The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1921-08-12
BARON k0RFF IS /
CERTAIN RUSSIA |
WILL RECOvER R.
BOlsheyiki Control Proved Ruin
Gus Failure
IT'S OVERTHROW is NEAR
Russian Diplomat Addressed A
Large Audience at High
School Hall /

Baron Sergius A. Korff of Russia
told an interested audience OF Ben
nington people more about the Rus
sian revolution at High school hall
Thursday evening than they had had
any previous way Of learning. 1t was
discourse that was not dramatic in
the least but was told so clearly and
simply that the listeners followed the
speaker with the keenest attention.
The hall was well filled and the
Baron was warmly received when he
came in with Mr.. Spargo and Mr..
/ Mills. Mr. Mills spoke briefly on the
value that Bennington has received
from its winter Forum and its good
fortune in being so near the Institute
Of Politics at Williams which resulted
in bringing Baron Korff here. He
announced that viscount Bryce and
Hon. Stephen Panaretoff Of Bulgaria
have accepted an invitation to speak
in Bennington during the month.
He introduced John Spargo as the
man who was responsible for Baron
Korff and the others coming to Ben.
lnington and Mr.. Spargo presented the
speaker Of the evening. Mr.. Spargo
called attention to the debt America
owes the people of Russia for their
long time friendship to us and called
attention to the great service of Rus
sia during the early years Of the war
in fighting Germany with such energy
and force as to prevent Germany
from overwhelming France and Great
Britain on the western front.
Baron Korff in opening said that
the revolution in Russia was not a
sudden upheaval but had been in pro-
cess since the middle of the 10Th
century. After the defeat of Russia
in the Crimean war there was an out
break of revolutionary spirit. There
was another outbreak following the
military defeat by Japan in 1905.
These upheayals were ruthlessly
put down by the Russian autocracy
and many were imprisoned or ban.
ished, delaying but not preventing the
final oyerturn which came following
the disaster to Russian armies in the
conflict with Germany in the spring
of 1917. fnfi'."
The leaders of the opposition to the
old autocracy were not qualified and
were in no position to take control OF
the empire The exiles returned but
they had learned little abroad while
they had lost touch with events at
home. There we're two schools Of
thought, the moderates who knew
that a government had to grow up on
a slow basis of local control, and the
radicals who wanted to tear down the
old and did not even stop to think
that they had nothing to put in its
place.
The BosheyiN government has
been a complete failure. Its leaders
themselves have found t'Iqt it won't
work and can't work and they are
even now trying to gradually bring
the capitalistic system in the hope of
saving something from the wreck Of
the country. Every foreign visitor TO
Russia, even the communists them.
selves have announced the absolute
failure of communion under the Boil
shevists.
AS to the future Baron Korff says
there is no question. Either by sud
den upheayal or by gradual process
Russia will work out its present mis-.
fortune and form a responsible con-
stitutional government. II took
twelve years for France to recover
from the French revolution and It
must not be expected that great and
populous Russia can do in day or
a year what small and compact
France required II years to reach
A collection was taken for the bene
fit of Russian famine sufferers and
over $3.50 was realized.