South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1919-11-16
fRr q $50 Oorrespondent.l

(By a Special COrrespondenLD
CoPENHAGEN. Nov. IA Rus
sian gentleman whom knew In Pc
trograd In 1911 lately arrived In
Copenhagen. and presented me with
3 batch OF Moscow newspaper cut
tinKs and miscellaneous pamphlets.
some OF which cast an instructive
light on the psychology. motives and
policies OF the soviets and OF the nu-
merous disconnected but helpless
Torthodox bolsheviks who have come
into open opposition 20 the psuedo-
bolshavist government OF peoples
commissaries. The publication OF
the first are optimistic; those Of the
second unrelievedly gloomy.
The official newspaper Pravda, eX-
uIting over the half-hearted exacu-
alton policy of England. ard derid-
ing the former half-hearted inter
vention policy. even afiirms that the
soviet system Is lmpregnably an
chored." which mixed metaphor ex-
presses the truth. or would express
Il n economic exhaustion did not
which the allied powers have not
been able 20 overflow. So confident
is the Pravda that II foreshadows
mutually profitable trade with our
imperialist foes" and urges for this
aim the creation Of a special cur
rency. The present almost value
less credit-note. Il adds. will do wei
enough for home transaction until it
Is happily superseded by trade in
kind. The plan IS interesting. if
only because the Danish Prof. Brick
lately propounded similar scheme
in the Copenhagen borsen as the
mos practical way out OF Germany S
exchange difficulties An older issue
Of the Petrogradshaya Pravda is
equally confident. II predicts "the
acceptance by unwilling Europe Of
our revolution. just as unwilling Eu-
rope In the end accepted the revolu-
ton OF France"
Orthodox MalcOntcnts.
This optimism. in view OF the in
ability of western Europe and Amer
lea 10 do anything. or even TO leave
things decently alone, is convincing.
The rift in the lutte is that the ortho-
Rdox bolsheviks the advanced COM
munists. and other still faithful ad-
herents OF the original comm unist
doctrine are highly displeased with
the methods Of soviet success. They
almost show signs OF preferring the
entente imperialists" 10 their own
self-eIeVated magnates-Lenin, TrOt-
sky. Krasin, Ragin. and the other
efficient stick-at-nOthing men who,
by sacrificing bolshevism con Henri
Quatre's principles: "A kingdom is
worth a mass"). have set the soviet
power on a more stable basis than
81 has occupied since November.
1917. These men, particularly the
las three, who are more practical
and OF lower caliber than Lenin,
with his genuine world -bettering
idealism and his cynical reservation
that nothing in the world is really
worth lettering. are distrustful and
6itied as renegades 10y the orthodox
bOlsheviks The intellectual and
moral cleft is so wide ard deep that
81 would destroy the Moscow govern
ment ia a day IL the vigour and
were as their anger. But that is not
so. therefore, the many orthodox re
main impotent grumblers, while the
Few but far ADLER oppOrtunist bosses
at Moscow achieve the aim of
statesmen alike under autOcracies
and democracies-they remain tli-
umphantly in power.
GeneralizatiOns about Russian
tendencies are risky. even when they
come from persons versed in Rus
sian affairs. at two successive pc
RODS. first as undue disparagement,
next as undue eulogy and extrava-
SAINT hopes. they were nearly
wrecked British foreign policy But
one general observation about cur
rent Russian history Is fairly safe;
the decay OF doctrinaire Lolshevism
o. quickly proceeding among all the
Lolsheviks who really count and a
clear sighted. unshrinking and judi
Ciously unprincipled power-poiicy is
taking)its place.
Able Men Too Late.
The skill. particularly in the mill
tary ap..s- economic domains which
D. now htllE NllOW TT NNulQ nave con-
-oIidated the soviet system definitely
had it been applied in time. But II
needed two years OF revolutionary
IIuN-personal intrigues, shiftings OF
hich officials and general fuidity-
TO bring she really able bolsheviks
TO the top. and so. with the eNcep-
ton OF Trotsl1y, whose talents ne
one doubts. the military and inuus.
triai organizers are relatively new
But as no man could emerge from
the bolshevist welter unless he had
tough moral characteristics OF tn,
man who stays, we have today d
bolshevist oligarchy as crystallizec
and stable as was the bureaucracy
OF the Tsars. Power today as then
is nourished only ON power. not OF
principles. So the hrst easy task Of
every leader OF the administration
! OF the army, OF the all-embracius
N-ouncil OF National Economy, Is {,
shed what thin rags he had OF IN,
old communistic. hberationist ideol
ogs and put on the easy costume o.
things as they are.
This means conflict Only a few