The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1920-06-06
Journal Staff Writer Finds
Nothing But Starvation and
Misery In Land of Cars.
TRAVELS WITHOUT PASS
Duckworth Crosses Frontier, Is
Thrown Into Prison, Escapes
and Is Finally Deported.
tsy }. HERBERT ouckwoRTH)
Copyright, 1920. by the Newspaper
Enterprise Association
ESPECIAL CabIel

=
Enterprise Association)
Especial CabIe)
Reval, Esthonia. June 81 have Just
returned after more than three weeks
in Bolshevik Russia.
have seen the real Russia-not the
Russia shown by the soviet officials
in personally conducted tours for COR
respondents.
No other newspaper man without a
permit has crossed the Bolshevik from
tier. reached Moscow and returned.
Russia in 1920 is a land OF horror
Iindescribable.
The people are slowly starving 10
death. Gaunt, apathetic figures stalk
the streets.
The army is in rags. It's equipment
is worn out
The early ardor of the Red revoIu-
ton is gone and Bolshevism, If not
lcrumbling. is slowly decaying.
l spent week in the capital, Mos
COW, another week in the Pskov region
and three days in a Moscow prison
dungeon. to which was sentenced bv
the extraordinary commission for sun
preston OF counter revolution. be-
cause ! had crossed the guarded Boil
shevik front without a permit and
made my way into the interior In dis
regard of the flat orders of the Mos
COW government that no more ''bour-
geoise" journalists would be admitted.
The rest of the time ! was travelling
in all. five provinces:
Petrograd. Pskovs Tver. Novgorod and
Moscow.
My only instructions were to Tel
the truth about Russia in 1920"
came with perfectly open mind. I
travelled about Russia ION my owns
conducting my own investigation and
talking TO the Russian people without
the interference of any government
guide or interpreter. / asked the
soviet government for no assistance,
no favors.
Bolsheyism is failing, not because Of
the counter revolutionary activities OF
the bourgeoise. but because the
workers and peasants are starving.
Because cholera, typhus and all the
other plaques of famine and want are
increasing.
/ interviewed many alleged com
Some of them admitted the
game was up. One man. who said at
least he was a communist remarked:
The Bolshevists are good destroyers
but poor builders"
OF 100000 registered communists.
100000 are believed to be sincere and
the rest simply registered in order to
draw the workers food rations.
1t is impossible to live and remain
healthy, even as a government worker,
on 5000 rubles a month with bread at
500 rubles a pound. The daily ration
Of half pound Of bread and a pint OF
thin cabbage or fish soup is totally in
sufficient I have eaten in soviet
kitchens and I know.
Moscow city is a horror True a
few theatres are open, but no restau-
rants are open. Correspondents who
have sent back dispatches telling Of
Moscow restaurants We're deceived
They were taken TO certain communist
clubs which were represented by Boil
shevist officials TO be public restau-
rants.
Few trolley cars are running. Only
the government has automobiles The
big stores and shops are all closed
There is one train daily between
Moscow and Petrograd. Railroads are
utterly demoralized and permits 10
travel by train are almost impossible
10 obtain.
IL is illegal to deal in food and peo-
pie everywhere are begging bread.
Moscow residents are trading fur
niture, pictures. pianos. clothing-any-
Thing they have-to peasants for food.
At the station in Moscow saw
crowds of children. men and women.
eagerly picking UP bread scraps thrown
from a Red Cross train.
At Tver, Vishni and yolotchok, way
side stations, the peasants were trad
ng milk and eggs for bread only.
Money was positively refused.
What do we want with money!"
hey asked with shrug.
Near Tosno / asked farmer with a
'amily of six how they managed 10
i've.
I'VE live on a half pound OF black
bread daily" he said. except on some
iays-when there is no bread"
Only per cent Of the cotton mills
ire working at all. Half the other
mills are operating at half capacity
our days a week-four hours day.
Many Russians stopped me in the
street of Pskov trying to dispose OF