The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-01-31
VEIL LIFTS FOR
 FIRST TIME UPON
 BOLSHEV|ST SINS
Millions of People In Ruined Empire Are Starving, Says Only Authentic Reports
 Coming From Nation
nx Assoc1afad Prasa

New York, January 3o.-IThe veil which for many months has completely hidden conditions in Russia, due to the action of soviet leaders in barring visitors from the rest of the world, is being withdrawn little by the conference. now in session in Paris of the Russian constituent assembly.
 The prominent exiled Russians who opposed the rule of Lenine and Trot- zky are now submerging their differ ences in an effort to present united front against bolshevism. They are disclosing in Paris. reports from asso- ciates still in Russia picturing condi- tons not before clearly %presented to the world which has wondered what was going on under the greatest Of all communist experiments.
 These reports are being received by cable by A. j.. Sack, director of the Russian information bureau, who is the authorized spokesman in this coun try of all the Russian elements op- posed to bolshevism attending the Paris conference. In q statement to- day summing up the reports which have reached him, MT. Sack explains why the conference Is to be regarded as an event of International impor-
 
 for the first time that there is fam inc In Russian villages this winter. probably not less acute than in China"
 MILLIONS STARvE
 Thirteen million people have be- gun to suffer acute starvation by. January" he said, land 1000 900 al- ready in December of the past year.
 On the basis of the data he has suD- ,,,tf f.1 I,- t. t1 U. association that the downfall of bol- shevism is inevitable. His statement says in part:
 "The situation within bolshevistlc Russia is critical. The economic life of the country is destroyed, according even to the bolshev;st official data. According to No. 256 of the official bolshevist daily. Pravda, which cQn- tains a comparative table of manufAx- turing outputs for the first haif A the year of 1920 as compared With corr responding period of ts14. thu presetst output of iron in bolsheyist Russia IS only 12 pey cent of the output before the war; steel, per cent; cotton, 70 per cent; coal, 20 per cent The area under cultivation is only 24 per cent as compared with and cultivated iii 1914.
 EMPIRE DESTITUTE
 This winter not only the Russian cities and towns. but the Russian vii lages as well are going through the torments of starvation. This is due not only to the decreased area of land under cultivation, but also to fatal crop failures in 10 central provinces of Russia. According to Pravda there are six provinces (Vitebsk, Kaluga, Orel, Riazin, Nijni- Novgorod and Perm) where only 50 per cent of the mini- mum of required grains have been har- vested. while in four provinces Cvla. dimir, Kostroma, Novgorod and Tulal only 25 per cent of the requir ed prod ucts have been gathered. That means that 13,o00,0U0 people have begun to suffer acute starvation this January. and 7,000,000 already in December Of the past year. The famine in Russia this winter is probably not less acute than in China.
 The bolshevist regime is both po- litical and economic failure and its downfall may be expected at any mo- ment. After that Russia may plunge into complete anarchy. If this wa.A happen the Russian crisis will last for many years, keeping all Europe and the rest of the world under great strain and preventing everywhere the return to normal economic and po- litionl conditions
 Ut Is of importance. therefore, for the entire world that the downfall of bolshevisn in Russia should not mark an increase of anarchy in the country, but. on the contrary, should stir up processes that would bring about speedy political and economic recuper. alton of Russia. This is possible only on two condition
 First, that the Russian democratic forces should be properly iorganizeI and ready to work at the time Russia opens for their activity, and the other Is that the world should come lo ths realization that the Russian problem is the central European and there- fore the central world problem of to- day and that the forces that work for Russias regeneration should be given all the moral and material support they need for the successful fulfillment ss the great task before them
 The importance of the present Russ sian conference in Paris is in t,.s. it lays the foundation for unity of all ths Russian democratic forces opposed to bolshevism and that 1t secures for them active sympathy and co-operation of the international democratic forces We look upon this conference with great hope, trusting that it opens ths way for Russia's and the worlds re- generation"