The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1919-02-10

mid il in order not TO give =. ~. lie
/ did not tell us how the peasants OF
the province OF Nizhui-No"Sorod
. fought the Bolshevist detaChments.
sometimes VIGOROUSLY. He. did not
tell us that the Russian peasant con-
I sidered the BOlshevist government a
/ failure. because it gave him neither
/ cloth nor tools. nor other prime ne
cessities. He did not tell us shat in
many places the peasants were plant
ing only as much as they needed for
themselves. and that they were neSi-
, tsting 10 plant on the ground which
they seized from the former estate
/ owners because they had n feel lg
. that their title was not clear.
Poor Comparison.
Mr.. Williams tells US that the first
ten men chosen ct random. out Of any
of tHc 1000 SovietS in Russia arc
equal or superior TO the first ten men
chosen out OF any university club in
America in political and economic
education. The most favorable figure
We have Vet seen for the Iiteracy in
! the Russian army was about 30 pc"
cent. For the whole population the
figure would be much less. No one
who loves the Russian people makes
run OF its lack Of literacy. for which
this people is not to blame: but we
are doing the Russian people poor jus
; tice to compare them for the sake Of
eNaggerati"n with rOllege-trained
men in America Such a statement
shows pretty well what kind Of truth
I about Russia" We may expect from
some observers"
Mr.. Williams says that the people
rose i'm thFiT might. put down the
; Gar. and killed the imposter Ras-
putin. lie forRets that Rasputin was
KILLED some months before he arrived
/ i'm Russia and by men of the Russian
nobility in the house Of a prominent
and wealthy Russian RObleman, Prince.
/ Yusupov. -
Then Mr.. Williams says: The Bol4r
Fhevilli have abolished capital punish
uent." How about the 500 persons
who were executed without trial by
order of the extraordinary committee
for combating counter revolution
an execution which is not denied but
justified in letter from the BOlshe-
visit minister Of foreign affairs, Chi
cherin. to Ma jor Wardwell. Of the Red
Cross? 1t is the same old thing-the
difference between theory on paper
and practices in life. -
FOrgetfuI of Starving Peasants.
Again, Mr. Williams tells Of uni
! form pay and better and larger pro-
duction in the factories under Boil
shevist management A little later
he admits that. on the contrary, the.
! conditions in-the factory and in all
/ Industrial life are terrible. but says it
! is unfair to expect anything else.
/ Both OF these statements cannot be
nr
, As a matter OF fact. most of the fac
/ tories are shut down for lack of raw
materials. The discipline and ef-
/ 0ciencyIoI mana cement in many 9TH
ers under worlimen's control were
very Door. and in those few factories
which continued to run up to Septem-
her there was real cooperation De-
tween the former prOprietors and tue
yyorlmen, and the BOlshevikt -kept
their hands off. The Workmen Oh
Russia. who represent. perhaps. 4 per
| cent az the population. are no longer
! behind the Bolshevist movement ana
most Of them are starving.
And again Mr.. Williams SAYS: "Rus-
sia found herself with a minimum OF
( slaughter" Those Of us who have
: seen Russia recently cannot call her
| condition finding herself by any
possib1e stretch Of the imagination
/ There is neither economic nor spirit
nal equilibrium in that tortured
! country.
No Question Box.
| The meeting was over. the promised
question box did not take place. At
least. only one or two questions were
answered. There was no time lot
more Two everyday Americans com
ling out the door were talking. One
aid. What do YOU think Of it?' The
other replied: Pretty Sooo. pretty
/ GOOD" 4 naval officers wife came
out. and some one asked: How olu
Won like it," 1t was Just thrilling
/ she said.
! To as who have been in Russia, who
! have seen the old tyranny, the real
revolution Of March, 1917. the pain
! full effort for democracy which 1aiieu'
and the new tyranny Of the Bolshe-
Wiki. which followed:'to Us who nave
! beeu not with one class, but with all
classes Of the Russian people, from
tho uaIace Of the Car to the izba or
cottage OF the peasant: 10 us VINO nave
I seen violent hands laid on that most
delicate Of all mechanism, human So
cie',-. who have seen everything round
! about Us. freedom, order. education;
/ Industry. home lifc-all this smashed
/ throughuut an entire great country
: i'm the name Of a great boon TO be con
I rer!cd upon mankind-to us this meet
! ing seems neither pretty good nor
! "thrilling.'
Let us have the facts This meeting
! did not give Us the facts about kus-
STA al all II was not meant TO.