The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1920-12-21
XMAS BRINGS
. RUSSIA PEACE
Trotzky Confident Over Future
As Soviet Has No Active
Fronts for First Time.
CONTINUED from First Page.)


entente would grant concessions, now
that we have offered amnesty 10 the
Wrangel crowd and in view or the
utter hopelessness OF their undertake
Ing.
Russian peace, however, was not
wanted in Paris and London. the
result has been that after bitter
struggle and immeasurable losses
Poland got less than we had been
offering her. Wrangeps adventure
In South Russia swallowed up some
tens of thousands OF lives and few
billions OF francs. The result Is that
wrangers hordes were annihilated.
what do you regard as the chiet
problem of the momentY' Irotzky
was asked. He responded:
ECONOMIC PROBLEM
Tho economic problem. You know
that recently returned from the
Donetz basin, where. together with a
commission sent by the council OF
peoples commissars, / studied condl-
lions in the coal and iron field. we
learned that the metal industries and
the coal mines in the Donetz basin
are now beyond danger either from
Armenia or the Caucasus.
'It is quite possible to double or
even treble the production OF coal
within the next few months. l am
convinced that the measures taken
by the government guarantee satls-
factory results We are restarting
the metal factories in the south.
Railway transport is improving. me
attention Of tho country Is being di-
rected from questions of politics anc
war to economic construction. We
are very much interested in interna-
like to be left in peace. On this con-
dition we could pledge ourselves not
to unsheath the sword in the future
"what are your purely military
problems?" Trotzky was asked. He
replied:
SMALL. EFFICIENT FORCE.
1--WE wish to decrease considerably
the numbers of men in the army. bur
at the same time increase the fight
ing ability Of the army. The CAPT.
talistic press has fed its readers on
fancy stories about the alleged dis
integration Of the Red army and
about Comrade Budenny's betrayal,
and So on. There still may be in
Europe some numbskulls who believe
such tales as these.
"As q matter of fact, during the
operations against Wrangel the Red
army reached a new level in eff
cheney and strategy, as well as in
heroism. The Russians showed them
selves good fighters. Our infantry
in particular scored great success.
Among the many trophies captured
from the Wrangel forces we did not
find anything that we did not already
possess"
"What about tho Caucasus and the
Near East?" Trotzky was asked.
Ttotzky replied:
POLICY OF INTENSE WORK.
"Our policy there is the same as on
the Dneister and the Narova-(the
districts where the Red Russians
fought wrangel and the Poles)-a
policy of fighting for peace. States
men of the capitalistic countries, re-
CARELESS Of their Thousand pardons)
bIockh eadedness in questions of rev.
olution and socialism, ought to under
stand that our profoundest interests
political, economic, and cultural
demand a policy Of peace and intense
work"
"What about the predictions Of the
early collapse Of the Soviet regimen
Trotzky was asked. He replied:
1T remind you that Premier Lloyd
George expressed his belief early in
Wet regime would soon come. He
said that such mad regime could
not possibly last Permit me to cal
your attention to the persistency Of
some statesmen in their role Of I'M
lucky prophets. AS to our mad
regime I am really at loss to say
anything in its defense.
NO HEREDITARY KINGS.
'To be sure we have no hereditary
kings at the head of our state as is
tho case in well-conducted countries.
We miss thereby the court life and
its ennobling influence on the people.
We have no dukes, no marshals, no
viscounts no peers, no generals, nor
any exalted sharpers clad in solemn
judicial robes.
1--WE also lack sadly a house of
lords, to whom Lloyd George referred
in 1905 as 'parasitical successors Of
miscreants and parasites, but who
nevertheless, even now continue to
decorated certain civilized countries.
"We have no bankers in Russia, no
capitalists, no usurers who in strict
conformity with all the rules of mod
ern civilization feverishly enNch
themselves during war at the expense
Of others.
ave have no professional parlia-
mentarians who once in Ave years
make the exploited masses vote for
one or the other of the existing bour-
geois parties.
"AIl legislative and executive or
gans OF our republic are subject to
the congress Of workers and peasants,
which meets every December in the
person of thousands of real workers
and peasants. Our task Is to raise the
prosperity and culture of the people