New-York tribune., 1920-05-20
Curing Russia's Disease

Curing Russia's Disease
Colonel Edward w. Ryan, of the
Red Cross, in his amazing report on
present conditions in Russia, doc
ument which every one should read
who wants real information, tells Of
his interviews with Tschicherin, the
Bolshevist Foreign Secretary. Tschi-
cherin sadly spoke of the hopeless
ness of conditions in Russia and
feelingly begged for foreign assist
ance, and then began to discuss poll
tics. Colonel Ryan declined to do
so, saying that he was not concerned
with that feature of the situation and
that, so far as he was personally
concerned, Russia might govern her
self standing on her head.
Colonel Ryan thus dismissed as
none Of his affair a matter of funda-
mental Importance. Of little bene-
fit are supplies of food and medicine
if the causes that bring about lack
of such supplies persist. Russia s
troubles are political, employing the
word in the broad sense Colonel
Ryan gave to it. Until a political
cleaning up comes there is not likely
to be any other.
In the winter Of 1917 Russia was
warweary, as were other nations
Decentralization had dislocated in
dustry. Too great a strain had been
placed on transportation and ordi-
nary industrial activities. But gen
orally Russia was as we'll off as
other countries - better off than
many. She was not suffering as
was Italy, for example. Her fields
and her factories yielded their in
crease, and although a bread short
age attacked Petrograd it did not
exist elsewhere.
The first revolution brought semi
collapse, for kerensky, a Socialist
applied socialistic principles, con
fiscated private Establishments anC
placed them in the hands of com
mlttees. Soon Russian production
fell off something like SO per cent.
Men would not work, sometime.
because they were ignorant OF sloth
full, but more often because fellow
workmen somewhere else threw
down their tools. The new system
whatever its theoretical merits, die
not grind out what man needed fo.
his stomach and his back.
Then came the second revolutio,
to complete the ruin. The diseas
was political. Bolshevism, instea,
of creating universal trust and co
operation, as some of it's champion
believed it would, intensified dis
trust. 1t throttled the confidence
men must feel in distant fellow
men if there is to be division O
} labor and a swapping of surpluse
! for surpluses. The main part O
: central Russia has been free of wa
for nearly three years. The Bol
shevist power has been unexpected,
: successful in its military enter
) prises, for Trotzlly in his arm.
, quickly established the discipin
: and used the methods of the oil
5 order. But in economic life frs
there came a palsy and finally a.
= almost absolute paralysis.
2 The average Russian, driven OF
/ by the ineXorable instinct of self
/ preservation, seeks to be individual
4, self-sustaining, and in consequence
g loses all the gains that come from co
/ operation. ParadoXically, socialist
Russia has become intensely, evel
7 savagely, individualstic in her life
Socialism does not always work ou
E as Its devotees anticipate.
/ The Red Cross organization, non
1 partisan and international in it
work, has not eschewed politics. TIL
l policy is natural one, but not
wise one. Russia and adjacent coun
tries infected by her spirit would b
| in no great need to-day if the Re,
| Cross agents, seeing realistically
had devoted their first effort to get
ting rid of Bolshevism.
Whether Russia and other coun
= tries stand on their heads or not i
: of immediate consequence.
: 1t has an amiable and liberal SCUM,
to saw that Russia should he allowe,