The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-08-14


 sAnimlLiAN to continue her M policy of uncondi- tional favoritism to Poland. Such policy inevitably would drive Russia into an alliance with Germany against the French republic
 M Allied for p Years
 For 27 years an alliance with the Russian empire was the basis of French foreign policy. Now she pa tronizes Poland and Turkey, the old est and bitterest enemies of the Rus sian people, refusing to heed the mel ancholy and angry question:
 '"Do you French really believe that l am dead?"
 A nation of 14O,000.o00 cannot die. The terrible crisis the Russian people are now experiencing can be healed if the world will acknowledge its duty of solidarity in distress. The Russian people have often had to starve under their Czars. In a coun try of great landed estates, where 50 per cent of the inhabitants lived on agriculture, there were only six acres for each peasant After normal <, harvest the peasants still lacked one third of the food for proper nourish- ment. The state was obliged to ap
  ants, but at the same time exported quantities of meat, fowls, eggs, fats and sugar. The bounties and subsi- dies given to encourage exports made Russian sugar cheaper and more plentiful in London than in Moscow.
 When Bolshcvists Came
 when the bolshevists came they gave the land to the peasants, but they took away the strongest men for the army and forced farmers to deliver all their produce above the barest necessities, paying them in paper roubles. Today it takes 530,- 000, 900 roubles to equal 1000 marks, or 12 American dollars. The peas ants have whole cupboards full of the all but yalueless paper money, and do not desire any more Hence, they cui- rivate only sufficient land for their family and animals.
 Last summer nearly all sections had less than half the food necessary for adults and children. Since then there have been two crop failures. Al bumen and fats are scarcely obtain able, and anyone can imagine what has happened since the scorching sun shriveled the harvest leaving 20 1000 people literally without bread. sq As I have already pointed out in these dispatches the periol of military communism in Russia has been sta bilized and the peasants are allowed to trade their excess products. Here- tofore, however. the soviets sent as many men as could be fed into the factories The result was laziness and the ruin and robbery of business. If was impossible to expect intensive work and absolute honesty from men long underfed Many sought work while others speculated.
 < Anybody nowadays who still pos aesses something is speculator. Earning more in few hours than would be- possible in a workshop in month Only the great industries are working now directly for the state and remain nationized. Unproduc- five ones have been abandoned and small ones have been leased to cor r,orations Thus state controlled in dustry has been largely restored to private enterprise.
 No More Free Rides
 The state is abandoning free elec- tric light and free railway and street oar transportation which resulted in enormous waste. Hundreds of thou sands of returned war prisoners, while. relating their sufferings, never fheless have changed the minds of many of the Russian people by their stories of how other people live. To- Aay the Russians long for systema- lie labor and modern technical equip men; even the moujiks demand farm machinery which formerly they called engines of the devil. But everything is lacking--even seed for the next sowing. Even the fireside industries.
 
 beadwork. table cloths. shawls, 1acquer boxes, brushes and tapestries, are stopped on account of the lack of materials.
 The only exports possible now are fur and wood. To import the barest Essentials Russia needs enormous CT edits, but after three good harvests and rational exploitation of her in exhaustible resources. she would be solvent again.
 Lenine Loved by People
 But international aid must not make the mistake of endeavoring to overthrow the soviets or even to dis place Lenine, who is tenderly loved by the peoplpe and whose suppression would throw the country into terrible civil war with pogroms and anarchy reigning.
 The reports of Lenine's declining popularity ana his difficulties with Trotzky are inventions. This over worked man, who is now taking a vacation near Moscow, is deeply at t fached to Trotzky and has named hum dreds of villages for him.
 Only international intercourse can !, lave Russia. Do not those who are Quarrelfng over Turkey, Upper Silesia 2ar criminals and sanctions notice that the invalid is rising from the couch? Russia is ready to recog- nixe the Cars debts. Russia can be- come Frances friend and bulwalk of Germany. Furthermore the great problems in the Pacific cannot be solved without taking Russia into Account. Therefore. the duty of e<atesmsn on their pilgrimage to R9Hte.. and to Washington Is to help 1kssta te recover