BRITAIN AND RUSSIA
SPEECH BY MR. BALFOUR
OUR ATTITUDE AND POLICY DEFINED
In tho House of Commons Me. Balfour niado an important statement outlining tho attitude of the British. Government both to Russia and to ilio possibility i>; Japnnese intervention. In regard to tho latter, tlicro was no indication that any (lelinito decision hud yet bewi reached but, said the Secretary for Foreign Affaire, Jnpan would aet aa the l'vieim and not as the enemy of Russia, whoso condition was such that Germany might well 1)0 tempted to re-ostablinli sin autocracy fur worso than the old because it would lean on ii foreign Power for its continued existence-.
The debate was opened by Sir. LecsSmith, who aroused the marked hostility of the House by suggestions that Japanese intervention would lead to civil war in Russia, that it would link up Russia with Germany in an alliance against tho Allies, and rliat Ihe ni/jc-c!; of Japan would be territorial aggrandisement at the expense of Russia. Cries of dissent met his contention that tho occupation of Siberian territory by Japan would be of the same character as tho Gorman treatment of Courland and Lithuania, and disagreement was also manifested when ho argued that a German advance into Siberia was highly improbable.
Russian Liberty. After Mr. Noel Euxton had attributed the falling away of Russia largely to what ho described as a "wrong turning" of tho Allies in its war policy last year, Mr. Balfour rose in a House which rapidly filled, and roundly declared that to express this view was to misrepresent entirety tid piay u£ social mid pmiucui forces in Russia. In an earnest passago he told the House that ho personally welcomed the change in Russia from autocracy :o what ho still hoped and believed wiii going to be a reign of ordered liberty. Hβ dwelt on tho point that tho occurrence of the Revolution in tho middle ot a great war, when the people were war weary, ami the subsequent complete destruction of all,the instruments of self-protection, including both Army and Navy, wero catastrophic in their immediate effects. "I personally am an optimist about' Russia," Mr', fialfoyr concluded; "but not about the immediate future of Russia."
Mr. Baliour would not presurao to express judgment on the sincerity and zeal of tho Bolshevist lenders—"for I am unable to lead the hurts of men with whom I have no acquaintance," he said— but it was from the first obvious to tho world, and waa now realised by these men themselves, that the course they pursued had rendered them completely helpless in tho face of German aggression. Thero was, Mr, Balfour added, a genuine deeiro (o reconstitute the Hussian army fur defensive purposes, and the help of tiie Allies to that end would , bo welcomed, but how can you, ho asked, improvise a new instrument with the fragments of the old one lying around you? Two Revolutions Contrasted. Tho Foreign Secretary went on to draw in vivid phrases a contrast between the Russian and French revolutions. In one case autocracy fell almost without a blow and chaos succeeded. The divisions botwoen different sections of tho population became moro marked and prominent, and disintegration followed. In Erance, on the other hand, the rovolutiou had a unifying effect. Ho did not despair of the capacity of Russia to reorganise a new State, but oven under conditions of peace and prosperity a long time would be required. The iprocess would be immensely more difficult with a remorseless and unscrupulous enemy at the gate. That was the real difficulty, Mr. Bnifour exclaimed, in considering tho problems, referred to by Mr. Lees-Smith. Describing his speech as "a strong attack upon what ho supposos to be the policy of the Government regarding Japan and Siberia," the Foreign Secretary unreservedly denied tho validity of Mr. Smith's premises. He challenged an assertion that troops which occupied foreign territory nover withdrew, and ovoked chsers by the commtnt that if the statement was true it was a. bad look out for Northern France. If the Allied Governments took t'he view that tho time hud come for intervention, Mr. Balfonr said, with feeling, "the Japanese will be the friends, and not the enemies, of Eussia." It would be action by the Allies of Russia against Gormany, and tho preservation -of Russia from Germany would ho the object. Whilo Mr. Balfour did not conceivetho probability of a German military expedition from Kiga to Vladivostok, ho believed that a German penetration, .which would be alike disastrous to Russia and injurious to tho future of the Allies, was likely to take place if Eussia remained derelict and helpless. Ho suspected that evennuw it was safer for a German officer than for an Allied officer to travel about Russia, not because the Russians loved tho Germans, but because German penetration had really struck at the roots of Russian power. He had just received information that only one bank was to be allowed at Moscow, and that was a German bank.
"Inevitably Russia's Allies have to ask themselves," Mr. Bnlfour said, "whether if Russia has destroyed every instrument of selt-tu'ottrot'i'.rti wo cannot among ourselves supply that which she lacks. We do that in Russia's own interests and for Russia's own sake, not to satisfy the greed of this or that Power, or with any hopo of gain." Cheers greeted the feeling comment, "Our relations with Ruseia in this war do not suggest gain."
Worse Autocracy Feared. Speaking from the Russian point of vic-iv, Mr. li.'ihiisir iva;;!ih ■•■;!■'; riiai hie i-liie: , fv.-i:■ for R-ussia w;is •.;,-.: iVw,,, : , ;■ would strive to continue and fos'er tho disorder which followed fiio first shock of the revolutionary cataclysm, in aceordanco with Germany',-; characteristic method everywhere in the world of weakening Governments by stirring up strife and sedition among the peoples. The consequence would bo that men would find the state of affairs so intolerable that they would demand any kind of Government which .-JCfincd to offer stubili'v Miii sci'iii'ity. Thi-n Gernuuiy would step in. re-establish an autocracy which would be far worse than the old ■1'! , . , , '•*: :M~" it would '.'.Mli on it imvign Power for its continued existence. "Then, indeed," Mr. Bnlfour exclaimed, "all our (iiViiiiis ill' a Russia developed and free, would bo gone. Sho would bo a mere echo of the Central Powers. If Russia can offer resistance now, that fact ninv give nor a sense of national unity which would make her future far nioro splendid ihnn Irt past. But," he added, "I am unable to seo how, without some external help, Russia is #oin« to resist the invasion i)!' thin Gorman malady."
Faithfulness of Japan. 'Hie Allies must, therefore, nsk if they e.oultl give the help tliat Tdiseisi needed in her cxtveniily. "it is to Rive help and sympathy that the Allies desire mid not invasion and plunder," Mr. Bnlfour exclaimed with emphasis, amid cheers. There might bo questions as to which country could give the help, he added, "but that wo, the Allies, America, Great Britain, Franco, Italy. Japan, ought to do what: we can at this moment for Russia's fate to help her through this great crisis of her destiny, appears to mo to Iμ beyond ilouM. f will not reject a priori any solution which seems to olTor the slightest hope of our doing any good in that direction."
Vy. !' ~. ■■ :■ vi-'i-.teil >-i!i">«it oiiali!:cation any suggestion that Japan was moved by .selfish or dishonourable motives in any course she have sug-.-..-l. -I. ; , ■■ y, ■■ , ;. : ' ■ l-i.l-r.; , in her faithfulness in carrying uut strictly any promises she might make to Russia—a declaration which the House warmly endorsed. The Allies recognised ah the! diflicultios in tho way of helping a nation which had become incapable at Hip moment of helping hci-fi , !)', but tho decisions tho Allies miijh". lisivi , to come to would bo based on prii'.s-ir'i's neilher ungenerous, unfair, nor hostile to Russia or the Russian revolution.
"Our objects." 'ic (Ir-hr'd. amid cheers, "are to see Russia strong, inliu-t, secure, and free, and if these objects can be attained, llion. and then only, will tho Kussian revolution bring forth all tho fruits its licst friends desire to see."
Permanent link to this item
Hononga pūmau ki tēnei tūemi
https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/DOM19180520.2.39
Bibliographic details
Ngā taipitopito pukapuka
Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 206, 20 May 1918, Page 6
Word count
Tapeke kupu
1,355BRITAIN AND RUSSIA Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 206, 20 May 1918, Page 6
Using this item
Te whakamahi i tēnei tūemi
Stuff Ltd is the copyright owner for the Dominion. You can reproduce in-copyright material from this newspaper for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International licence (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0). This newspaper is not available for commercial use without the consent of Stuff Ltd. For advice on reproduction of out-of-copyright material from this newspaper, please refer to the Copyright guide.