Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1917-07-29
RUSS|A'S GRIP OF
STEEL is broken
individuals and Groups Now Are
Acting on Their Own
Impulses.
RESULT OF REVOLUTION
Chaos Now, but Order May Come
When First Intoxication
Is Over.
RESULT OF REVOLUTION


Belgian Minister of State and head OF
the Socialist international organiza-
ton. returned from trip to Russia
He writes his Impressions for a Lon
don newspaper as follows:
AT the moment Of my departure
from Russia I should like to sum urI
my impressions. Renan used to sal !
apropos of the French Revolution: Let
US be careful not to apply our Httle|
reasonable. bourgeois programs I'd
events Of such ampiituder The SAND
must be said now of the Russian Revo
luton.
I'm single day the government Of
an empire of $50. 100000 souls, which
had JEALOUSY destroyed all local auI
tonomies. has crashed down. dragging
with 1t in its fall the Duma. which wal
but body OF privileged men. a nerd
shadow of national representation.
GROUPS ARE ACTING
on THEIR OWN IMPULsF|
What was, Is no longer. and wha
is to be. is not yet The wretched
state of the finances. tho disorder Id
the food supply. the chaotic condition
of transport. the systematic disorI
ganizat ton Of the army: which wer{
causes OF the revolution: all these now
appear In the light of day. The grill
OF steel that hitherto gave a semb|
lance Of cohesion to the Russian statl
has been broken apart, and Individual
and groups are acting on their owl
impulses.
The non-Russian peoples are proI
claiming their Independence; tho in|
dustrial workers are clairninE conf
troll over The factories, the soldierI
are protesting submission to no otheI
discipline than that of their cammitI
| tees. granting themselves holiday
without leave to go and sec what II
going on In their Villages. imprison|
| ing officers With whom they arc dis|
contentrd and, not content with hav|
ing their delegates in tho provisional
government. exercising on the lated
through the intermediary of thei|
Council OF Workmen and Soldiers Del
eeates. control over every step.
| Finally, she peasants, too. in thei
turn. are stirring, and in certain did
tricts are showing ~distnclination Il
await tho reunion OF the CONSTITUTED
Assembly before exercising .thcir riEntI
| 10 recover t.c and.
| In shrr- full anarchy Is upon Rus
sia. and it is nat surprising that !
| should be 80 Oh the morrow OF a REV.
ciution which Is The most thorough
going thR.s has ever happened.
But what docs astoni,,., US westI
crners Is that III. anarchy. this eclips|
Of authori..,. has not at I'LL the com
sequences thu: it would Inevitable
| hay In !
GUM.
NOTHING hut MILITIA
OF VOLUNTEER SOLDIER
| up to the last few days. for ed
ample. Petrograd has no longer AMI
police or gcndarmery OF. public forcI
of any kind: nothing but militia d
volunteers. thinly distributed and pow
erless. Were such a state of affair
to exist in London or Paris or Brus|
sells in the midst of a period of rev
oiutionary tension. friGhtful thing|
| would be certain to happen.
Here there is no: such consequence
save tor few appropriations and
| few individual misdoeds. Lenine AMI
his friends make themselves at honn|
! In the palace OF ballet dancer; AMI
archists try to lay hands upon TIL
typographical material Of Conserva|
tive journal. But amidst general .calr|
which is perfect, absolute, almost dis
| ccncerting. social life goes without
ever the conflict OF opinions giving rIs|
TO Interruptions by violence or trouble
or disorders.
From the point of view OF tolerance
and courtesy we would have much n
learn from Russian gatherings. TIL
most absolute freedom Of the platforrI
exists at them. not merely as a righl
but in fact.
Similarly. in the factories everJ
man works as his own head directI
him. The foremen have no voice. TIL
discipline OF authority Is absolutel
nonexistent. and 1t is true that al
This does not work out we'll. Produc|
zion has gone down considerably. TIL
leaders of industry find 1t impossible
to tace the formidable demands FOL
increases of wages. though on tn
other hand these are to be explained
by the depreciation OF paper moneJ
and the fantastic increase in the cos
of living.
Yet IL all tais does not work we'll
nevertheless 1t does work. and Their
is good reason to believe that oncI
the FIRST intoxication of the reyolu|
ton Is over II will work better"
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