The New York herald., 1921-08-06
NO RUSSIAN FAMINE
FOUND BY FRANCE
Senator Says Enough Grain
Is Available to Check
Starvation.
U. S. GOODS In SHOPS
Calls Communism Passing
Utopian Phase, So Recog-
nized by Lenine.
CREDITS GREATEST NEED
Britain Already Doing Large
Business, but German Trade
Is Absent.

That Communism In Russia Is not
permanent, and It's permanent" So
cialistic forms OF Government are
Utopian, Is a fact which such Russians
as Lenine have well grasped. according
to Senator Joseph /. France of Mary
COW. His Impressions are given In an
article in the Vossische Zeitun0.
This article states that Senator
France returned with the conviction
that individual leaders will play only a
subordinate part in bringing Russia
out of her present confusion. and that
Russia is going through its inevitable
development.
THE old superannuated system col
lapsed like the falling of a rotten
tree" the Senator is quoted as saying.
land in It's progress toward some new
order Communism represents what is
perhaps an unavoidable phase"
Communism Not Permanent.
For the same reason the Senator does
not regard communism as permanent,
the article continues. quoting him as
follows:
THE laws which have controlled busi-
ness for thousands OF years and which
have been directed altogether by private
initiative also govern In Russia. Com
munism as a permanent economic form
is Utopian. / found that the men in
power in Moscow, especially Lenine,
we'll understood this.
Even in the period of the sharpest
dictatorship under the prole.ariat sys-
TEN, private business maintained Itself.
In fact private ownership of peasant
land-and peasants make up so per
cent OF the population-has been con-
soldated. II was impossible to quite
suppress private commerce and private
industry.
THE Soviet Government in its late
DEGREES has merely legalized something
which no power in the world could have
prohibited. BY this act, according to the
French point of view. the Soviet Gov
ernment has taken its most important
step for the security OF Its power
PEASANTS support Government.
Although thespeasants economically
are considered to be conservative. they
stand as the strongest supporters of the
Government now that the Damocles
sword of threatened confiscation no
longer bangles over their heads. Taxa
tion which for the most fortunately
situated peasants amounts to 10 per
cent cannot be deemed oppressive and
~ .
Committee. VI. Kalidan. himself a
peasant, is directing tireless propa-
ganda to convince the peasants OF the
good will Of the Soviet Government
1T Is continually more apparent how
ever, that Industries can only be started
by men under IS years Of age Luxu-
ries can be bought again in the shops
There are plenty of jewellers and haber-
dashers. and even articles In daily use
are passing through free commercial
channels once more. Especially notice
able are the shoe stores. which have
not only simple footwear, but goods OF
better quality. Clothing stores are still
lacking because OF the paralysis OF the
textile industry.
Members OF the middle class are be-
ginning to breathe again now that they
have the possibility Of going into busi-
ness'
Senator France thought that the So
Wet leaders have little fear Of these ac-
tivities, however. The chief danger now
Is coming from the radicals OF the left
wing who opposed the granting OF CON
cessions and who want to have nothing
to do with capitalism. Although the
Soviet Government Is not menaced from
within, in the Senator's opinion, the fu-
ture development OF Russia depends in
large measure upon whether the Pow
ers win accept what has happened and
the Soviet Government This
Is not so much because Of political as
because of economic consequences that
may result from such recognition.
Famine Reports Exaggerated.
An acknowledged Russian Government,
backed by Russia's vast natural re-
sources, Senator France thinks. would
be able to arrange credits abroad At
normal terms. In this connection the
Senator made an interesting observa-
ton that America was a wealthy but
not a prosperous country.
Questioned about the much discussed
Senator France said that
Russia found herself In quandary such
as that OF rich man owning hundreds
or thousands OF acres OF fruitful land,
but who had forgotten to bring along
his pocketbook when he went shopping.
Such a man did not need to go TO the
pawnshop II his wife wanted 10 buy
pearls. said the Senator. he went 10 a
jeweller who was glad 10 extend credit
Considerable foreign business already
has been transacted although It does not
match In proportion the gigantic needs
OF the Russian people" Senator France
sold. England has done the bulk OF
the business because she understood how
20 gain the advantage"
The Senator encountered American
goods however. and IN March he said
several hundred thousand pairs Of shoes
were shipped TO Petrograd. He found
the absence OF Germans in Russian
trade remarkable in view OF their past
In Russian commerce.
The famine reports. he said. were exag-
gerated, but II was catastrophe con-
parable with the drought OF 1891.
There r. grain enough on hand for
few months, Senator France soid. and
before Il Is exhausted enough could be
accomplished 70 ward off starvation for