The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1919-03-29
GENERAL IS
GRAFT UNDER
Dol REGIME

Stockholm, March 29.-How do the
bourgeoise manage to live at all in
Russia?
Bribery!
The bourgeoi4e il given no bread by
government authority. He is given no
check to buy other foods as is the
proletarian.
But the bourgeoise lives by the dis
honesty Of the tyrants who have roo
bed him.
The corruption of the czar's regime
was we'll known. It reached to every
rank in life.
The corruption of the Bolshevist
government is greater
The Bolshevists have permitted the
continuance Of pensions granted by
the former imperial state where they
do not exceed 5000 roubles-s15t3 in
American money under the old gov
eminent but a mere trifle with the
present depreciation of Russian coin.
First a member Of the bourgeoise
paid % per cent to a soviet official to
have his pension continued. Then
others were compelled to do the same.
Then bourgeoise who never had pen
sions under the old regime got on the
pension rolls by similar bribery. and
now the practice is almost universal
Bride Officials.
Thousands OF Russians who have
gone into Scandinavia have taken with
them vast Sums in roubles They
have bribed port officials with Is per
cent OF the sum involved. The roubles
are sold in Stockholm at a third Of
their par value. They are bought at
home for fifteenth to a twentieth Of
their par value. The transaction Is
very profitable.
One Russian was stopped smuggling
out a million roubles. He was Irinoff,
former district marshal of nobility. He
was beaten, Jailed and starved until
he died. But most OF them get by.
Only one-fifth Of the tax budget for
the last half year was paid in to the
government. In most Of the regions
controlled by the soviets there is no
official tax collection system. Some
times the elected members Of tho
Councils Of Soldiers and Workmen
collect. Then they arbitrarily decide
how much shall go to the central gov
ernment-and the rest goes to the coll
lectors.
A levy of 10000. 900. 900 roubles to be
paid by the bourgeoise was to be In
the OI Tie SOtcTuLIeHI ny LIZ
cember Is. Little of it has been turn
ed in. In some districts only one
ten thousandth part has been paid,
but the Eolshevik tax inspector. Zach
arsky reports two or three times as.
much has been paid in as has reached
the government. The tax collectors
pocket the rest.
Permit Costs as Huch as Suit.
Iu hal IN
roubles a permit to buy a suit of
clothes which costs an equal amount.
A permit to buy a leaf Of bread may
be had by a bribe of five roubles.
Permits may be bought by bour-
geoise to remain in their houses de-
spite the right of expulsion held by tho
Communes OF the Poor. In fact a mid
die class has grown up which acts as
a go-between for corrupt officials and
Russians with little money who
would be permitted to exist.
or course there have ben efforts on
the part of the central government to
stop some OF the eerrurtion in the
lower rarks-and SOME Of the higher
circles. Dzerzhinski. herd of the ex
traordinary commission for combating
counter revolution and sabotage had
five members OF the su-~e-ne council
shot for etea'in-. Ard he had hun
e-eds of others OF ,c~.-@- rank shot.
PVT Dzerzhinski snubtrs Lenine him.
enlf and fell from ~ra">. and others
fond a way - curb h'~ mower. He
TOO hcnest for Bolsnnvism.
"Commissaries.-l honest. Do not
st~,I IRE thu rrprdo-ne <.l~"tiooaries."
- The warning of Lenine in one Of
- sr-~echas.
~ oot<hevists set their own stand
!; OF honesty