Page:Lars Henning Söderhjelm - The Red Insurrection in Finland in 1918 - tr. Annie Ingebord Fausbøll (1920).djvu/89

 Corps which had arrived in the city to maintain order, and to arm with their weapons that element among the working-men which had in those days started sanguinary monster riots in the said city.

"Finally, simultaneously with negotiations carried on, it has been orally communicated to the members of the Government by the Sailors' Committee at Helsingfors, that the Russian military in this country is interested in carrying out a social revolution in Finland, and for this purpose ready to support the revolutionary bands with arms against the lawful order of society and the Protective Corps that support it.

"As the behaviour of the Russian Government is an outrage against Finland as an independent State, the Government of Finland will accordingly bring to the notice of the Powers that have acknowledged Finland's independence their emphatic protest.

"On behalf of the Government of Finland,

"d."

"To the People of Finland.

"The blood of fellow-citizens which has flown during these days forces the Government of this country to appeal to the People.

"Our People has recently seen its dearest hopes realised. It has attained political independence which has already been acknowledged by several of the States of Europe. No external influence will now hinder the Finnish people's possibilities of development. The supreme power in the country is exercised by the Lantdag and the Government responsible to it. Our political, as well as our communal, constitution is democratic.

"Unfortunately, there are those who will not rest satisfied with this way of peace, legality and conviction, but proceed by other means in order to reach their goal.