Evening star., 1919-02-22
RUSSIANS HAPPY
! !. in REVOLUT|ON'
- sss ssOsS
Lecturer Williams So Tells
"a =
z Senators Investigating
: Bolshevist Propaganda.
SHORT CUT TO SOCIALISM

wInS masses OF the Russian people
aT0 happy in the revolution. Alfred
xhSs Williams, lecturer and writer,
Wld the Senate judiciary subcommit-
Zee investigating boishevist propaganda
tn this country. today. Mr.. Williams ad-
dressed a recent meeting at which
the bolshevist regime was discussed,
and it was the report of this meeting
that led to the Senate investigation.
II know something of the suffering
and the brutality through which some
Of the people of the upper classes in
Russia have gone during the revolu-
ton" said Mr. Williams But the
masses hail the revolution. just as
the others damn IT."
= Was Formerly Minister.
He told the committee that he was
an ordained minister of the Congre-
gational Church. but that he had
gaven up work as a minister three
years ago. He went to Russia in May.
1917, with credentials from the New
York Evening Post, He remained in
Russia until July, 1918.
Mr.. Williams described conditions
az political disintegration in Russia
aS he found them. He told the COM
fo3ttee that the Kerensky govern
rnent was weak. The people, he said.
wanted peace, the land and factories
for themselves and when the Keren-
sky government did not give them
these things they decided to take
them.
ReTolutions in that country, he said
have always been political, but the
Ruseian people were not satisfied
with such a revolution; they wanted
Ito go through with a social revolu-
tf6fIs He said that a Russian had
described bolshevism to him as the
shortest cut to socialism" Mr.. Will
liams said that the Russian people
did not want either IAN East Side"
ora 5th avenue"
> In a prepared statement for sub
pission to the committee Mr.. Will
Hams said:
- Explains His Credentials.
Some gentleman has stated here
that l have been appointed a repre-
sentative of the soviet government.
That he had 1t on the highest au-
thority from a Russian whose name
be could not disclose less ne should
De killed for it. This is shrouded
With terrible mystery-something
which has been proclaimed every
sppang up the idea of the Russian
bureau of public information in
America on the pattern of the Ameri-
can bureau of public information
operating in Russia I was given
credentials for the formation of such
: bureau"
Mr.. Williams said that he presented
This matter to Arthur Builard, head
of the Ame4ican bureau in Russia,
and to Raymond Robins of the Red
we're presented to the consul at Vlad-
isostok and passed through the hands
Of the naval intelligence bureau. the
Department of State and the Depart
ment of Justice. He said, however.
that when he got to Washington he
vas informed that there could be no
Russian soviet Information burkau.
because that government was not
fecognized.
."Thereupon regarded that incl
dent as closed and held my status
% be that of an American citizen
telling the truth as / saw it,"
Fought Hun in Russia.
He said that in Russia he had
fought against the German imperial
fists in their efforts to throttle the
Russian people in the revolution. and
tzaat he had fought every imperialistic
design among the allies that would
throttle the Russian peasant and
workers.
AFTER the signing OF the armistice,
in November, 1s17," Mr.. Williams said.
'xhe commissioner of foreign affairs
q the soviet government. Leon
Trotsky. addressed an appeal to the
tofling masses OF Germany to rise in
revolution.
THE president of the American Red
Cross mission in Russia Raymond
Robins. stated that he would give
100000 rubles for printing that and
getting it into German hands. He
suggested that l should approach
Trotsky. This / did, bringing down
upon my head the wrath of Trotsky,
Who threatened to arrest me as an
agent of American capitalists, who
Nas trying to bribe him. Immediately
6fter this incident, however there was
opened out the bureau Of international
evolutionary propaganda with a big
appropriation to spend on newspapers
and pamphlets in the language OF the
German aud Austro-Hungariau en-
pires.
Believes in Revolution in q. s.
John Reed. who described himself as
a revolutionary socialist, told the SEN
ake committee yesterday that he was
= hrm advocate of revolution in the
United States and that he believed the
bolsheviki regime in Russia was do
ing great work"
He followed his wife. Louise Bryant.
on the stand and. like her, denied
stories Of atrocities. related by pre-
Hous witnesses.
ON cross-examinatiou Reed could
not recall that ne said last Sunday in
a. speech ut Yonkers. N Y, that
Three million rifles are in the hands
OF three million Russian workmen
and soon three million rifles will he
in the hands of American workmen to
do the same thing that is being done
ia Russia" He also said he Couldn't
ipnagine" himself stating In another
speech in New York that he had
started the bolshevist movement and
something doing" in New York, Bal
thmore, Albany. Syracuse. Boston and
other cities OF the east.
Will Open Bureau in New York.
Reed. who spent some time in Rus
sta, freely admitted that he was en-
. tionary propaganda bureau of the
E1fskevist ministry Of foreign affairs
ia Petrograd. and told the committee
that he expected TO start an "infor-
nation bureau" in New York soon. He
said he had discussed the matter with
some persons there, and added:
There are some wealthy women in
New York who have nothing else TO
do with their money"
The witness said he did not speak at
the meeting in a Washington theater
which was largely responsible for the
present Investigation, because he was
considered too disreputable, having
been indicted for saying things that
Senator Johnson has since said in the