The Washington herald., 1920-03-01
SOVIET VICTORY
SEEN IN POLICY
ALLIES FOLLOW
Political Coup Before ~Su.
preme Council Equals
Military Successes.
London Times Public Ledger Service.
Special Gable Dispatch.

London Times Public Ledger Service.
Special Cable Dispatch.
Copyright 1870. by Public Ledger Co..
Stockholm. Feb. ga Swedish
Official in touch with the leading
men of Bolshevist Russia declares
that the decision Of the supreme
council in London on it's future pol
icy toward Russia can be regarded
as the greatest political victory OF
the Soviet government, equslling its
military successes on all army
fronts. The press here in general
is Of the opinion that the CONNER
cial effects of the decision are not
great, and that 1t will take a long
time for the opening up of trade
with Russia to produce practical
results as the difficulties of trans
port under a system of exchanges
in kind are almost impossible.
Members of the Russian CONNER
cial delegation at Reval declared
categoricaily to Esthonian business
men that the Soviet government is
prepared to pay for all purchases
in gold.
No Basis Of Exrhange
1t cannot treat on a basis of ex-
changes in kind, as the difficulties
Of transport render 1t impossible to
collect country produce in city CEN
ters where Il can be delivered in
exchange for foreign goods; that
trading Independently wi,S the, cyz
operative societies is out Of the
question. as these under direct gov
ernment authority are exclusively
represented in the Baltic region by
the commercial delegation at Reval.
which is prepared to negotiate for
the purchase of what Russia prin-
cipally wanted - railway rolling
stock and agricultural machinery.
They are already negotiating with
British and American commercial
agents for the acquisition of some
Of those #E
Trotsky was among the first in
Russia to realize the immense i'm
portsnce of remedying the deplor-
able state of the railway trans
ports. Leaving the supreme com
mand of the army to Gen. Poiivanov.
the minister of war. and Gen. Brus-
sclov, commander-in chief on the
western front, he has taken in hand
the organization of railway traffic,
mobilizing a whole army corps for
the repairing of lines and for work
ing in factories to produce rolling
stock.
Military Organized Industry.
The strongest militarism he has
enforced in the army. creating power
fully disciplined and efficiently Of
ficcred forces out of unruiy revolu-
tionary elements, is now brought to
bear on these military organized in
dustrial contingents which are heavy
paid but made to work at high speed
for twelve hours a day.
"hcH iiotShy' tHen uttTciy Leira
Bernstein. political reformer. was in
exile in Vienna in 1896, he was weH>
known in tn" Cafe Central as a
first-rate chess player and used to
earn his daily meal there by solving
lessons in clever moves on the chess
board. He is now using the russian
lproletariat as tho available ,pawns
He is politicizing the soldiery into
ia we'll disciplined. efficient army,
and lazy workmen, bent solely on
meetings and noisy demonstrations,
into hard-working. Industrial Ia
borers.
RoiiipsS Stock Needed.
Whether this val sufiice the all
powerful Trotsky 20 restore the di-
lapidatcd railway system to proper
e...i,hcy. is another question. 1t
will depend chiefly ON how far he
succeeds in obtaining large consign-
ments of rolling stock from abroad
Considerable orders for sections of
machinery, component parts for re-
pairing locomotives and railway
carriages have been placed in Fin
land and in Esthonia but these are
only drops in the ocean compared
with the vast requirements. TAX
ing advantage of the Industrial
strike and lockout in Sweden, he
has, by offering high wages and spe-
cial indemnities, endeavored to en-
list about 1000 Swedish skilled la
borers to act as foremen to direct
the enforced labor of his soldier
workmen.
Trotsky's proud boast to the So
Wet assembly that he would enroll
the whole population of Russia to
serve the Soviet either In the army
or in industry. Is in a fair way of
being realized. All active opponents
have. been rsostly exterminated or.
have ned. Acts of Wholesale mas
sacre consequently are Diminishing.
Those who have lost most In author
it- and prestige are the formerly
ail-powerful local commissaries and
babbiing political agitstors. The
army Ia wellsin hand. the officers be-
'ihGsfcf the iniperial regime. The
workmen are hound 70 work.