The Birmingham age-herald., 1919-02-14
VIOLENT METHODS OF bOLSHEV|K| ID
 HOLD POWER TOLD
We'll Organized Propaganda System in United States, Is Belief of Prof.
 Dennis
By Associated Press

By AsSoctafen PTeS&
 Washington, February I3.-Nto-
 lent practices Of the bolshexikt to
 maintain themselves in power were
 rccounted today by witnesses mt the
 Senate committce's inquiry into
 IawIess agitation in this country.
 Little definite evidence of boishe-
 vist propaganda in the United
 states was presented, although one
 witness, Prof. Ralph Dennis of
 Northwestern university, expressed
 belief thnt n well organized propa-
 gnnda system had been developed
 in this country. Another witness,
 Russell NJ. story, of the University
 of Illinois. recently returned from
 Russia as Y. M. (. A. worker. said
 he had received the impression that
 people In this country have every
 active md honest desire" to kz>w
 about boIshevic system.
 The committee will decide tomorrow whether to call as witnesses Americans who have defended bolshevism in speeches or published articles. Louise Bryant, speaker at a recent meeting in Washington, at which belshevism was explained. today asked Chairman Overman of the committe for an oppor tunity to be heard.
 Robert Leonard of St. Paul, a former Y. M. C. A. secretary, who was impris- uned for six weeks by the bolsheviki in Russia. on an indefinite time. told the committee today the extraordinA commission for the suppression ot counter revolution ordered the execu- tion of hundreds of political opponents, iL cluding many social revolutionaries ohly little less radical than them selves. Lenine and other leaders, he said. were considered sincere, but they could not control bolshevist organiza- tion throughout Russian provinces.
 NOT REPRESENTATIVE
 Soviets, or communal councils. ss first organized under the Kerensky regime, said the witness, were fairly representative. but soon the more edu- cated and conservative members were supplanted by "riffraff' under direction of bolshevik organization in the large cities. Consequently, he said, the SO viets now are not representative. He estimated that only little more than one-half of Russia now is under bol- shevist rule The witness said Lenino was generally trusted, but that Trotz- ky was feared because of suspicion that he was plotting to get control If the army.
 Most people I met in Russia, said MT. Leonard, wanted the allies 70 come in and save thcm."
 When. asked about bolsheyist propa.s tewrsassst d tht $ sesssn Jseos,.ifa r serred to meeting or Russians which he had attended 10 days ago in Minne- spolis. A Russian at this nfeeting praised the bolshevik system and sneered at the United States while the audience applauded, he said
 "I think some articles I have read In the New Republic are as much ona- sided as those which the so-called cap, talistic publications print" he added. when pressed for further evidence of bolshevism which he had detected,
 ALL ARE BLOODTHIRSTY
 Mir Story, who left Russia last No vember after serving as a Y. M. c. A. secretary, said he had seen terrorism. practiced by both Russian reds and their opponents. .1 cannot say that any one group of Russians arc any more ferocious than any other group. MT Story said. "A great many of the excesses and outrages in Russia came from nervousness of untrained and ill., disciplined soldiers.''
 Witnesses testified the bolshevik au- thorities denied issuance of an order providing for standardization of wom en-" and claimed this report had been circulated by their enemies MT. Leon ard explained. however. that bolshevisf theories oppose home life on the ground that this does not give all children q fair chance. Rearing of children in community homes, he said, was advo- cated instead.