Page:Emile Vandervelde - Three Aspects of the Russian Revolution - tr. Jean Elmslie Henderson Findlay (1918).djvu/232

 Conference would strengthen their influence in view of an energetic pursuance of the war. Thus they persisted up to the last in attempting to gain our adherence.

"In refusing," Tseretelli said to us, almost with tears in his eyes, "you are taking away the brightest ray of hope from our horizon."

And Kerensky added:

"You are making more difficult the propaganda we were carrying on for the coming offensive."

Let us add that soon after, when we were repeating the latter remark to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Teretschenko, adding that it seemed paradoxical to us to suppose that, to induce the Russian soldiers to fight, one must put before them the idea of a conference in favour of peace, his answer was:—

"It may be paradoxical, but Kerensky is right. Just now our soldiers would rather fight for nothing than for some definite object."

It was not only in Petrograd that a general Conference was eagerly demanded. The same thing was going on in Stockholm,