The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1918-09-09
All Opposition Press Sup
pressed, and Only Boil
shevik News Given
Widest REPORTS
ARE BEING SPREAD
People of Russia Are Fac.
ing a Winter of Hope
less Famine
(Rv Associated Presal


Stockholm, Sunday, Sept. S.-The
lack OF reliable information possess
ed by Finland and Sweden concern
ing international affairs in Russia
amazed the American and Italian
refugees who have just arrived here
from Russian territory. They were
likewise much surprised to find Fin
land and Sweden in such a normal
condition.
The Bolshevik and German news
papers and propagandists have the
field all to themselves in supplying
Russia with what information they
choose regarding outside affairs and
they also monopolize the reports go
Russia. now stands in absolute tele-
graphic isolation from the rest oi
the world with the single exception
of the outlet through Germany
Telegraphlng is no longer possible
through the Ukraine. Finland, ST.
IBERIA or north Russian ports. Con-
sequentIy the Bolshevik wireless
service and the German censored
and German colored dispatches alone
supply the outside world with Rus
sian news.
Constant Friction. p
AS a matter of fact there Is con-
stant friction between the Bolshi-
Wiki and the Germans over the
transmission of information and
they are making wholesale charges
and counter charges Of unfairness
in the treatment of the news. Mean
time the neutral nations as well as
the belligerents are suffering from
the pernicious falsifcations. Russia
is given little foreign news except
that which indicates weakness on
the part of the entente powers and
the strength Of the central empires.
The Bolsheviki have not only sup
pers but the government now actual
" prints and controls the few jour
nails that are still appearing In
Petrograd and Moscow.
The Associated Press correspond
ent at Moscow who left Russia with
the recently arrived party and is
fling this dispatch, can testify that
the Americans remaining in Russia
were treated to many announce
ments that the Indians were oppos-
ing conscrfption over all America
and that the United States was again
in the throes OF Indian war. The
people Of the United States were de-
scribed as starving for the lack OF
such commodities as sugar and flour
and general predictions were made
western and Italian fronts would
fail because the United States and
Canada could not furnish bread.
Such stories were so ridiculous
that they gained no credence among
the educated foreigners. Neither
did they believe wild reports of
wholesale starvation in England
where persons were pictured as fall
ing dead, from hunger in the prin-
cipal London streets.
Finland and Sweden, concerning
which most of the foreigners in Rus
sia had little knowledge, were rep
resented to be in such distress from
food riots that the American, italian
and Belgian refugees were wholly
unprepared to find Finland compare
lively we'll fed with prices not more
than one third those prevailing in
Soviet Russia, and to discover that
conditions were even better in
Sweden.
Hate Everybody Alike.
Germany and Austria are de-
nounced as fiercely as the entente
by the Bolsheviis press, whose con-
stant aim is to create the impress
sion that all the world is starving
and demanding a proletariat gov
ernment similar to that existing in
Russia. Japan. China and Siam are
represented as undergoing wide
spread revolutions.
Instead Of their demand for a
Bolsheyik regime in Finland as the
Soviet papers represent. nine tenths
of the Firms hold up their hands in
horror when Bolshevism lis mem
toned.
They express d Willingness TO ac-
cept almost any kind OF govern
ment rather than undergo another
period of riot and bloodshed such as
that fin which the Russian Reds had
involved them. Most of the Firms,
1T appears. are not n1onarchists. II
is declared that probably not more
than 25 per cent of them and these
mostly in the vicinity OF Helsingfors
desire to see Finland governed by
81 king. Even these prefer a Scandi-
Continued on page g.