Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1920-01-18
ROOT SAYS THAT
 ! AMERICAN PEOPLE 5 OWE RUSSIA DEBT
Lust Get Behind Our Words.
 Declares Washington \ Lawyer

A"HSSs ol iTlendSnlp nave been e@pty except for the language used n making promises, he contends. Enc views of the former secretary of e1fte on the perplexing Russian question were voiced in an address a a private dinner of the American. Russian Chamber of Commerce in tis city December 29, at which no
 4porters were present. At the re-
 quest of members of the organi-
 4tion, MT. Root consented to hay iSg his remarks made public.
 2After denouncing the "horrid
 &xoup of cut-throats and assassins''
 how in control of Russia, MT. Root
 declared they could be fought most
 effectively by supplying the "self-
 4crificing men who are now trying
 save tHeir country" with muni-
 Ions of war, shoes and clothing and
 Money to pay their troops.
 k"There are three or four things
 Ewould like to say" Mr. Root said.
 0ne is that we are in default as to
 Hussia; the American people is in
 default. We have made promises,
 yf have used the strongest words
 the English language. don
 Mfow whether there are any strong
 q words in Russian. But if there
 are and we had known them, we {Dpbably would have used them, be-
 dAuse we have indicated that there
 was no limit to the friendship which
 we were ready to show toward Rus
 sia, and we have shown no friend
 ship toward Russia except in words.
 Many opportunities have, come and have been allowed to pass.
 Many situations have arisen in Rus
 sia where, if the American people
 had made good one-tenth of what they declared they were ready to do, the skies would be bright in Russia
 tbday. They have been allowed te .less without action. We have never 6een ready when the occasion has Come, and we have done nothing
 There are many things we might
 Have done. l am not going to criti- 4$ise; l am going to assume that our government had good reasons for lot acting upon all the favoring oc- &hsions which seemed to challenge $ction in behalf of Russia; am go- &Ag to assume there were good reas- 0hs for not acting; but we have not acted. 1t is q shifting scene. It looks pretty dark there now, but it will shift again, md unless we do Something to prepare to act, when the next occasion comes we shall not he ready, and there will be no ac- tion
 X "lt appears that if there is to be 6ny action to make good our assur- Ance to Russia, the American people must get behind the words that have been spoken in their behalf, and call for action. This is how we got into the war. We did not get in sun- pl the people of the United States We're walked up to the imminent oc- ERsi0n for action, and with their aqfighty driving power put our cdun- try into action themselves. Let us do something now, if we can, to- be fcady when the next opportunity 4nmes.
 "The next thing I wish to say is fhat now is the time to lay the foundations, to take the first steps 5 establish the relations necessary
 Ar the friendly and useful inter- SDurse of trade between the United Htates and Russia. One form of ac- 6vity which carries no condescen- lion on one side nor humiliation on 0c other, which is beneficial to 10th parties. is fair trade. The peo- He of Russia need-deeply. desper- Stely need--the things that we can 1upply to them, by the establishment
 intercourse in tn eeXchange of Products, which has been the basis $f all the prosperity and the op- 3odtunities for growth among civil &ed nations. q
 sNow is the time for us to put Ourselves on a footing with Russia khich, in the days to come, when yhc skies have cleared and order is 3e-established, will make the Rus Slan people and the American peo- Sle co-partners in the exchange of Products which will benefit both.
 "Other nations are doing it. The Canadians are doing it, the Japan &se are doing it, the Germans are %oing it; many others. We alone, 6ith all our enterprise, with all our Initiative, with all the habits and
 naditions and the capacity for af- Srmative and vigorous progressive 1ction, built up in the course of the Rst century during which we have hade this great country what 1t is nwith all that. we alone hang back. That is something which now the Business men of America can begin b see for themselves; and tho ct- Lcct will be that those poor fel- Bows in Russia whose course of pro- 3uction and of trade has been brak- fn up by the terrible events of the hst five years, will begin to receive Eom America some benefits other fhan the enjoyment of mere rhet- dric. something besides empty fords. < "The third thing want to say is, Ehat Russia is the place for Amer leans to fight and destroy Bolshev- ism. We are fiddling around here Filth a few Bolshevik agents, ano ine nick up dozen or hundred nd make a great outcry in the bewspapcrs about deporting them. a lew among the thousands; and the hen who have gained control of old Hmssia by the use of German mon 1 (y. bv the use of mercenary troops. ] V the exercise of q tyranny and (crrorism and cruelty never sur kassed in history-those men are Sine the resources of that great. fch country to pour out steady dream of propagandists, who laugh [t our feeble efforts. uWe are like the physician who Rtempts to heal mortal disease N poultice upon the surface, in 'fead of cutting to the seat of the nfection and curetting the wound ! chc way to destroy Bolshevism is to ! l,t the strength and heartincss and l aud hone of prosperity in i