The Chattanooga news. [volume] (Chattanooga, Tenn.) 1891-1939, 1918-09-09
REFUGEES TO SWEDEN
AMAZED AT CONDITION
FIND NEUTRALS IGNORANT
OF RUSSIAN TURMOIL.
Bolsheviki and Germans To.
gether Control News, Al
though in Conflict.

Stockholm, Sunday. Sept. S.1The
| lack of reliable information possessed
by Finland and Sweden concerning in
tornal affairs in Russia amazed the
| American and Italian refugees who
I have just arrived here from Russian
| territory. They were likewise much
| SURPRISED to find Finland and Sweden
| in such n normal condition.
The bolsheviki and German news
papers and propagandists have the
| field all to themselves In supplying
Russia with what outside information
| they choose and they also monopolize
the repoyts going out OF the country.
Bolsheviki Russia now stands in abso-
lutte telegraphic isolation with the
single exception OF the outlet through
Germany. Tolegraphing is no longer
possible through the Ukraine, Finland.
or north Siberia. Consequently the
bolsheviki wireless services and tho
German colorcd dispatches alone sup
ply the outside world with Russian
news.
Foreign News Censored.
As q matter Of fact, there Is con-
slant friction between the bolshevik
and the Germans over the transmits
sion of information and they are maxi
ing wholesale charges and counter
charges of unfairness in the treatment
of the news. Russia is given little
foreign news except that which in
dicates weakness on the part OF the
entente powers and the strength of the
central empires. The government now
actually prints and controls the few
journals still appearing in Petrograd
and Moscow.
The Associated Press correspondent
at Moscow. who left Russia with the
recently arrived party, testified that
the Americans remaining in Russia
were treated to many announcements
that the Indians were opposing con-
scription over all America and that the
United States was again in the throes
Of an Indian war. The people of the
United States also were described as
starving for the lack Of sugar and
flour and general predictions were
made that the allied activities on the
western and Italian fronts would fail
because the United States and Canada
could not furnish the necessary bread.
No Credcnoe Among Educated.
Such ridiculous stories gained no
credence among educated foreigners |
nor did they believe the wild reports Of
Wholesale starvation in England, where
persons were pictured as falling dead |
from hunger in the principal London |
streets. Finland and Sweden were re-
ported to be in such distress from food |
riots that the American. Italian and
Belgian refugees, who knew little OF
those countries, were wholly unpre-
pared to find Finland comparatively ,
well fed, with prices not more than q
third of those prevailing in soviet Rus
sia, and to discover that conditions
were even better in Sweden.
Germany and Austria are denounced
MS fiercely rs the entente by the boil
shevik press, whose constant aim Is to
create the impression that all the world
Is starving and demanding a proletariat
similar to that existing in
Russia. Japan, China and Siam are
as undergoing widespread
rcvolutions.
Holds Up Hands in Horror.
Instead of there being a demand for
/ bolshevik regime in Finland as the
soviet papers represent. nine-tenths OF
he Firms hold up their hands in hor-
or when bolshevikism is mentioned.
they express a willingness to accept
almost any kind OF a government
nther than undergo another period OF
lot and bloodshed, such as that in
which the Russian reds had involved .
hem. Most of the Films, 1t appears,
re not monarchsts. 1t Is declared
hat probably not more than rs per
cnt. of them. and those mostly in the
'icinity OF Helsingfors, desire to see
finland governed by a king. Even
hese prefer a Scandinavian ruler The
epublicans. however, are not willing
0 assert themselves now lest the red II
eign of terror be renewed. g