4 THE REVOLUTIONARY AGE Saturday, March 1, 1919 The Situation in the Baltic Provinces THE events transpiring in the Baltic regions reveat ciele oinal proletariat Germans Germans showed merely a superficial contemptible in full of wrathi and liatred directed against the Ger stances and give their interpretation of the principle mans by the Allies. These attacks were manifold. of self determination of peoples.
cerity of the aspirations of Allied liberation. The Gernians were branded as beasts and Huns, But Socialism was rampant among the masses; as In the whole world, there is probably not a single they were charged with perpetrating all sorts of hor early as September, 1918, it was reported that Bolsocial group as reactionary as the small group of Ger crimes, with severe treatment of the people in shevism had created a serious situation in the Balman landowners in the Baltic provinces, group tic provinces.
closely united by its traditions and organization, and was astonishing to see among its provisions one Then in December came runiors of the British warwhich bitterly hates the workmen and peasants. If which delayed evacuation of Russian territory (the slips being off the Baltic Coast, and British co opthe artists who drew the posters during the recent Baltic Provinces) by the Germans until a time that cration with the armed forces of the German barons.
the Allies should consider appropriate.
Liberty Loans had required a living model for their The Esthonian workers are almost all Bolshepresentation of The Hun, they could have found Vany wondered. But a few days later it was all viki, says Baron Aekekil.
none so appropriate as the Baltic German baron. clear. It transpired that the Allies intended to en The workers of the Baltic regions can be proud that From the very beginning of the war these barons trust to the German Huns the maintenance of law they are united with the revolutionary movement of went over to the side of Imperial Germany, partly be and order in the occupied Russian territory. the Russian workers, and of the world. Despite their cause of their racial kinship with the Prussian Junk few days after the signing of the armistice, more desperate situation, they don falter, and they are ers (there are a number of god sons Wilhelm II over. it was declared that the peoples of Esthona, playing an enviable part in the task of emancipating and the Crown Prince among the barons. dut Courland and Lithuania, and the provinces, also the thie international chiefly owing to the fact that they saw in Germany a islands of Esel, had decided to create an independent At the beginning of the war Ernest Wasserman, a strong and solid bulwark for their power and privistate. Who were the people. referendum vote prominent German, wrote about the Baltic provinces. leges. After the German occupation of the Baltic in such a short time was impossible. With the ex When under the rule of the Russians, the Baltic Provinces, all the chief functions of administration ception of the landtags of the German barons, there loyalty to the in these regions were entrusted to the landtages was not a single other political institution. Therefore, controlled exclusively co operated in the neither directly nor indirectly could the people have Pan German cause.
Man government, but sectore jubilant over the for the purposes of democratic camouflage the bagiven an expression of their will. But the German fact that the time is not far off when our dear brothrons, in some places, allowed participation in partic; barons, who controlled the telegraph, and telephone ers in the Baltic regions will have a better life.
and posts, could indeed very easily get together with With the defeat of Imperial Germany these hopes the people, coming chiefly from the well to do Lithuin a period of two or three days and reach any de: of the Junkers in Germany as well as in the Baltic anians and Esthonians; but even this cision among themselves. They were the people provinces have assumed merely another form. They people representation was not elected by the who decided to form an independent state, not to hope now, also, to have a better life, not under the people, being appointed by the barons themselves. unite with Socialist Soviet Russia. The German bar protectorate of Germany, but under the protectorate During the war. we became accustomed to attacks one could very easily adapt themselves to new circum of Germany conquerors. The Birth of the New Age PRESIDENT Wilson has returned from Europe, ring around the German workers struggling for liber purpose. And when speak of the nations of the ation, of the looting of China, of the renewed en world do not speak of the governments of the world.
problems now weighing heavy on humanity, only to slavement of the dark peoples of Africa, of the beat speak of the peoples who constitute the nations of report progress and to express vague hopes couched ing back of the workers of Seattle, Patterson, Butte, the world. They are in the saddle and they are going in the language of idealism. For nearly five years the to see to it that if their present Governments do not world has mourned the death and mutilation of that they might gaz upon the peaceful world and do their some other Governments shall. And the progress of young mesi, for nearly five years man has crouched seek to find their place therein? Is it the secret is out and the present Governments know it.
his fellow that he might leap upon and and the building of mighty navies that the seven seas may Do the peoples of the nations of the world want be strewn with wreckage, of the training of gidestroy him, for nearly five years the babes born in the invasion of Russia? Do even the peoples of the five nations, that have appointed themselves the masforet for nearly five years desolation has walked in red blood soak? Or is it the progress of international ters of the world, want the invasion of Russia. Are the path of the sun and lurked in the curtain of night. peace among nations, of the coming together of the the peoples of America the jailers of Eugene 10 beariy live years mankind iias poured forth its peoples of the earth in the Brotherhood of Man the Debs, Tom Mooney, Bill Haywood and the thousands industrial wage slaves from the factories, mines and mists of today? Is the progress of the deportation The war ended and the peoples of the earth heaved workshops of the world, of the conquering of the ships across the ocean an index of the kind progа of relief, relief that the fighting, which they world by the workers. ress President Wilson means? is that the ghostly never sought and never wished, was over, that settle. And now these ideals have wrought this progress of the shadows of prison bars across the ceil ment would soon be made, and that in reconnew magic, that all the peoples of Europe are bouved foors a reflex of the progress of the Peace Conferhis shame. But the war end is already four months believe that we are at the eve of a new age in struction man would seek to wash away the traces of up and confident in the spirit of hope, because they ence?
the past, the Peace Conference is already two months old world when nations will understand one another age is even now being born in the pangs of the world It is true we are on the eye of a new age. The new and the report is one of progress.
when nations will support one another in every just oppressed. In the death struggles of the Soviets of What is the progress that President Wilson reports. cause, when nations will unite Is it the progress of the bloody battles in the frozen physical strength to see that there he shallande every Russia against the reaction, in the fierce fighting of steppes of Russia? Is it the progress of new quarrels Says President Wilson. And again: have come Capitalism, in the strikes of the English, Scotch, Irish among the small peoples of Eastern Europe? Is it the back to report progress, and clo not believe that the and Welsh workers against their exploiters, in the progress of the crushing of labor in England, of the progress is going to stop short of the goal. The na eruptions of Lawrence, Seattle, Butte, in the revolustarvation of the workers into submission of the dis tions of the world have set their heads now to do a tions of Rumania, Bulgaria, Hungary, in the writhtribution of peoples against their wills, of the armed great thing, and they are not going to slacken their ings of the world workers, the new age is being born, An Independent Labor Party Leaflet THE of Britain has just issued the follow ished the Turkish Sultan for his Armenian massacres, grad was being burned down; an obvious lie! etc. etc.
ing striking statement on the position in Russia, but told him when the war began that he nright keep (3) That the whole of Russia would rise and welas a leaflet: Armenia if he remained neutral in the Great War. come the Allied soldiers at once and turn down the What are the reasons that you are now paying your (6. To establish a cable Government in Russia.
Bolsheviks. The fact that intervention by our armies millions of money, sending your thousands of then to But the present Soviet Government is stable; it has has brought many former opponents to support them, a long campaign in Russia?
become stronger today than ever, in spite of war from and they are now stronger than ever, even the Times Excuses have been given at different times. They five or six sides by five or six powers, and in spite of admits.
are conflicticting and feeble. Just consider then Czarist and bourgeoisie plots and insurrections, which (4) That the Bolsheviks were only five per cent (1) To protect the Czecho Slovaks, prisoners of our agent and secret service mo:iey have immensely of the Russians and would soon fall anyhow. The war, who wanted in the summer to return to fight as aided.
fact is that they are now the only party capable of our Allies in France. But they were always free to Lies and absurd promises have been made to supgoverning Russia, and independent anti Bolsheviks come if unanmed; they are still kept by our Govern port these shameful excuses, e. Dr. Wright) say that there is no party to take ment fighting against the Russians in Russia. 1) That the Bolsheviks, the present ruling Socialtheir place if we defeat them and occupy Moscow. 2) To establish a new Eastern front against Ger ist Party in Russia were Jews and criminals. 5) That we have very few soldiers in Russia and The many. But this is now absurd, as the Germans have fact is, as the Daily Mail said of them long ago they shall not send any more.
The fact is that we have collapsed everywhere.
are men of intellect, character and ability. They have ricans, French, Italians, Serbians, Chinese and Japasent several thousands, and there are Canadians, Ame(3) To prevent the White Sea (Murmansk and been joined by men originally opposed to them like Archangel) becoming bases of any meaning, for Ger Gorky, the most famous Russian writer now alive.
nese in all an immense force, and our payments of many has given up her submarines to us and can fight At least two famous British correspondents have sup.
money, Mhes tshipping, naval support ore very large.
ported and worked for them.
truth is that we are making war against Russia in order to (4) To hinder peaceful penetration of Russia by (2) That the Russian terror of executions and Germany. But this was most difficult in any case bloodshed has alone kept the Bolsheviks in power. The bondholders, concessionaires, oil kings (like Urqu(1) Exploit Russia and support the claims of after Germany imposed in February 918. her Peace fact is that the few authenticated cases of putting toº hart. and profiteers.
of Brest Litovsk on Russia.
death without trial have been due to (2) Extort from impoverished Russian workers. 5) To punish the Russian Revolutionaries for fence, or agents provocateurs, and most have been fol in many districts tarving, the debts which we thrust their crimes. But what right has Great Britain to lowed by official punishment of the perpetrators. Many on the corrupt Czar regime.
punish crimes in foreign lands? It never punished stories are manifestly absurd, e. the Grand Duke (3) Set up an anti revolutionary Government, the Czar for his much worse crimes, but made an Nicholas las been reported as murdered on four sep which will do the bidding of reactionaries in England, ally of him and heaped honors on him. It never pun arate occasions. The official report was that Petro France, etc.
peaceful no more.
panic, self de