The Washington herald., 1921-03-11
Everyone is bound to bear patiently the re-
suits of his own example-Phaedrus
Behind the Russian Revolt.

IL
count news from Russia about 90 per cent
The collapse of the Bolshevist dictatorship
mas been confidently oretold so often that we have
learned to accept with strong reservations all news
Oh the disintesration OF Soviet power. significant
aspect OF the present revolt, however, is that un
Ike its predecessors it appears to be more result
OF economic conditions than the fruit of political
intrigue
In spite OF her tremendous natural resources
Russian production both agricultural and industrial
mas been steadily falling off. The widespread fail
ure OF crops last year has brought famine not only
to the cities and towns but to the country districts
as we'll The area under cultivation has decreased
approximately IS per cent and the number of cattle
has been decreased by at least so or 60 per cent
The causes of this situation are both natural
and political 1t has been asserted that the drought
last year was the principal cause although accord
ing to competent observers, perfectly good crops
were raised in the districts in which there yver.
crop failures Perhaps better explanation is the
effect OF the opposition of the peasant to the gov
ernnents policy of requisitionng grain which has
deprived him of his profit, his impulse to produce
surplus. and has resulted in carelessness and ne
glect of cultivation with general deterioration of
agricultural resources.
In economic life disorganization has followed
everywhere that compulsory production has been
introduced. The system of forced labor which
was invoked by the Soviet government to remedy
the desperate situation into which industry had
fallen from sociazation, has resulted not in i'm
provement but in further chaos
The Ekonomitcheskasa Zhisn gives details
which are characteristic Between July and Septem
Der OF last year certain repair shops in South Russia
were to have delivered lis repaired locomotives of
which only 26 were actually delivered Instead of
10000 pools of rails only 5000 pools were pro-
duced Orders for 100000 pools of cast iron
were hlled only to the extent Of $1,000
The struggle to ward off economic collapse has
been steadily going against the Soviets Facilities
fot transport both water and rail have rapidly de-
Perforated Added to this deterioration of the i'm
plements of production is the rapid decline in the
productivity of labor One of the Bolshevk spokes-
men declares that the average output of the work
er does not exceed As per cent of prewar days
During year in one industry only 1874
days of SH hours each out Of the total ,6s were
actually working days. This decline in the capacity
OF workers is the effect partly of the system and
partly OF undernourshment and exhaustion 1t is
estimated that the value of the total output of Rus
sian industries before the war was zooooooooo of
gold rubles and that of agriculture 45ooooo ooo
in 1919 and 1920 the value of industrial output was
only 42o,oooooo and that of agriculture 100000
600.
Z Chquesuonaoiy the SOVIET government has
never been faced with many different internal
problems confront it. Ruthlessness and
extravagant promises ineffective arguments in
the face OF famine 1t may be that the Bolshevik
leaders will again be able to rally to their support
the haf-starved peasants and workmen with an ap-
spcal to their patriotism to withstand the foreign
invader.
: If. however, as it seems this revolt has sprung
up from among the Russians themselves and is mot
the outcome of foreign intrigue, the Bolsheviks
will be deprived of the claim that they are cham
pions of Russian independence They have not only
failed to secure for Russia the prosperity which
they promised, but have failed to keep her from
starvation 1t is clear that they are no longer the
protectors of the integrity OF Holy Russia but her
oppressors. This Kronstadt uprising may be the
beginning of day.