The Washington herald., 1919-03-07
Starvation and Disease
Stalk Unhampered Over
All Bolshevik-Ruled Rus
sia, Levelling Victims by
Thousands, with Not
Wood Enough for Cofins.
FAMINE THREATENING
DISQUALIFICATION
Reports to England Place
Responsibility for Appal-
ling Mortality Directly
Upon the Lenine-Tro
Reign of Anarchy---Under-
Nourishment Kills Many.

IN a recital which thrilled and fas
cinated his listeners, Col. Raymon
Robins. OF Chicago, who was in Rus
sis for the American Red Cross, CAV
the Overman subcommittee Of tn
Senate yesterday his impression of tn
Bolsheviki movement and some insid
facts concerning the reasons for 1t
rise to power.
1t revealed secrets of the ambas
sadorial files in Petrograd; it toll
why the treaty of Brest-Litovsk wa
ratified when neither Lenine no
Trotsky wanted it; it explained VIII
the allied powers inrervened wit
troops. in Siberia. Running throug
it all was the story of Col. Robin
intimate association with Trotsky an
Lenine, his definance of their powe
and his efforts to hold Russia in lin
as an enemy OF Germany after tn
Bolshevists had attained the ascen
dancy.
Blames L. s. and Britain.
Standing outsfrom the great mas
of information in this remarkabl
statement-the first public state
ment which Col. Robins has mad
since his return from Russia-wer
these assertions of fact:
.. The Brest-Litoysk treaty
would not have been ratified by
the Lenine-Trotsky government
IL the United States and Eng
land had made response to the
appeals of the American AM
bassador, the British Royal High
Commission. Col Robins and
others for economic relief to the
Soviet government.
2. Leafne and Trotsky were
- not consciously German agents,
they were surrounded by an
archists who were In Germany's
pay and to whom arc charge
able most of the excesses COM
mltfed in the name of the
Soytets.
J. II the monarchy had not
fallen the CEar would have con-
cIuded a separate peace with
Germany I'm thirty days.
4. while English and Ameri-
can ofnclals In Petrograd were
working with the BoIshcyik
leaders to keep them in the war
against Germany, France was
demanding intervention to pro-
tect the vast sums of money
which had been loaned by
French bankers to the Russian
nutocracy.
5. The intervention in Siberia
was "A bad move and merely
served to stir mp tho centuries
old enmity of the SIsvs against
the Japnnese whom they dis
trusted and despi-ed.
Would Aid Government.
Col. Robins was before the com
mittee for more than eight hour
Except for a rest Of ono hour 70
lunch, he talked from 1920 in tn
morning until nearly S o'cIocl
During all of that time he reele
off his facts with the speed of
lightning express. taxing the bes
efforts of the stenographers to kee
up with him.
Committee members present wer
Senators Overman, Nelson and SteI
ling. Others who heard him wer
Senator Johnson. of California. wh
sponsored the resolution in the Ser
ate for the return of the America
soldiers in Russia: Senator Norri
of Nebraska. and Senator France, {
Maryland. The committee room wa
packed with listeners of whom
large majority were women.
Col. Robins began his statemer
by repudiating the suggestion ths
he endorsed the Bolshevik move
ment. He denied that he had eve
favored formal recognition of tn
government Of Lenine and Trotsk
by the government of the Unite
States. He declared that the whol
theory of the Bolshevik governmer
Is economically impossible an
morally wrong" He made no dc
fense of the acts of violence whic
have been committed by the Re
guard in various parts of Russia.
The thing which Col. Robins dc
clared he did stand for was the on
tension by the United States Of hel
to the Bolshevik government. tha
is, help of an economic nature. TAX
ing over Of the control of the trans
portation systems, particularly tn
trans-Siberisn railway. was recon
mended, as was also supplying c
ma chinery and raw materials.
II such help could be given, Co
Robins said. the Bolshevik move
ment itself will fall, because tn
peasants will realize that co-opera
tion with established government
will help them more than violenc
against every government on eartl
Story of the Treaty.
The story of how the Brest
Litovsk treaty came to be rattle
when Lenine and Trotsky bot
were against it, showed that tn
urgent appeals from officials VIII
were on the ground were ignore
by the home governments and ths
Lenine was compelled to supper
ratification OF the treaty after al
hope of receiving support fror
England and the United States ha
been abandoned.
Col. Robins said Trotsky frs
pointed out to him the advantage
which would come from coopera
tlpn between the United States an
the Soviet government. He said:
Trotsky showed me ma
which indicated the position of tn
big guns along the Eastern from
He said that if the Brest confer
enee failed tho Gcrp,aoS ,...,t