New-York tribune., 1919-12-21

Whites. '"'
The political organization of the
.ked' army is its most interesting
feature. Every conceivable means is
Communists, even If only in name
Coaxing, hoaxing, and force. are ap-
plied in turn, bat with equally futile re-
suits. 1t is often easier to make them
tight than to make them join the Com
munist party, because they are ALWAYS
being assured that the Whites are al
ready beaten and that the war will be
over in week. The miserable peas
ant. especially the newly mobiiized,
then fights blindly just to get it
over
Ample Propaganda
can order was issued in July bv
Trotzky for the preferential dispatch
of trains bearing literature to the
front. Even troop trains were to be
detained, if possible, to allow propa-
ganda trains to reach the front sooner.
Vast quantities of literature, all of it
Communist, are printed and dis
tributed gratis. The propagation of
any other political ideas is a criminal
oftense as aiding the "counter-revolu-
ton"
Only one aspect of this propaganda
mas met with considerable success. Ex-
hortations to fight for the establish
ment of the bourgeoisie, for the aboli-
tIon of capital, are of no avail. The
peasant does not understand these
things. Besides, he has seen these
experiments in working and formed
his own crude conclusions. Even the
division Of riches among the poor
- longer appeals to him, for he has
learned that the benefits are followed
by responsibilities in the form of taxes.
etc, which he does not want to pay.
But the painting of the White in the
most lurid colors imaginable, aided
by the fantastic stories told by bogus
deserters from the Whites, in which
ever conceivable atrocity is attri-
buted to the latter, who are said to
burn every "Red" soldier whole, afte~
skewering his eyes out, and so on.
has certainly had the effect of making
many Red. soldier think twice be-
fore deserting.
Mistakes Reported
AT mass meeting in Petrograd, III
novletf quoted what he said was AN Off
cial statement in White Guard news
paper, in which Gas he said) General
Yudentich publicly declared his inten-
ton on taking Petrograd TO massacre
wholesale not only the workingmen and
women, but their children as we'll, as
these reptiles will present no less
danger to bankers and landowners in the
future than their parents do now'
One of the Communists in the regi-
ment to which | belonged was Jew,
rare occurrence in the army, where
there are hardly any Jews. The only
posts in the army held in any number by
Jews are the political posts of Com
missars. The reason why there appear
to be so many Jews in the Boshevst
administration is that they are nearly
al employed in the rear. and particu-
larly in those commissariats that are
not concerned in fighting. There is
large preponderance of Jews, for in
stance, in the Commissariats of Food
and Public Economy, and it is to this
fact and also to the fact that the Jews
In minor offices are so exceedingly OBJ
trusive in their manner that the pop
ular conception is due that Bolshevism
is run by Jews
AS matter Of fact happen to know
there Is very active Jewish counter
evolutionary organization in existence
in Russia, one of whose objects is to
destroy the impression that all Jews
are Bolshevlsts. The murder Of Uritzkv
and the attempt on Lenin's life last au-
tumn were both committed by members
OF this organization.
Jews Dodge Fighting
The fact that Jews so success sfully
evade military service has still fdrther
accentuated the popular feeling against
them. The Jew in the Communist group
Of my unit was obviously placed there
to eavesdrop and report on the sub
stance and tenor of conversations over
heard by him. When the regiment was
moved down to the front he disap-
peared, doubtless having received an
other job of similar nature farther
from the front
"Desertion from the Red army on
the Petrograd front reached an in
credible figure in the early summer.
troops had to be sent down to the
front unarmcd and in locked box cars.
whole series of measures were in
troduced to cope with the evil. the SOL
diers being threatened first with de-
of all right to return'to the
and, and finally with arrest of their
families. When all these measures
failed the brilliant idea was hit. upon
Of inviting them to come back with
complete imnunity. The idea was such
IN original one and after all the dread
ful threats came with such .startling
iuddenness, that very large number
returned, though many of them wita !
-he avowed intention of deserting
again if there were any fighting to be
dome. AS long as the fortunes of war
favored the Reds desertion remained
within reasonable limits, there being
always tendency to remain on the
side.
Try To Be Neutral"
Tearing to desert the Whites. but
having the Communist system which