The Taihape Daily Times AND WAIMARINO ADVOCATE TUESDAY, MAY 23, 1916. RUSSIA.

Taihape Daily Times, Volume 8, Issue 121, 23 May 1916, Page 4

The Taihape Daily Times AND WAIMARINO ADVOCATE

TUESDAY, MAY 23, 1916. RUSSIA.

(With which is incorporated The Tal bape Post and Waimarino News.)

While the world is in expectancy of the initiation of a great Allied offensive, we, in our impatience and anxiousness, ar e inclined to cast about rather wildly for reasons why it does not begin, or show more tangible signs of commencement. It is generally believed that Russia is not ready to take her part in the coordinated plan and although we have no definite cause for thinking with the ruck, it would indeed be nothing short of miraculous if Russia has been able to recover herself from a state of extreme weakness and of helplessness, fight continuously, and at the same time equip herself for a final thrust that is to destroy her enemy. Some believe that Russia Is far from ready for any such ordeal. These thoughts are, however, the outcome of what appeared in Russian newspapers, and was common talk among Russians in the early days of the great German drive. It then looked, as the eminent Russian diplomat. Prince Troubitzkoy, said, as if Russia were on the brink of ruin. There were the great defeats demonstrating backwardness, and a perpetual chaos. Differences between Government and people, a disorganised front, prohibition of patriotic demonstrations with the resultant lack of public interest in the great struggle, a crisis in food supplies while the wildest orgies were being indulged in by those who had become suddenly rich at the expense of the impoverished people, beside much more that was known to : the people but was not allowed in public print; the panic in Potrcgrad at the oncoming Germans, and intrigues in th e Court. All this led to the gloomiest foreboding and pessimists declared that Russia was perishing. Yet, as Prince Troubitzkoy pcints out, Russia did not perish, but went through one of those paradoxical

transformations of which only Russia is capable. Some profound, elemental, incomprehensible, unknown power stopped the German progress. Instead of Germany endeavouring to completely rout the Russian army, wherein lay his only salvation, he becomes timid and nervously turns away, and J attacks the almost helpless Balkans. The immediate return of Russia to the offensive indicates }that her armies Avere not in such desperate straits as they were believed to be, or that belated munition deliveries commenced to rapidly come to hand in huge quantities, for only on one of these assumptions i s Russia's recovery understandable. Russia did not perish, did not blaze in revolution, was not disintegrated, but almost as soon as the German pressure weakened she commenced pushing them back out of her territory. It is possible Russia through force of circumstances may, TV? a. .secondary mcVe, decided, to draw the enemy on as Napoleon was lured on to his destruction. Be that as it may Russia gained, at least, a great moral victory, for almost immediately afterwards Germany began to talk of peace, give up her annexation plans; Poland was only to be a buffer state. The whole world asked why Germany, if winning, was willing to give up so much. Nobody asked for any such concessions. Doubtless, if Germany could have broken Russia there would have been no such salk, and the peace-feelers of which we now almost daily read, would never have been put forth. Germany was out for the whole thing—world domination—that has been denied her on every front, east and west as well as in the tangents into the Balkans and Mesopotamia. Russia possessed a power of tremendous resistance and the signs, of degeneracy were only what the casual observer seemed to see. It i s an amazing fact that Russia is now | more prosperous, is producing more than ever before in her history. It is an axiom that th e productivity of a country is less in war time, but Russia has proved that axiom a fallacy. If the war had been a short one Russia could not have won. Prince Troubitzkoy says that no machinery in the world can produce the basic forces for winning this war, and it is in this Miat Russia has the advantage over Germany. Russia has the material power to exhaust her opponent and she could only be conquered because of cowardice and lack of spirit, as Troubitzkoy puts it, "we can only be beaten if we voluntarily agreed to become Germany's vassal, but the Russian people hav e the courage to defend their country, and that courage will grow into an invincible force, with the growing realisation that her material reserves are inexhaustible. Russia while prosecuting war against the most powerful enemy by which she was ever attacked, has inci'eased the prosperity of her many millions of people, and has raised the production of her country above what it was even in the best periods of her past history. Russia knows her powers are all-sufficient to achieve the subjugation of her Teuton enemy. Whether the delay in the coming Allies' general offensive is ■owjing Russia's unpreparedness will not be made known to us yet. Britain has recently been making great dispositions of her forces, and while such movements were necessary it was, at least, injudicious to accuse Russia of any shortcomings.