New-York tribune., 1918-02-08
Lenine Advises Peasants
To Seize Hoards Of Rich
Problem of Distribution Complicated by Approach of the
Planting Season and Return of Many Soldiers
to Their Native Villages

PETROGRAD, Feb. 6.--With the ap-
proach Of the spring planting season
land distribution is becoming an acute
problem. Unemployed workmen, who
are leaving the cities for their native
villages to get land, are spreading the
economic struggle throughout Russia.
The All Russian Congress of Work
mems and Soldiers Delegates ad-
journed without adopting the plans Of
M. Kalegayev, the Minister of Agri-
culture, for the apportionment of the
land. Consequently no definite lcgisla-
ton has been established for the meth
Cd Of division.
| The land-owning peasants as we'll as
the bourgeois are to be deprived of
their estates. Premier Lenine to-day
addressed large gathering of agita-
tors who are to depart soon for the
provinces to lead the confscaton cam
paign. He urged them to make war on
all village exploiters and rich peasants
as they did on the wealthy landowners.
eve have taken the land to give 1t
to the poor peasants" the Premier said.
do not let the rich peasants or ex-
ploiters get the agricultural implc
ments. Pit ten poor peasants against
every rich one. The police are dead
and buried and the masses must take
| affairs in their own hands.
TnfnrroJ uyor po~;,o
External war is finished or is being
finished now Internal war begins, bu.
not war with arms. This is an eco
nomic war. The masses must take
back what has been stolen from them.
The rich. who have hidden their wealth,
think the masses will pull them
through. Somehow we must uncover
the hidden wealth or otherwis the
Bolshevik government Isl bankrupt.
"The republic needs twenty-eight
billion rubles annually. Its pro-
spective income is only eight billion
rubles. The hidden wealth must be
uncovered and placed at the disposal
OF the government"
Increasing distrust of paper money
is making the economic and food con-
ditions worse in Petrograd and else
where. Thcrc is no hard money, and
|
regime is eagerly sought
The circulating medium now chiefly
is poorly printed bills. two inches
square and in denominations of twenty
and forty rubles. This money is re-
ferred to contemptuously as "Kerensky
money" and is discounted in many
places. The situation is rendered still
more serious by the appearance of
much counterfeit money
Discussing the flood Of paper money,
the "Izvestia" estimates the present
amount Of Russian paper at Is, 900, ,OOO,-
600 rublcs, as against 1888 900, 900
rubles before the war. The gold re-
serve before the war, which the news
paper says is much less, was / 1,e04 ,Oo0.-
600 rubles. The "Izvestia" estimates
that the national debt of Russia is now
about $4,000 100000 rubles, of which
41,000, 100000 is war expenses.
War Increased Paper Money
The war increased the amount OF
paper money more than ten times, but
the 'Izvestia" points out that prices of
manufactured articles have increased
clares that it would be Impossible to
liquidate the results of the war under
capitalistic regime and says it is nee
essary to take immediate measures
during the transition period to protect
the public against the consequences of
flood of paper money.
1t suggests the rcvaluation Of the
ruble, but says that such course is
impossible until the end of the war and
until the gold reserve is increased.
The "1zvestia" says that the leaders
who frame a commercial treaty be-
tween Germany and Russia should
u,
the inevitable necessity of legal re-
valuation" 1t also suggests the re-
vision of all tariff schedules and SAL
ary lists.
Estimates of expenditures for 1918
by the various ministers of the Boil
shevik government total 28,O00,00O, 900
rubles The budget is said to show an
expected income of only 5,o00,00o,00O
rubles
Fifty persons were killed and 200
injured in train wreck near Kalash-
niko, in Samara Province. The wreck
was caused by soldiers, who seized the
train and forced the crew to run it on
the schedule of another train.
1t is announced that the Bolshevik
army headquarters will be moved from
Mohilcv to PetOgrad
Denmark is providing money, food
war prisoners congested in Petrograd.
The Bolshevik government announces
that large numbers of these prisoners
will be permitted to return home next
week,
Krylenko Cuts Of Polish Supplies
Ensign Krylenko, the Bolshevik COM
mander-in.chief, has issued a decree
ordering that all supplies be cut off
from the Polish Legion in the Russian
ermy and declaring its commander,
Dovbor Mousnitsky, an outlaw. He
also appeals to all Bolsheviki to leave
Polish commands.
The decree was prompted by the re-
fusal Of the Polish commands to reduce
their officers to the ranks and submit
to Bolshevik democratizaton Ensign
Krylenko says that the Polish office RS
are under the control of the Polish
bourgeois, who are unwilling to sub
nit to popular rule