THE NEW REGIME IN RUSSIA

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3092, 24 May 1917, Page 5

THE NEW REGIME IN RUSSIA

.— *~ FAMOUS EXILE INTERVIEWED, \ Prince Kropotkin, the world-famoui Russian revolutionary and exile, receive ed me this afternoon at his modest home in Kemp Town (wrote the .Daily.; News" correspondent in a recent issue).. ; He was in tho highest of spirits, glory-, ing in the achievement of his men, and fully confident that this is only the prelude to even more notable events in the cause of humanity, and pro-: gress." . ; Princess Kropotkin shares his eattu-* siasm, as she has shared his gsile. (j ThiS is a great, great, happy day for us, ' she exclaimed in her charming Russian way. " I think," said Prince Kropotkin, in;; answer to my questions, "that the defeat, of ■ autocracy this time ia final. The struggle against it ha* la/ted for fifty i years, and it became especially bitter since the beginning of the war. "It ie a fact that the mass of the Rns- ; sian people have shown a wonderful, ■unanimity in organising the defence of! Russia against the German invasion, butit was also evident that the Government were not In sympathy with this energetic, attitude. AH over Russia there was a! feeling that while the nation, beginning with the poorest,peasant olasses; was doing everything to secure victory, and. was ready for the heaviest sacrifices, and. while the army was struggling against «. far more powerfully armed foe and: performing prodigies in the field, the Court party was certainly not putting its heart into the war, and remained quite, indiiferent to the warnings which came from all sides. "From the beginning of the war the two Unions of tho Zenistvos (County; . Councils) and the 'Municipalities were accomplishing wonders in caring for the woundod, whom they had to distribete ■ throughout Russia, and in supplying the Army with all eorts of, necessaries, including medical appliances, boote, tents, baths, and eo on. Owing to their grand powers of organisation they won the sympathy of the entire Army, n sympathy , . openly expressed by the military commanders. And it was these organisations whioh the last Ministry was going to diesolve after having forbidden them to hold even sittings of their private committees without a representative of the police being present. . "The absolute helplessness of. those head 3 of the Ministries whom Nicholas II was appointing to organise the services in the Tear of the: armies, and the . supply of food to the great cities, brought the whole country into such a state of disorganisation that, if it had . continued, the Germans would have won an easy victory. The removnl of Rasputin, for reasons well known to the readers of 'The Daily News/ has acceler- , ated the crisis, and when the Tsar, in- ) spired by men of the Rasputin-Sturmcr ' gang, again prorogued ;the Duma at si most critical moment, it was round "the Duma that the army—even tho oracld regiments of the Guard—the populations of PetrogTad, Moscow (the 'real heart o£ Russia), Rharkofi, and all the more important cities, rallied to oppose > au"As for the stability of the present' Government, one thing is certain: an-- ; tocracy will not be able to overthrow it. The most important point for Russia at the moment is to make every effort to free Russian territory from the German invader, and lo establish a free, independent Poland—not to speak of the many internal reforms which require , immediate attention. There is no doubt that the change of Government haa immensely increased the fichting powers of he nation, and will be Tenanted by ■ Germany as one pf the most, eerimii* blows yet Rtru.dc at her ambitions, Bft well as nt the imperialist schemes of the Jloheuzollerns." ■ . , , ;