The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1921-02-02
Twenty Million People Suffering
Acute Starvation According
to Information Brought to
Light
LENINE'S EARLY
DOWNFALL PREDICTED
Prominent Russians Who OPP
psoe Radical Rule Submerging
Differences and Planning
United Front

New York, Jan. 30.-The veil which
for many months has completely hid
den conditions in Russia, due to the
actor If soviet leaders in barring
visitors from the rest Of the world,
is being withdrawn a little by the
conference, now in session in Paris, Of
the all Russian constituent assembly
Prominent eXiled Russians who op-
posed the rule of Lenine and Trotzky
are now Submerging their differences
in an effort to present a united front
against bolshevism. They are disclos-
ing in Paris reports from associates
still in Russia picturing conditions
not before clearly presented to the
world. These reports are being re-
cciVed by cable by A j. Sack. direc-
tor of the Russian information bu-
reau, who is the authorized SpokeS-
man in this country of all the Rus
sian elements opposed to bolshevism
attending the Paris conference In a
statement today summing up the re-
ports which have reached him, Mr..
Sack explains why the conference is
TO be regarded as an event of inter-
national importance and incidentally
there is a famine in Russian villages
this winter ''probably not less acute
than in China"
Thirteen million people have be-
gun TO suffer acute starvation this
January" he said, "and seven million
already in December of the past
year"
On the basis of the data he has
submitted, he declares, on behalf OF
his associates that the downfall of
bo!shovism is inevitable.
His statement says in part
The situation within bolshcvist
Russia is critical The economic life
of the country is destroyed. according
even to the bolShcvist official data.
According to No. 256. OF the official
! bOlshcvist daily PraVda, which CON
tains comparative table of manu-
! featuring outputs for the first halt
! year OF 1920, as compared with the
corresponding period Of 1914, the
! present output of iron in. bOshcviSt
Russia is only y per cent Of the out
put before the war; steel, per
cent; cotton, 20 per CEN; coal 25 per
cent The area under cultivation is
only - per cent as compared with
land cultivated in 1914.
"Fhe bolShCViSt regime is both 4
political and economic failure and its
downfall may be expected at any mo-
mrnl. After that Russia may plunge
into complete anarchy. If this Will
happen the Russian crisis will last
FOR many years, Keeping all Europe
and the rest Of the world under grca,
:tl i'm II
return TO normal economic and puliti-
cal conditions.
at is of importance therefor. for
TN" "ntlr" world that the downfall of
bniSh'NlSm i'm Russia should not mark
an increase of anar by in the Cuun-
try but, on the contrary should stir
up processes that would bring about
speedy political and economic rvcu-
pcrati"n Of Russia. This is possible
only on two conditions:
First that the Russia democratic
forces should be properly organized
and ready % work at the time Rus
STA opens for their activity, and the
other is that the world should come
to the realization that the Russian
problem is the central European and
{, therefore the central world problem
OF today, and that the forces that
work for ltussia's regeneration should
hc given all the moral and material
support they need for the successful
iultillmcnt OF the great task before
them.
The importance Of the present
liuSsan conference i'm Paris is in that
il lays the foundation for unity Of
all the ltuHSian democratic forces
opposed % bolsheViSm, and that it
secures for them active sympathy
ana cooperation of the international
democratic forces. We look upon
this conference with great hope.
trusting that it opens the way for
Russia $ and the worlds regenera-
lion"