The New York herald., 1921-11-20

",
these Russian peasants are unlucky as
usual, because all who try to tell the
tale of their suffering to the outside
world find a bleak indifference, even
a hostile spirit in their audience. The
worlds imagination has been deadened
by three years of appeal for starving
people.
Hatred of BOleshevism.
Has not Austria been starving all
that time-yet still living? Has not
Poland been hungry but not too much
to keep a standing army of 100000
men? Have not millions of pounds
been poured out in charity for i'll fed
brats? And, anyhow, what about our
own unemployed and the need of new
battleships. and the housing problem
in England? Charity begins at home" :"
SO people speak, as | have heard
them speak during recent weeks in
London and Berlin as they sat over
cigars and coffee and the litter of a
five course meal with wasted food
because they could not eat so much.
And other people. cheerful, prosper
Gus people, the lucky ones OF the
world, stare at one for a moment
with a hard look in their eyes and
say. Let them die It's their own
fault. 1t will teach people what Boil
shevism means"
Yes, the Russian peasants are as
much responsible for the Soviet re-
gime as Gagged animals at the Zoo
for the psychology of their keepers,
knowing as much about Karl Marx
as a Devonshire laborer about Her.
bert Spencer, liking Communism as
much as hares like the harrow, and
so entrenched in individualism that
the whole theory and practice Of
Communism has been abandoned by
Lenine himself because of the passive
resistance of peasant Russia-these
people have no luck at all because
hatred of Bolshevism kills all human
charity in the hearts of many peoples.
so that they prefer lies to truth II
truth is ever so little in favor of a
single Soviet official, and will let mil
lions OF peasants die lest one Bolshevik
should get political advantage.
In Riga and Helsingfors and other
places near the Russian frontier there
are factories of lies, and the liars are
busy with the cables accusing the Sow
let Government of selling food sent for
the relief of famine. inventing lies
about food ships raised at Petrograd
poisoning public opinion with the be-
lief that it's charity will be wasted be-
cause Red armies and not starving
peasants will get the food sent for res
cue. Those are the lies of political
propagandists paid by Russians Of the
old regime and by their friends. The
truth is exactly opposite.
Relief Fund UnmOIested.
Whatever the past and present
crimes of the Soviet Government may
be-and that is outside my line of
inquiry have absolute evidence for
saying that so far up to the time of
my writing these words all food sent
for famine relief, both by British and
American societies, has reached the
famine areas intact without any rob-
berry and with the Jealous assistance
of Soviet authorities. The American
relief people are sending 1.500 tons
a week, which is sufficient to feed
nearly 100000 children, and they
have no kind OF theft or outrage to
report. The truss is that Russians,
whatever their lsclitical position or
creed inside Sovie+ Russia, are des-
perately engaged !n lighting the
famine down south. and welcome
every ton Of food that comes in as an
act of grace that may help TO save
the lives of their stricken folk. For
only they know the depth and breadth
of the tragedy that has befallen those
millions Of peasant folk who now find
winter creeping upon them, and with
il for many of them-for at least
1900, 900 Of them-inevitable death.
There has been exaggeration, it is
true, by journalists writing from Rus
sia and not from first hand knowl-
edge. That was inevitable, owing to
the vast size of Russia and to the
habits OF Russian peasants, to whom
rumor from far villages comes with
panic tongues.
1t is not true that $4,000, 900 people
began to move in mad flight from their
unfruitful lands: only some hundreds
of thousands fled like that in search
of food and many of these were Let's
and Poles who had retreated into Rus
sia before advancing tides of war.
when German armies and afterward
White" armies were on the move.
When famine came they struggled
back to their own countries. swarning
along roads and railways. starving and
dying from diseases. The survivors
were helped on their way by the Rus
slams, and towns like Riga are now
feeding them in camps.
The Russians have organized a sys-
tenn for evacuating people from the
worst districts to more prosperous
places. and 10000 women and children
have been rescued in this way and fed
by the self sacrifice of Russian work
men who have given up part of their
own rations so that these starving
creatures may be fed.
But now that winter has come with
the first snow the horror deepens. For
millions there can be no chance OF
rescue and for the others only the
chance that the charity of the world
will be quick and generous. not held
back by political hatred or cold dis
trust. Russia cannot save her own
people. Without outside help they will
be lost. Even the tides OF private
charity flowing into British aud Amer
lean relief missions do but touch the
frontiers of the famine stricken land.
The Governments of the world have
been slow to recognize their duty to