Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1921-09-03
The Splitting Ub of Russia

L ne opVCCIIy W ~ 2<HSo|N
w YHlLE many of the evils of Rolshevism
w have been widely heralded. one of its
far-reaching and destructive results
has received relatively scant attention: we
mean it's disintegrating effect on that union
Of provinces and peoples N.-ich in the earlier
phase of the revolution babe fair to make a
great Russian republic, knit up of autono-
nous but closely federated states. Vast re-
gions with ..illions of inhabitants, ranged
from the Baltic to the Caspian Sea, have bro
ken away from Russia and dissolved into units
with no common political tie, whereas they
might have been held together for construc-
tive co-worl y, not only amongst themselves,
but also of Europe and the
world Because of this disunion the prob
lens of the time are more difficult and the
years ahead - be ess ha- : far t"Hh
if the spirit and method of cooperation had
prevailed.
1t is often assumed that these divers states
-Esthonia, Lithuania, Ukrainia, Georgia,
Transcaucasia and the others-seceded from
Russia simply because there was no central
authority strong enough to hold them. The
likelihood is, however, they would have re-
NAMED willingly within the Russian republic,
loyal to it's common veal, jealous in defense
of its common liberties, had there been fed
eral government in any wise worthy of their
confidence and mindful Of their rights. Such
was their manifest wish in the days of the
Provisional Government under Kerensky, and
such their attitude remained until the insult
ferable ills of Lenines regime forced them to
complete separation.
most interesting array of evidence to this
end is presented in September Current His
tory by that unprejudiced student Of Bolshe-
vism and disciple of the broader Socialistic
principles, Mr.. John Spargo. In the critical
summer and early autumn of 1917 the chief
aim of the Bolsheviki, he says, was "to Grip
pie the democratic Revolutionary government
at every point, even though they were per-
fectly well aware that in so doing they were
mourning the risk of destroying the machin-
cry, political and economic, upon which they
would have to rely when they seized the reins
! of government, as they all along intended to
do 1t was to combat this political sabotage
that a national conference of workers was
held at Moscow in August, 1917, to consider
how the serious decline in production might
best be checked In that connection there was
thorough discussion of relations of the sundry
geographic and ethnic groups in Russia to the
country as whole. cit was made manifest, -
writes Mr.. Spargo, that there was no con-
siderable demand for separation from Russia
in any of the border provinces The repre-
sentatives of Esthonia, Latvia, Ukrainia,
White Russia, Georgia and other Transcau-
cason districts testified, with hardly an ex-
ception, that what they wanted was not sep
aration from Russia but a generous autonomy
in federative Russian republic
Particularly significant was the declaration
OF the spokesman for the Georgian people,
who, far distant though they were from the
Russian center of government, stood loyal to
the common cause. Said he: "The nations
of Transcaucasia have not made single move
toward secession, nor do they contemplate
any in the future That the non-Russian ma
tionalites within the republic should have
free use, each Of it's own language a1d Gus
toms, and equality of civil rights, he insisted;
but he was equally earnest in advocating a
council to deal with problems concerning the
general interest, Sin which the representa-
=<yas of all the nationalities of Russia will
participate" Likewise, the delegate of the
Lettish people avowed mot only do the
Let's not desire to secede from Russia, but
they do not even care to have any border line
between the two territories. They strive to
unite the territory inhabited by them, which
they regard as an autonomous part of the
whole" So, too, for the Esthonians their rep
resentatIve declared "It has always been
our fondest dream that Esthonia become au-
tonomous, yet united to all Russia by feder-
ation.'' This in the summer Of 1917, was
the prevailing sentiment; and in September
of the same year, while the Bolshevist coun-
ter-revolution was stealing on, there was held
at Kiev great conference of Russian nation
alities-Lithuanians, Let's, Esthonians, Jews,
Ukrainians, Cossacks, Georgians, Tartars-
who united in asserting that
Russia must become a democratic
Federal Republic. There must be form
ed council of representatives of nation
alities which is to cooperate with the
Provisional Government Legis-
latures are to be convoked in order to