The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1917-08-30


ed States commission to the new
Russian government.
BY CHARLES EDWARD RUSSELL.
Copyright, 1917. by the Newspaper
Enterprise Association.)
Here is the Russian situation com
pressed into one incident.
A few days ago the administration
decided to lend Russia another $780,
100000.
At this all persons and newspapers
in this country that secretly or open
ly hope the Russian democracy will
fail professed great establishment.
Then the other persons and newspa-
pers that have no knowledge of Rus
STA, but just can't believe actual dem
ocracy can succeed anywhere, cheer
fully echoed the establishment.
What! Lend more money to Russia
at time when according to the press
dispatches the last bottom has fallen
out of everything? When the dread
filled are raging UP and down thirst
ing for hot blood and threatening de.
structiOn?
When, it is plain, chaos reigns.
Above all, when Russia is bank
rupt.
That makes $975,0O0,oO) WEI have
lent this nation that walls the Low
Pressure Chorus. Shall we ever get
it back? Alas! No! Let us bid a fond
farewell to our money. Why does the
administration thus throw the good
mazuma after the bad?
Lut it doesn't. The administration
is perfectly right in it's estimate OF
Russia. Barring one chance, Russia
is as safe country to lend money tC
as there is in the alliance.
Now see how monstrous and dan
gerous are the misconceptions pro
duced in the American mind by the
Dismal Dorers and the Gloomy Cusses
of the British press, from whom We
get nine,tenths of our so-called news
from Russia.
AS matter of fact Russia ISM
bankrupt. 1t is one Of the riches
countries of the world.
1t is not only rich in possibilities
but it is rich in the actual thing. /
has The Goods.
! don't mean that the soil is rich
although that is true. | mean tina
the government is rich.
1t owns a vast empire of arabic ant
timber lands.
There is no question about its own
ership. The title has always beer
vested in the government.
Comparatively speaking there is
not a great deal of private landoWnine
in Russia | mean compared with
other countries. An immense amount
of land is owned in common, either
by the villages or by the general gov
eminent.
While was in Russia an appraise
ment of the governments holdings in
land was just being completed.
1t indicated the amazing total OF
sixty billion rubles- $50, OO0,0 100000.
Besides all this, if the government
desires to confiscate the huge estates
of the car and the grand dukes, all
grated from the public, it will have
enough to pay the entire national
de5t and lay by a surplus.
1t could take from these estates
enough to pay the national debt and
still leave the entire brood of imper
ial parasites, idlers and worthless,
NUTS enough to keep them in splen
dor all their days.
If it would confiscate only the
crown jewels and the palaces in Pc
trograd it would go far to wipe out
all the national debt it has at pres
ent.
More than that, am told that there
was a meeting not long ago in Petro
grad there was held a convention
of wealthy men, bankers, manufacture
ers, exploiters, merchants and high
lights in Big Business, what there is
of it and when they came to compare
notes they found that the interests
they represent could absorb, if need
be, the greater part of the debt SO
far created by the war.
At present most of these resources
are untouched by taxation. 1t is evil
dent. therefore. that the assets back
of this real Russia are almost un'
limited
No one need worry about that.
Also, as to chaos in Russia. There
isn't any chaos.
There are elements in the newly
created political life that differ, as
to the details of the policy the gov
eminent should follow.
But such differing exist in every
country that has democracy. You
couldn't have healthy democracy with
out them.
But except for few noisy anarch.
lists and handful OF returned Amer
lean trouble makers the people are
unanimous for the broad principles
Of democracy They don't agree about
their government but they don't want
to assassinate it.
A certain amount of confusion was
absolutely inevitable after the de-
struction of one great system of gov
eminent and before another could be
instituted that would work with per-
feet smoothness in every part of this
enormous country.
Such confusion always comes at
~.