Trust Russia 177 



then by reaction the White Terror. All of us who love 

 liberty, who believe in political and social and industrial 

 democracy, are now looking with eager hope to Russia ; 

 and not only for your sakes, but for our own sakes, we 

 beg you, exactly as by courage and disinterestedness you 

 have forced through the revolution, so by wisdom and 

 self-control to secure for your country the permanent 

 benefits of the revolution. 



Very faithfully yours, 



(Signed) Theodore Roosevelt. 



Count Ilya Tolstoy, c/o Bernard Sandler, 

 261, Broadway, New York. 



Probably the letter will have a niche in the history of 

 this War, and of the important changes it has brought and 

 still promises to bring about. Who knows but that a 

 similar letter may still find its way to brave old Liebknecht 

 in Berlin, now languishing in prison (and more recently 

 Herr Dittman, the Independent Socialist Member of the 

 Reichstag, who was arrested and sentenced, it will be 

 remembered, early in February, for alleged high treason, 

 to five years' confinement in a fortress, although mitigating 

 circumstances and absence of dishonourable intentions 

 were admitted), as so many well-wishers of Russia have 

 done in the past, simply because he had the courage to 

 speak out in the hour of danger, and call attention to the 

 " writing on the wall," that is still apparently as inexplic- 

 able to the German Emperor and his clique in Berlin as 

 it was to the Emperor Nicholas in Petrograd. 



At the same time, what adds so greatly to the value of 

 this communication is the moderation shown in the word- 

 ing and the kindly note of warning sent by one of the 

 foremost men of the day, and one, too, with great experi- 

 ence in the handling of a widespread and cosmopolitan 

 democratic nation, within the boundaries of which many 

 tongues are spoken, and many conflicting international 

 interests are always threatening to clash the one with the 

 other. If any country can truly judge the task that lies 

 ahead of Russia it should be America ; and since this is 

 so, who is more capable of sending the new democracy a 

 friendly word of congratulation and encouragement than 

 the ex-President of the United States ? 



Much has happened since ihe middle of February, but it 

 is well to remember that about that time Count Ilya Tolstoy, 

 to whom ex-President Roosevelt addressed the letter that 



12 



