The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1919-08-18
D0lShEv|Sh AFTER
Two YEARS. TEST


Result. Says writer, II = Hussia Ruined.
With Civil war and Laber's Pro-
auctivenesS Reduced.
London. England. Aug. l5.--In an ar
ticle specially written for the Chris
tan Science Monitor, Ariadna Tyrkova,
the authority on Russia, says:
For two years have the Botsheviki
been experimenting on the orgsniza-
ton of a Socialistic state. One would
think that the results would be SUM-
Gently obvious to every one. The coun-
try is ruined The population IL starv-
ing and beggared. The productivsness
of labor has declined. The factories
have stopped working Civil war Is
raging not only on the borders, but all
over the country. All this is related by
j es ewitnesses Russians, X ng is h,
| French. Danes, Swedes. at times even
Americans. Russians are believed the
| least, as for some reason or other 1t Is
supposed that we ourselves are the last
to be able to appreciate the condition
Of Russia properly. Less credit Is given
to the opponents of bolshevism than to
the Bolsheviki. although the latter have
never been famed for their truthful
ness, nor have they indeed tried to
acquire that reputation. They are
splendid agitators and blowers of their
cwn trumpets, and not only throw away
money broadcast on propaganda. but
are likewise very skiliful in organic
ing it.
BoIxhevist Millennium.
TN this article l am not going to
anaiyze all the causes of this naive
trust in the Bolshevik. but will only
point out the Importance of their prom
Uses to establish new and beautiful
Many are tired of the old world. and
many want to believe in the millen-
mum. And here is a company of bold
men who have seized enormous
country with an iiliterate, >simple-
minded population. and are making all
kinds Of social experiments on the in
habitants, and are assuring US that not
only has the secret of A heaven on
earth been discovered by them, hut 1t
has been PITT into practice. The tempta-
I ton is great especially for the work
ing classes. In whom the Rolshevfst
agttators have very skillfully insrilled
the conviction that their whole activity
+ is directed to the happiness ef the in
/ ternationaf proletariat.
Il happened to come across several
numbers Of Soviet newspapers for
! May. 1919. shall quote some gex
tracts and faets from them. Let the
Bolsheviki themselves relate what is
going on m their territory. @e
Their papers ARE complied very
carefully and are official in their ten
denotes, nevertheless in the orders and
/ official laudations of the pro!etariat
enc can hear alarm and dlsappolnt-
ment. A workman who uses the
clumsy om-de plume of 'Hare-com-
tpositor, writes as follows:
i At the present time all workmen
and other inha bitants have only one
/ thought: how to improve their eco
monte condition. Whoever they are,
/ Communists, Mensheviki, Social Revo-
iiutlonaries or simple inhabitants. they
desire to improve their condition as
soon as possible. They have suffered
enough starvation and cold, Izvestia,
day g. 1899
| "Tnorder to improve the economic
f, condition Of the people, it Is first of
! all necessary to organize Labor prop
erly and increase its productiveness.
/ Yet every economic article speaks, one
way or another, of the decline both
J in the quantity and quality OF the
work done by the working classes.
! Whatever the branch of industry,
+ the press universally points to the
same causes. The decline in the pro-
ductiyeness Of the operatives is due
to the abolition Of piecework, the
general disorganization of factories
and works, the decline in the disci-
rlipe of Labor, and also in chronic I'M
derfeeding.' Uzvestia, May IL, No.
1909
/ LAS early as last winter, Keeling, an
/ English workman who had escaped
I from Soviet Russia, thus describes the
condition of his Russian comrades:
, How can one demand productive labor
=, from them, when !, comparatively
| privileged, was so weak with hunger
that | found difficulty in crossing
/ the room"
/ Discipline Of Labor.
All the papers speak openly OF this
underfceding. The soviet men are
trying to find out some means Of
making labor productive under these
same bad conditions OF feeding. which
they do not know how to alter. They
talk a great deal about the restora-
ton of the discipline of labor. They
want to return. and in many indus
( tries have returned, to the old CAPT.
/ talistic method OF paying workrnen
not a daily wage. but for piecework.
I Wherever piecework and premiums
] have been introduced. the productive
ness of labor has increased from IS
( TO SO per cent II is obvious that,
from the point of economics, On the
| whole the proletariat has not GONE
| up to- the standard, andsthat is why il
has been necessary to taxa such meas
ures as the introduction OF piecework
! and premiunas.' writes the Izvestia
| May 6. No. 647).
Very curious issthe notice about
/ the fWorkinr Day' in the PefYn1rad