New-York tribune., 1921-12-19
Communism Must Go
No Improvement in Russia Until Boil
shevist Rule Ends

To the Editor of The Tribune.
Sir: Frank A. Slovenian ir. thinks
that "it would be interesting to know
more about what Lenine was discussing
before accepting the conclusion that he
had the Russian famine in mind
when he spoke of tho mistakes made"
1t is interesting" that Mr.. Slovenian
should be in any doubt upon this point.
The passage quoted in my letter was
from Lenine's speech before the Sec
ond Russian Assembly for Political
Education, and is a literal translation
from the authentic text published off
cially by the Soviet government.
The context makes it quite clear that
Lenine was referring to the absolute
breakdown of the economic system.
The famine-in the sense of crop fail-
ures-is merely incidental to the larger
disaster, which Lenine specifically as
cribes to the requisitioning policy and
the manner of carrying it out, and
which policy he declares to have chin
dered the increase Of the productive
forces"
Mr.. Slovenian, shifting his ground
Of attack, suggests that Lenine, "hav-
ing discovered mistake in the Com
munist policy" can be depended upon
not to make the same mistake over
again. The answer is, of course, that,
while Lenine admits that reouisition-
ms from the peasants by force was
mistake, every fact of Russian life
proclaims that the entire political ana
economic policy of the Bolsheviki was
and is a CHASTITY mistake, and there can
be no radical Improvement in Russia
until 1t is altogether abandoned. Com
munism was and is mistaken policy.
and Russia can never recover under
It. Proletarian dictatorship was and is
a mistake, and Russia can never thrive
under it. In other words, Bolshcvism
must be abandoned, root and branch.
before Russia can begin to revive.
incidentally, there is no justification
IN Lenne's career for the assumption
that once he has recognized his mistakes
he Will avoid making them over again.
In the address to which l have already
referred Lenine admits that for many
years before the Russian revolution he
and his followers recognized that no
rapid transition to anything approach
ing communism was possible for Rus
sia. He adds: "This, in a way. was
forgotten by us when we had to take
the necessary steps toward construc-
ton in the midst of civil war"
Two or three days before he left
Switzerland TO 60 to Russia, in 1917
Lenine declared that neither commu
nlsm nor socialism could be success
fully introduced into Russia "for manv.
many years.; yet, despite that knowl-
edge, he made the foolhardy expert
ment. AS early as 1913 Lenine acknowl-
edged that the policy of depressing
the peasants was shortsighted and lead
ing directly to disaster yet he cham
pioned that policy in 1919 and 1920.
No one who has closely followed Le-
nine's career can possibly entertain
any great respect for his intellect. or
entertain serious doubt that any
marked improvement in the economic
situation in Russia would lead him
once more to make fantastic expert
ments. 1t is not merely that commu-
nism must be frankly abandoned but
that the political rule of Russia by the
Communist party must be ended.
JOHN SPARGO.
Old Bennington, VT, Dec. 1s, 1921.
The Real Hanging