Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1920-12-22
BURSTING THE BLOCKADE BUBBLE

We had made up minds to drop the con-
troversy with Mr.. Crichton regarding Bolshevik
Russia, of course giving him the last word if he
wished it. But in a second letter to us, printed
elsewhere this page, he insists that we answer
his question about the allied blockade of Russia,
which he says "has caused the death of thousands
of Russian -combatants."
Mr. Crichton, in his two letters TO us, has asked
us number of questions, all more or less con-
nected with the blockade; but take it that now
he is referring to his query why we made no mem
ton of the allied blockade in connection with the
frightful conditions prevailing in soviet Russia.
We are prepared to answer his question fully.
In the first place, it seems to us that Mr.
Criehton is trife inconsistent in his attitude about
Russia In his first letter to us, he said that Wash
i ington b. Vanderp was pretty favorably i'm
pressed with what he saw" in Russia In another
sentence in the same letter. Mr.. Crichton mentions
"a blockade that has killed thousands of Russian
children" Either Mr.. Vanderlip poor OBJ
server or if he did see thousands of Russian chill
dren dying of hunger, he 'favorably impressed
any way!
But after reading our extracts from The New
York Times in last Sundays Journal even Mr..
Crichton has abandoned vanderlip an authority
on Russian affairs. So will not pursue this
phase of the argument further, except to quote,
later on, opinions held by leading American So
cialists Russian Bolshevism
Now, as to the allied blockade. We do not at
tach any importance to it for two reasons:
First: 1t is not the cause of the deplorabe
conditions now existing in Russia
Second Even if it were removed, we have every
reason to believe that the Bolshevik chefsjudging
from their past performances-would use the food
imports as a club by which to force recruits into
their army by Withholding the supplies from any
one who did not join their barbarous movement.
Opinions by leading students of current Rus
affairs and Associated Press reports during the
last three four months support both these views
That the allied blockade is not causing the
death of thousands of Russian children is the point
emphatically made by John Spargo, leading Amer
lean Socialist. in interview in the December
number of the The American magazine. beginning
on page TO-
Says Spargo:
"You have heard great deal about the
blockade Russia OF course that is pure .
propaganda. Russia never food-IM-
PORTING but food EXPORTING country,
and the allies blockade (Which, by the way,
favored) prevented any expectation of
food, just surely as it prevented the impor-
tation of other things. All other things being
equal, this ought to have increased the avail
able home supply. The population of the RUS ,
sian cities has been starved by a blockade,
but it the internal blockade established
by the farmers of Russia, who would not sub
ject themselves to the exploitation by Lenn,
Trotzky and company"
That Spargo is apologist for capital, but
would like to other industrial system
supplant it, is shown by the following acknowledg-
ment of the failure of Boshevism:
God knows l have hated czarism with
Unreasonable hatred; but compared with Boil
shevism czarism was free and generous
So / measure my words with all possible
care when l say to you that there has
existed in the modern world greater tyranny
than Bolshevism"
And yet Mr.. Crchton triumphantly points to
Mr.. Vanderlip as saying that "he was favorably
impressed with what he in Russia" during his
lengthy visit of months!
Emma Goldman, sovet-ark passenger, is sc
Socialism to call her Socialist. Yet let us read
what she has to say of Bolsheyism,
Writing in "Travaeur Libre" ('Free Work
MANI, from Petrograd. Comrade Goldman ac-
cording to the same issue of The American maya
zine, declares:
Everything is rotten here. State social
ism state capalism-use any term you like
has deprived of the last grain of lib
erty. Between state capitalism and private cap
italism / would prefer the latter FORM The
best remedy for Boshevism seems to a
Journey through Bolshevik Russia; for large
number of those who here -Bolshe-
visits returned anti Bolsheviss'
Mr.. Crichton denies that he is defending Boil
shevism. Why, then wonder, does he quote
yanderlip-and Mrs. Sheridan, who, he declares
has written that she would be glad to go back t.