The New York herald. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1920-1924, 1920-11-07

scented the most inhuman and aggressive
aspect of that capitalism which the Reds
have sworn to destroy, yet they made friends
with the Reds and hobnobbed with Lenine
The Soviet Government. which wants
recognition by Europe and America, thinks
that it can get that recognition by pandering
to the greed of these capitalists, and it has
accordingly danged in front of them prizes
OF practically inestimabe value-forests,
fisheries. gold mines, dozens Of square miles
of priceless ore.
Millions Will Be Made bv Some One and
Race Is of the Keenest.
The capitalists OF California and South
Africa will be paupers In point OF wealth
and towards in point of courage compared
to the hard bitten plutocrats who may arise
out of this Russian chaos. The dangers
from Beers. blacks wild animals and Ameri-
can bad men" which figure in the exploits
of pioneers in other parts of the world are
nothing in comparison with the dangers
which these desperate adventurers run In
Moscow. and I do not doubt that histories
and novels and perhaps even Kipling-
esque poetry will be written about those
who succeed. But cannot say that adj
mire them. It may be a good thing to re-
open trade with Russia. but some Of the ad-
venturers who will reopen 1t and get conces-
sons and float companies in England and
America will be inspired by greed and also
no doubt by that itch for colossal CANDLES
and desperate adventures which one often
finds in very great plutocrats who have once
been poor
What cannot forgive them in connection
with this question of Russia's recognition is
their cynical and contemptuous attitude
toward the moral aspect of 1t. They would
betray civilization, abjure their religion and
sell their souls II by doing 50 they could at
tain their own selfish ends. / have quite
as much contempt however, for those Money
Bags of Mammon who refuse to trade with
Russia till that country has acknowledged
indebtedness for all the debts of the Cars
Government These people also would COM
pound any felony so long as they are paid
enough for doing My sympathes are
with those old fashioned people IL such
there be, whose reluctance to trade with
Soviet Russia Is due solely to their high
standard of international morality. Reds
fear and respect these idealists for they are
idealsts themselves.
But even among the agents of materialist
capitalism congregated in Moscow there
were exceptions to the general rule, though
their exceptionally was also due to sordid
motives One American engineer called
Kelley. representing the greatest captains
of industry in America, told Lenine frankly
that all the Russian factories and railways
would collapse IL run any longer on Bolshe-
vik principles, with the result that he had
great difficulty in getting permission to leave
the country. Dutch capitalist called
Schmidt was also imprudent enough to ex-
press pessimism, with the result that he was
refused permission to leave and may be in
Moscow still.
Other Group of Capitalists Cannot Be
Respected.
The other group of capitalists the old
hands who had lost their nerve and were
making for the nearest frontier, were, on the
whole, an equally unlovely collection Some
of them were young men who had escaped
military service and stayed in Russia on
the chance of amassing great riches. When
Bolshevism came they clamored for British
soldiers TO be sent to their assistance. One
man with mine was excessively angry with
the British Government for not having sent
at least hundred thousand men to Siberia.
. Though younger than am myself. he had
not stood by Tommy's side in France; never
theless he insisted very dictatorially on
Tommy being sent, after he had done his
bit" to save his property In Siberia An
other man. with factory, said: II refuse to
run this factory unless a British battalion
is sent to guard IL"
British capitalists In every part of the
world have cut a sorry figure during these
last six years. A British Minister in one
place described to me how they established
offices abroad in order TO escape taxation at
home and how when any thief approaches
their money bags they wave the English
flag and summon fleets and armies to their
help But worst OF all is the Russian cap
talist, who now detests us more than he de-
tests the Bolsheviks because we did not
spend a thousand million on him instead of
a mere hundred million. because we did not
send half a million of men TO his assistance
instead of a few divisions. White Russia is
suffering from a nervous disease which l
would call revolution shock. for 1t is akin
to shell shock. 1t makes no complaint about
those OF the Allies who have offered II prac-
tically no assistance. but US, who have
stood by It's side, ministering to II, for the
last two years II pours the btterest venom.
Some Of the Russian generals whom VIC did
most for have now gone to Berlin and are
our worst enemies.
An American Deserter Who Plots Against
His Adopted Land.
To return, however, 10 the guests OF the
Soviet, there were some Russians among
them. Mr.. Serezhnikov, a cooperative ex-
pert who left Moscow with the Krassin
mission, had long worked for the Russian
cooperatives on the American Pacific coast.
where he was known as Shavchenko He
had been in the American Y. NJ. G. A. in
Vladivostok and belonged to the Social Revo-
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