RUSSIA AND THE ALLIES
"The treatment accorded Russia by her sister nations," says President Wilson, "will be the acid test of their goodwill, of their comprehension of her needs as distinguished from their own interests, and of their intelligent and unselfish sympathy."
Judged by this "acid test," the glittering professions which have been made by the Coalition Government, like so many of the professions which pour out in an unending stream from the lips of our politicians, are shown to be false gold and base metal.
The following narrative does not pretend to be a complete record of the relations of the Allies with Russia. Many facts have been suppressed by our rulers which have yet to see the light. The information given below, however, will show two things:
First—the incredible stupidity and hopeless folly of which our rulers have been guilty.
Second—The nature of the sinister forces which are new plotting behind the scenes to overthrow the Socialist Republic in Russia, and to place the Russian people again under the yoke of Capitalism and Reaction from which they have shaken themselves free.
It is for Labour in this country to see that these blunders are not repeated, and that British soldiers are not sacrificed for the purpose of enslaving the Russian people in the interest of mine-owners, bondholders, concessionaires, and the capitalist classes of Western Europe.
I.
The First Revolution.
The story of our relations with Russia during the past four years—like the story of our relations with Ireland—is a story of incredible follies and of blunderings unimaginable.
It is the biggest Blunder-Story of the war.
We christened Russia the "steam-roller" which was going to crush its irresistible way to Berlin at the very moment when her munitions were disappearing and her entire industrial system was crumbling into ruins. (To-day the steam-roller has gone, but the man with the red flag remains, and has got to Berlin first.)
We called the Grand Duke Nicholas the greatest general the world has ever seen (Royal Dukes are always great generals!) at the moment when his armies, shattered and demoralised, were pouring back in defeat from Galicia.
And, finally, feeling that something must be wrong somewhere, we sent our great and only Lord Milner to Russia to find out what really was the TRUTH.
Milner's Mistake
He did his best. He worked frightfully hard. He "was at work daily from half-past seven in the morning till midnight, and often much later," wrote the "Morning Post's" Petrograd correspondent, on February 27, 1917.
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