Evening journal., 1919-02-12
An Equality of Mud and Misery
Russias HoU its Bogeoe w
Dragged DoWn
by
HonndtP t Perogad, and a ede

OF great importance for grain and pc
troleuIn transport. has stopped. The
barges are rottng in the river. Foreign
shipping is OF no Importance any more.
SO many formalltles have 10 be OBJ
served that business has been made I'm
possible. Large placards on the stree.
corners call on the proletarat to take
possession OF the houses OF the bour-
genisle The nennle a-e put nnl Of
their homes with two hours notice and
must leave their furniture Constantly
one sees so-called conflscaied furniture
aaken out OF the houses while the in
habltants are left to find other qua--
ters.
This Is such common sight that one
hardly notices H. The tragedy OF a
family losing in a few hours all they
and their ancestors have earned and
worked for has become such a daily
occurrence that one passes unmoved,
hardened by the sight OF too mucn mis-
cry.
Servants lead miserable existence.
Nobody can employ them. and at their
wits end they go and offer their se--
vices for nothing Just 10 have a home
and food. Many bourgeo,s'e have tried
10 earn a living by selling newspapers
and sweets. and tales OF ex-generals
selling newspapers and p-incesses
| serving In shops and at counters are
no imaginary tales. But this, generaiiy
their only means OF living. has also
been forbidden 10 them. Those who
possessed pewelry antiques or costly
I furniture have tried 10 sell them when
rhey needed money This also mas
stopped. The transportation OF furni.
, ture without special permission tof
course unattainable for a bourgeois)
has been pohlblted.
Censor IS Supreme.
The army Itself 8 dlsorganized. The
troops in the service OF the present
government are composed OF The most
extreme reds kept by -dlnary
high pay and extra food rations.
The public Is utterly ignorant OF
what is happening In other countries
as well as In their own. Only govern
ment newspapers are issued and they
give only one-sded and misleading
news.
The censor Is a hundred times more
exacting than under the old regime. In /
the beginning some German papers
could be had at Petregrad. but their
import has been stopped lately. so we
were Totally ignorant Of what happen
ed In the universe. Unemployment has
risen enormously. Never before has
the world witnessed such an Intention
al annlhllation OF products and means
as we see now in Russia.
All factories are ruined. The eng mes
are taken away or transported from
one factory to another. The object oi
this Is obvious. The few workingmen
who are sim willing to work must
earn enormous wages, while they do
very little work. Thus the employers
are obliged 20 throw great sums OF
money 20 the workers while their OUT
put Is paralyzed for a long time. per-
haps for good Only a large importa-
ton OF foreign capital shall be able
10 restore the thus spoiled industries.
Nowhere Is there any sign Of enthusl- |
asm for the. present government.
Tie population has lost all energy |
and seems paraylzed. The Bolsheviki /
enjoy themselves in theatres and NOV
ing pictures. at concerts and dances. In
the Imperial palace they have Installed
a moving picture theatre. But the
daye hardly show them
selves In the street, because public
safety Is very lax.
IN the cities | have not seen much
A great deal OF brandy IS
made in the country. but in the cities
alcohol is so scarce that all the eau
ie cologne, and even all the pol sh, has
been drunk.
or course the situation is relatively
aetter in the country, where the farm
srs try 10 keep ,as much as possible
of their grain and other products The
great quantities OF grain and minerals
In Siberia are unaltalnable by the So
vet government.
The Dutch colony has almost entirely
left Petrograd. the foreign population
Is as little safeguarded against the
terrorism OF the Bolsheviki as the Rus
SLAMS themselves. Those who remain
ed have closed aheir ofllces, and like
the bourgeolsie they lead a pit full ex-
islence trying TO sell things In the
streets. Instead OF nfting the lower
classes TO a higher level the new sys-
tenn has dragged everything above ahem
down into their mud and misery.
I