The Washington herald., 1920-04-24
Men and Business
By RICHARD SPILLANE.

Anyone who has opportunity 20
listen to William c. Huntington talk
on Russia can learn much about that
troubled country.
Mr.. Huntington was our CONNER
cisl attache in the land of the
Muscoyite. His term. while not long
in years, began while the Car was
supreme, continued through Keren-
sky's regime and embraced a period
while Lenine and Trotsky have been
in control.
To understand the Russian oues-
tion. he says you must know some
thing Of the climate. the isolation
and the history OF the empire. You
must know, too, the cleavage Of the
Glasses and the extreme passivity Of
the vast bulk Of the Russian peo-
pie. This passivity has come from
long years OF oppression, from the
centuries when Russia was under
the Tartar yoke. and next Romanof
autocracy with serfdom Il was
only in 1861 that the serfs were
freed. so the Russian peasant NAV
be said to have had liberty only as
long as the American negro and
has not had his opportunities for
self-eXpression and improvement.
As body. Mr.. Huntington says.
I the Russians lack initiative and
love OF accomplishment. il is be-
cause OF that fact that determined
men OF the Lenine and Trotsky type
were able to seize the reins OF gov
eminent when the armies broke
down and German agitation added
to the collapse of Russia. Lenins
he describes as fanatic, sincere I'm
purpose but not in methods With
the violent introduction of Socialism
there came a crude application OF
Karl Marks theories. He illustrates
this by saying the revclutioniSts
would take linz out of the con-
text of Marks book. such as "seize
the lines OF government" and apply
il literally. without considering that
Marx said that this should not b.
done until the people had prepared
themselves and fitted themselves to
govern themselves.
Leuine and his coterie, Mr.. Hunt
Iington explains. are in no way con-
structive. They are propaeandists
pure and simple. They preach a
new order and are more interested
in preaching than in building up q
new republic per sc. They preach
new heaven and a new earth but
do nothing to bring such things
about. They are immoral In that
they excuse any act they commit
on the ground that the end justin>S
the means. That explains thetr
duplicity. their lack of sincerity,
the sheer brutality Of some Of the
things that have been done in the
name OF Bolshevism.
Seeing their inability to do con-
structive work and seeing their
whole structure in danger OF col
lspsing. they have been forced 20
seek aid from the class they pro
fessed TO sbominate. That explain,
why they have been drawing vari-
Gus of the oourgeoisie into lhaAr
council.
Instead Of a workmen', rover,-
ment the soviet government has be-
come a perfect autocracy. The
right TO strike has been denied.
Workers who are not obedient or
who are suspected Of being restiye
are placed under surveillance. And
the people. who now are ordered
and impressed more than under the
old regime, accept IL because Of
their native passivity.
The task OF not only the Boil
shevists, but Of the nations opposed
to Bolshevism. is to unlock the re-
sources OF Russia when Russia is
under the control OF a government
that is opposed to what we know or
term as a democracy.