point, • The Duma, the 'Russian Parliament, has again, and again made its views clear—the war should bo prosecuted with all Russia's great strength and to the utmost of _ its resources to a victorious conclusion. The Ministry,, which is nominated by the Tsar, and the Tsar Nicholas II himself have repeatedly expressed similar views. Thus we have all classes from the Tsae downwards in complete unanimity on this vital issue. But while the Tsae has been in accord with his Parliament and his peoplo in determining to prosecute the war to tho bittor end, the policy he has pursued in delaying or refusing to give the people the internal reforms _ they have been promised, and his ill-ad-vised choice of Ministers distrusted and detested by the Duma, have aggravated public discontent, and diverted the energies oL the nation from tho prosecution of the war to the improvement of- internal conditions. In tho dissensions which have disturbed the politics of the country, pro-German influences have been active,', and even in the highest Court and political circles they have had free The dramatic overthrow a few months ago of M. Sturmer from the office. of Prime Minister was the.outcome of violent attacks in the Duma on the grounds of his suspected pro-Ger-manism; but Tsar Nigholas seems to have gone from bad to worse in his choice of reactionary Ministers. M. Trkpoff succeeded M. Stuemee, and was dismissed after something like six weeks "of office. Prince Galitzine followed early in January, and has now been displaced by the revolutionary movement seemingly instigated by the Duma. Each succeeding change, romarked tho Petrograd correspondent of the Times, has been invariably in the direction least welcome to the progressive elements in Russia. At tho end of January last the London correspondent of tho New York Evening Post, Me. Noßiian Hapgood, forwarded to his paper a general_ review of the situation in Europe, including a survey of the position of the different Powers and the possibilities ahead. Mb. Hapgood is quite impartial, and has both pleasant and unpleasant things to say concerning most of the warring nations; but what he says of Russia is of particular interest in tho light of what has now occurred:

So far as Russia is concorned, lie remarks, tho situation has clanged lately in an interesting way. Few understand the exact nature of what is happening: iu Russia. ... To bo progressive today moans to wish the Government conducted efficiently, so that ammunition and food can reach the firing line at the right time;, and also so that food can l>o properly distributed to tho civilian population. Ail other, questions are sunt in this one. Reactionaries to-day we old bureaucrats who aro hanging on to their jobs and thoir graft at any cost, and throwing out anybody who endeavours to introduce medorn industrial methods. Anybody who wants railroads run as noarly as possible as they aro run in Gormany, France, and Englaud i.< progressive, and anybody olso. reactionary. The issue is whether tho front '"5 to be supported by the rear. . . . Tho nation as a whole wishes victory devotedly, and may T>ring about violent changes in Pntroswd at any moment lo got it. That is the secret why British and French newspapers haTo recontlv boon go outspoken In ciitici.iing tho Petrogr.-.d bareaucracy. Here it will b« swtii is a plain expectation of a big political upheaval, but it is equally plafn that that upheaval was to be the, outcoma of the desiro that the men in the fighting line should be ade-

quately supplied with food and ammunition, so that they might carry on the_ strugglo against Germany and bring the war to a successful issue. Indeed, the whole of tho evidenco available points in that direction, and to that extent the changes which are being brought about may be regarded as being for tho better. The danger of the situation appears to lie in tho fact that the revolution may not end with the samo rapidity that it has been carried through to the present successful stage. We may hope, and there is some ground for the hope, that the popularity of the cause tor which tho Duma is working, and the fact that it is backed by the troops in garrison at Petrograd and Moscow, may lead to a speedy settling down to the new conditionsj but it is certain that every effort will bo made by the pro-German element to oncourago the reactionaries to pursue the struggle. That is the chief danger in tho situation—a prolongation _of the internal disturbances which may interfero with tho conduct of the war. Thero is some mystery ovor the choice of Iho Grand Dtjkb Michael as tho successor to Tsar Nicholas. It is commonly believed that ho has for long aspired to succeed his elder brother, and.that ho has had tho sympathy and support of his mother, ita Dowager Empress, in this ambition, but that he should find favour with the Duma, is a little difficult to understand. In the past he has been classed among tho lCfc.c-* tionaries, but presumably Le has satisfiod tho Duma of his good intentions. He is said to be a man of vevy different 1 character to Nicholas —strong-minded, self-willed, and reckless, and tho hesitation and weakness which have been so striking a featuro of tho late Tsar's reign are not likely to hamper the policy of the new ruler. Nicholas in pil probability will have few regrets in relinquishing an office which'tins always been to him an almost insupportablo burden. The autooratie authority ho possessed illsuited him, though there is much to his credit in the record ho has left. A stronger and bolder ruler,' quicker to act both as regards the prosecution of the war and the granting to the people of those rights and privileges they havo long, been promisod, may revolutionise tho whole situation in Russia, and greatly strengthen the position of the Allies in the .struggle with the Central Powers. Events during the next few days will give us some idea whether the new Tsar will play this role with the success whicn is expected of him.