The Washington herald., 1919-03-26
RUSS SOV|ETS
AND LEN|NE SEND
ENJOYS TO U. S.
One Represents Govern
ment, Other Two Leaders
OF Bolsheviki.
$780, 900 TO SPEND
So Declares One, Who May
Not Win Favor Of State
Department.
$2OO,OOO,0 900 TO SPEND

New York, March 25.-A gold sign on
the door, bright red carpets on the
floor, pleasing but rather author
itative girl with a pronounced English
name who wears what might be either
a Russian blouse or a smock, and who
addresses half a dozen or more SEEM
ingly busy men as ''comrade." are the
exterior Indications that the govern
ment Of Soviet Russia is represented
officially in the United States, by S.
Nuorteva, director. 1t is also, for the
present official headquarters OF L. A.
Martens. representative of the Lenine-
Trotsky government.
Not Financing Hungary.
TT is foolish to say that the gov
ernment of Soviet Russia financed
the Bolshevik movement in Hun
gary" Martens said today Money
is not necessary to the establish
ment Of Bolshevism. Bolshevism is
nothing but Socialism put into prac-
tice and the only thing necessary to
bring it about is conditions"
Asked to give clear comparison of
the Soviet Russian form of govern
ment with that of the United States,
Martens said:
THE most important difference is
the fact that the Soviet government
of Russia is more centralized. OF
course. we have more than one So
Wet. as you know. The smallest is
the Volost Soviet which governs one
or more villages and compares, !
would say. with a county in one Of
your States. If the local district
had a population of 100, 900 the Vo-
lost soviet would have $50 members
with full powers to make laws and
govern.
THE Uazd Soviet is the next in or
der of Importance. Instead of being
divided into states. Russia has been
divided into political districts, each
one of which is governed by a Uazd
Soviet, the number of members OF
which are chosen according to popu-
lation, one member being selected for
each 25,lp0 persons. Several of these
of your States except for their de-
tendency on the central government
Have State Soviet, Too.
Then we have the State Soviet,
which is also called the Congress of
Sovlets. 1t has a membership of 15c0
and meets at least every three months.
1t elects a central executive commit
tee of 200. which in turn elects the
central government, which is in a
way comparable to your cabinet. but
we have no E1sident. The central
executive committee remains in ses-
sion all the time and acts in an ad
visory capacity to the central gov
eminent.
mo man in Russia is elected to
office for a stated period. There are
no regular election days. A man
may continue in office for twenty
years without going through a sec
ond election or he may be recalled
two weeks after he takes office.
Every man and woman in Russis
over IS years of age who earns a
living by mental or physical labor
and who is not an employer OF labor
can vote. There are only a very
few exceptions to this rule. such as
the secret police and members OF
like organizations of the old regime
who have been disenfranchised for
ever"
Lenine. he added. had been able
to continue in power entirely be-
cause of his great strength and his
personal popularity.
Controls BankroIl, He Says.
Martens came to this country
three years ago. He was appointed
representative of the Soviet govern
ment last week. He would make no
comment on what action the United
States government would take on
his papers. which have been pre-
sented to the State Department.
Martens says he wants to spend a
large part of 5000, 100000 just as
soon as our government will permit,
for things that Russia needs. He
said Russia preferred to do business
with the American business men
rather than those of European
countries because the American
business man is not as close to poll
tics as his European brother.