New-York tribune., 1919-02-12

people peace, land and bread. Their
never been large, aud they had diff
Guilty in getting any but destructive
orders executed. Also, graft in Rus
sia had never been so great as under
their government, with this difference
from the graft of imperalistjc days,
that the Cars servants kept their word
wnen the graft, which was we'll stand
ardlzcd, had been paid, while the Soviet
members were quite ready to accept the
gift and then kill the giver.
Peasants Turn on Soviets
In spite of this, the sovets at first,
because of the reaction from the old
regime, had wide powers But as time
went on and they failed to keep their
promises the people turned away.
Lately even the peasants have shown
signs OF wanting to pay for the land
they seized and thus clear their titles.
nave little interest in any other poll
cles: They have also been turned
against the soviets by the seizure of
their food by the Red Guard. Mr..
Huntington told of one instance where
he had known of party of Red
Guards, starting on a foray, being
defeated by the peasants and coming
back tor relnforccmcnts. The peasants
constitute about 50 per cent of the
population he said. To them, as
among the disaffectcd, must be added
many of the workers who have neither
food nor peace.
In spite of this, he went on, the
sovlets hold their power, chiefly by
machine guns, which are wonderful
weapons for controlling crowds of any
kind. They also have suppressed all
but the official press. so that discon-
tent has no open voice, and though
their control Of the railways, poor as
they are, they occupy a strong strategic
position.
Terror Greatest Weapon
But the terror is their greatest
weapon. DR.. Huntington did not like
to tell startling stories, he said, though
there were many that might be told
But throughout his testimony Incl
dents of the terror kept cropping out
He mentioned seeing the spot where
an officer standing on the curb had
been SHOT down in cold blood by
passing sailor. who never broke his
stride for the murder. lie told of
seeing people dragged away to the
prisons, of friends who had been in
the prisons, of the murder Of British
officer Captain Cromie), who tried
to defend the Embassy, sacred ground
under all civilized government from
invasion. Of the steady professions Of
people from the prisons going out to
execution,
He had not seen any executions him
self, he said. Many of them were at
night, and of these many were in cell
lars. But the facts were established
and the Soviet officials not only did
not deny them, but avowed them open
ly, and melted them by proclamations
Tschitcherin's Reply Cited
He cited the reply of Foreign Min
lister Tschtcherin to a protest against
the cruelties:
the whole world we declare that
neither hypocritical protests nor
pleas will protect those who take up
arms against the workers and the
poorest farmers, who would starve
them and embroil them in new wars
in the interests of the captalistic
class We assure equal rights and
equal liberties to all who Loyalty do
their duty as citizens of the Social
ist workmen's and peasants gov
ernment To them we bring
peace, but to our enemies we bring
war without quarter. We are con-
NlICtu lIldl tllt masses Ill All COun-
tries who are writhing under the
oppression of small group of ex-
ploiters will understand that in Rus
sia force is used only in the holy j
cause of the liberation of the people.
And that they will not only under
stand, but will follow our example"
In another letter sent to Major
the American representative /
of the Red Cross, who had protested,
the Foreign Minister charged, first |
that the Allies were committing afro
cities against which the Red Cross had /
never protested; secondly, that the war
itself was far greater atrocity, and i
finally, that the industrial system of
the world was the greatest of all, call
ing it "every day murder"
He went on:
Petrograd Executions Admitted
"You speak of the execution of 500
persons in Petrograd. . . Among
them are 200 men executed on the
decision Of the local organization,