Evening star., 1919-04-20

starvation in Russia" said he. There
is not enough food in certain centers
-Petrograd. for example. But that
is because the railroads are not func-
tioning properly. The peasants have
plenty of food.
Come they say to us. We will
give you food But we cannot trans
port it,
And about the massacres in the
Streets"
There is perfect order in soviet
Russia" said he. "Of course in that
part of the country where fighting is
going on-well, precisely the same
sort of things are happening there
that always happen in a country a
war"
Trying to Get Recognition.
Mr.. Martens is the blue-eyed. calm
very earnest man who is trying {"
get the United States to recognize
soviet Russia. There are persons
who think that he is extraordinarily
lucky to be out of Jail. inasmuch as
the troops of the soviet government
are now fighting American soldiers
in Russia. 1t is true that Mr.. Lansing
has not admitted that a state of war
exists, but that omission seems not
to have interfered with activities
There are other people who think
that the Russians are entitled TO
hearing.
Some of the latter are presumably
to be found in the ranks of the coun-
ell on foreign relations. which has
suite of Offices on the thirteenth
floor at No. 165 Broadway. Such men
as Elihu Root, Frank N Doubleday.
Oscar S. Straus. Henry Morgen-
thau. George W. Wickersham and
James w. Gerard are of its official
family. It is by far too important
an organization. in all appearance.
to be lightly whistled out of court
/ found Mr.. Martens talking with
Mark o. Prentiss, manager of the
council.
1--WE propose to give these men
hearing" said Mr.. Prentiss. ''on the
evening of April % we shall hear
both sides of the Russian situation.
Each speaker will be assured abso-
lutte fair play while he confines him
self to a recital of facts. Mere abuse
will not be tolerated. We think II is
important that the truth about
Russia be made known"
Mr.. Martens had but five minutes
to spare In that time IL was not
possible to give more than thumb
nail sketch of Russia as he sees it.
Still an Experiment
"An is not going as we'll as we
couId desire" said he. Remember
that Russia is trying an experiment
in government for the first time in
history. ana lndt RUSSIA tldS chiy 49,
trying it for fifteen months. ohe
should not expect too much
will you tell me of Russia
| asked Not opinions. Facts
! The envoy of the soviet government
! began. j shall endeavor to present
! his statements without coloring:
Russia has been handicapped by
lack of transportation facilities. SAID
he. "At the beginning of the war
we had $1,000 locomotives in Russ,a
are making 400 locomotives month
DO you mean" I asked. that shops
managed by societs of workmen are
actually turning out 400 completed
locomotives month";"
Yes" said he. Good locomotives
We have built 1000 versts of track in
spite of the handicap of war"
Then he made a statement which
was even more surprising
I'VE are today making more agrl-
cultural machinery each month"; said
he, than has ever been turned out in
similar period in Russia. Thirteen
factories are at work, but We need
more. That is why 1 want to buy ma
producing again."
these factories are state-owned
and state managed"
"Only the basic industries have
been nationalized," said he. These
are the industries on which the life.
or at least the prosperity, of a ma
| tion depends. All other factories are
still in the possession of their pri-
vate owners"
The latter are managed by work.
mems committees-factory Soviets.
The discipline is very severe said
he. TT is military discipline applied
to industry"
He explained that the soviet theory
is that the man who will not work Is
not entitled to vote. But for the
tte. ho l.
may neither eat nor vote.
Distribution of Food.
There has been no starvation in
Russia, because we very strictly su
pervise the distribution of food. There
are four categories into which those
who are entitled to food are divided.
All children come in the first. No
matter what may be the parentage of
child, it is fed as well as is possi-
BILE. Men engaged in severe manual
labor are in the second category. and
intellectual workers-the Intelligent
sia-are in the third. All others are
in the fourth. Each house has its
own soviet, which supervises the
equitable distribution of the food sup
plies"
There has been some disease be-
cause of under-feeding, he admitted.
There have also been a few cases OF
typhus and at one time cholera
appeared. He pointed to the efficient
manner in which these diseases were
fought as proof of the efficiency of
the soviet government. Mostly. how
ever. he seemed proud of the new
schools the soviet has opened.
There are thousands of them" h.
said literally thousands" His blue
eyes shone. They have been opened
in every village in soviet Russia"
Opened or reopened?"
Opened" said he. Formerly Rus
sian schools were divided into two
classes. One was for the well born
children, in which they were well
taught. The second was for the chill
dren of the peasantry, in which the
teachers were usually the Russian
priests. These were usually very ig-
norant men. Now we are teachinc
the children to work as well as to
read and write. They are taught
trades and handicrafts."
He seemed more panied at recent
statement that 80 per cent of the
adults in Russia are illiterate than
at the charge that women had been
''nationalized."
Publication of Books.
What do the people think of the
Russian woman" he asked with
tolerant smile. But in the matter of