THE ARCH-SEDUCERS

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3199, 25 September 1917, Page 5

THE ARCH-SEDUCERS

HOW GERMANY ATTEMPTED TO WIN RUSSIA OVER INTERESTING DOCUMENTS PUBLISHED TII9 "Manchester Guardian" recently published certain documents, translated from the Russian Press, which throw a remarkable light on tho efforts mado during; Hay and Juno by Germany and Austria to procure a "separato armistice" with the Russian Army. The first, which is signed by Prince Leopold of Bavaria, offers an armistice with the assurance that it will not involve Russia in the .guilt'of-secession from her Allies. Russia is told that Germany is anxious to restore the old friendly relations, and to give "economic assistance." In the second document the Russians denounce Princo Leopold's "provocative trap." They declare (hat a separate armislice is "no better than a separate poace, nnd that Germany would use tllo opportunity to attack the Western Allies and then to destroy free Russia. In the third document Prince Leopold replies that Russia wants peace, and that the only suggestions of peace are made by Germany and Austria. He refers to an offer of the Austrian Commander-in-Chief "to appoint plenipotentiaries to talk'over the objects of tho war and the possibility of an armistice." (Little or nothing, has been heard of this oiler here.) ' Then he assails Russia's Allies and their war aims, especially who is Russia's ; "secret gravediggar. Finally, the Russians Tepeat their fiat refusal, declariufr their contempt for the "new action of the- German mailed fist. Prince Leopold's Offer. ' Princo Leopold's appeal to the Russian Army is dated June 5, and is translated in the ."Retch" of Juno 9. It refers first to a visit which three German officers had paid to the. Russian General I>ragoiriirov at Dvinsk in May, and e.onThe'Gorman Commander-in-Chief in a letter to General Dragomirov suggested that the two sides should send accredited representatives, sinco officers irom the trenches could not net as i-esponsiblo negotiators. The German and Austrian proposals had already' been outlined. The officers were authorised to Suggest how the military operations between ourselves nnd Russia could be terminated without Russia's Recession from .ner allies. Nevertheless, the representatives of tho Russian Army found it more convenient not to ,repond to, our proposal. It is , trae that General Dragomirov eigned for the letter, but no reply ensued. If that important letter had been duly considered, it could have become the first significant step towards the attainment of peace, but to this day neither the Russian Army nor the Russian people have learned anything about the letter. Yet they ought to know that Germany, in agreement with .her f.llies, had, in the presence of the Commander-in-Chief on the Eastern front expressed her readiness rto. meet, the wishes repeat; edly. nttored by tho Russian Soldiers; Delegates to stop the bloodshed, ihat readiness still, exists, and is proved by the fact that eince Easter the armies of the Central Powers, on the . Eastern front have almost completely, .suspended all hostile actions. The communication contained in the official Russian reports about offensive operations on our part, accompanied by the emission of gases, Hoes not correspond to facts. "The -Central Powers agree to the conclusion oka peace honourable to both parties on terms,- the.details of which will have to be considered by a special agreemerit-a peace that .would-restore the former friendly relations and afford Russia econdmio assistance m the interests of all the nations concerned. Ihie is the great object which the l-omman-der-in-Chief on the Eastern front wanted, to. indicate in hie letter ip General Dragomirov. The eame object was-in-tended by the suggestion of an armistice whioh had been transmitted by 'J ho allied Central European Powers on Kay 19 to the Bth and 9th Armies at' the front. We loudly repeat, lot Russia sc-nd her accredited.representatives. "If she desires to know the details ot our terms, let Ruseia refuse the demands to publish those terms so long as she regards herself bound by the secret treaties concluded by her former Gov-ernment-treaties which have for their object the destruction of Germany and of -her allies,. and so long as she is fighting herself, and England, J) ranee, and Italy are acting on tho offensive for the attainment of their objects of conquest. These States are still bent upon depriving Germany of her colonies and Alsace-Lorraine; Austria-Hungary, of the important port of Trieste, ■ with the adjacent hinterland; the Turks, of Constantinople; while the partition of Asia Minor is being negotiated between the three Powers mentioned. In addition, these Powers reckon upon the payment of an immense' indemnity, by the Central European States. Such are the objects for which Russia,' in the opinion of her Allies, ought to fight and ehed her blood, and for which on the otheq; fronts the struggle continues, exacting every day an enormous - number of: lives. ; . . If the allied Central European Powers should have to continue the war and to boar further heavy military expenditure, the military, objects, will, of course, also inevitably become larger. , '' "(Signed) The Commander-in-Chief ' ■ of the Eastern Front." The Russian Refusal. ' To this wirejess the Council of Workmen's and Soldiers' Delegates, on the suggestion, of its Executive Committee, decided to reply as follows , .—' "The German Commander-in-Chief of the Eastern front has addressed by wireress a provocative appeal to our troops. Wh'at does the General of the German Empire propose to the revolutionary armies of free Russia? He pretends, to offer ?o our troops what they are thirsting tor and seeking—namely, the road to an honourable peace. Ho speaks thus because he-knows that Russian democracy will accept no other peace but an honourable one An honourable peace to us is a peace without annexations and indemnities, but what tho General of the German Empire understands by the term 'Honourable peace' is eloquently indicated by his silonce. The' German Commander-in-(Jhief says that he would indioate to our armies a. method of stopping military operations that would involve no rupture with the Allies. He speaks thus because he knows that a formal proposal tor a separate peace with the Germanic Empire would bo repudiated by our revolutionary troops'.with indignation. "But. what else than a separate peace does the General of tho Uerraanic Euipiro propose to us? Hβ proposes a. soparate armistice und secret negotiations with himself. He assures na that such a separato armistice would offer no advantages to Germany. Is that true? Let the German General reply to this question. He surely would ,not havo ventured upon this provocation if his offer of a separate armistice had not entered into the plans of the German General Slalf. Tho German Cbmmander-in-Chiof , speaks of the inactivity of his Army on our front, but he forgets what Is remembered by Russia. Ho forgets tho Stochod business. He forgets that the Russians know where tho German divisions aud the heavy batteries havo been taken from our front. He forgets that Russia hears the news of tho bloody battles on the Anglo-French front. He forgets that Russia knows that tho crushing of tho Allies would'be tho beginning of tho crushing of her own armies, and that the crushing of tho Revolutionary armies of free Russia would mean not only new soldiers' graves, but also tho death of the Revolution, the death of freo Russia. "Tho revolutionary democracy of Russia ic going past the provocative traps of the German General Staff in order to attain its object—universal peace. It goes v that way of calling- upon all the labouring masses and all tho oppressed classes throughout the world to take part in the struggle for that peace. Its Allies in this struggle, its friends, are Freidrich Adler, who has been condemned to death by an "Austrian Court, Karl Liebknecht, Ledobour, and Haase, who are gallantly fighting tho propertied classes of Germany and Uioso circles whoso interests are served by the German General Staff. Its allies aro tho labouring olaesw of France and England, who have taken, up a stand against the aims of

conquest entertained by their respective ruling: classes." Prince Leopold's Rejoinder. In his rejoinder Prince Leopold refers to a formal oiler by the Austrian generalissimo to conclude an armistice:— "The Russian. Revolutionary Democracy is consistently ■ treading the patli to attain its aim, and that aim is a general peace. Such also is our aim. Nevertheless, only' two mibstautial proposals tare no far lioen made tor tho attainment of that aim, and in both cases they were made by us. "Tho first was the offer of peace made by the Central Powers in December, WIG. Tho Central Powers suggested peace regotiations at the earliest possible moment in order to prevent further Moodshed nnd.to stop the horrors of the war. Tl;e hand stretched out by us was rejected with scorn by Uio Governments of the Entente Powers; only at thnt time Kubeia was still ruled by the Tsarian Government. "Our second proposal was the olroularproclamUtion of the Austro-Hungavlan Oommander-in-Chipf. The Central Powers) proclaimed their readiness to appoint plenipotentiaries to talk .over the cbjects of the war and We possibility of an nrmistice. At that time tho Tsarian Government no longer existed, and its place was occupied by tho C.W.S.D. What was the reply this tifao? It was to the effect thnt Russia wanted peace without conquests and without indemnities, but at tne same time sae did not want to repudiate the treaties with England, Franco and Italy. Do you know the contents of these treaties?

"We Germans do not know ■fc-.eir eject text, but we know what England , , Frpnce and Italy are demanding from vs. One such demand is that Anstria-Hunsary should give Tip to the Italians Trieste, Trentino, and the coass of Datmatia. Jf. Bitot, , the Trench Prime Minister, declared thnt the French did noE want conquests, tut that that did not mean that they hud renounced their claims upon Alsace-Lorraine. They wonld fight until those provinces were restored to their Fatherland. The provinces which M. Ribot mentions are old German territories which" Prance wrested from Germany 200 years ago. "Briand wants al?o to take the entire left bank of tho Rhiiie and the German colonies, ami all that with tho consent of Great Britain and the former Russian Government. France, England, and Italy are demanding large conquests, and in addition nn indemnity of. 100 niiijiards. whereas Russia wants peace without conquests or indemnities. Is that not n contradiction? Where is tho truth? What does the free Russian nation want? Does it want the war aims of the Entente Powers, from which Russia has not.yet parted, or tho conclusion of peace as echoed and re-echoed to us across the trenches more than once from the-ranks of the Russian Army? "When will you at last convince yourselves that your seoiet gravedigger is England?- Just as 13 yea're ago she brougut you, for her own selfish objects, to a war with Japan, so will she destroy you now in order to strengthen her world power. The Final Russian Reply, "Having received the provocative wireless of the German Conimander-in-Cmcf, we, united-by our lovo for the count*?, call upon all the faithful sons of Russia to brand .with contempt the new action of the' German [mailed] first, and invite, everybody to show confidence in our- Revolutionary Government. We go, cml shall go, as brothers towards the old graves of our brothers in. order to conquer happiness and freedom.