The Washington herald., 1922-05-16
Soviet Must Show World
She Recognizes Sane
tity of Contract.
COMMUNISM DYING
THERE, HE ASSERTS
Chamber of Commerce
Told Why Recognition
Is Refused.


ships with Russia. says Secretary of
Commerce Hoover. until Russia
definitely recognizes the principle
of property rights and contract
among nations.
Addressing a dinner of the Inter
national Chamber of Commerce.
given last night by A. c. Bedford.
chairman of the American Commit
tee, at the City Club. Secretary
Hoover declared America wished to
help Russia, but Where does last
ing help lie," he asked, except in
the firm and final re-esta blishment
of those basic fundamentals that
we have already ststed?'
VIII Echo Through Europe.
This break in the long silence
of the government on the question
OF American relations to Russia,
coming, as IL did. Immediately fol-
lowing receipt by Secretary Hughes
OF an invitation from Genoa for
American participation in a confer
ence on Russia at The Hague next
month. will probably echo through
out Europe.
The speech. prepared by Secretary
Hoover before receipt of the allied
d
to this governments answer.
Briton Ask. Cooperation.
Arthur Balfour. vice president of
the British Chamber of Commerce,
also spoke at the dinner. He said:
We, in Great Britain, have a
smoothly-working chamber of COM
merce, which / may say Is now en-
gagged In selling the shirts of our
.
as an economic unit. but for the
smoother cooperation in interna-
tional trade we are anxious to es-
tsblish an international chamber of
commerce with our brothers from
across the Atlantic"
what We want is an organiza-
tion with an Anglo-Ssxon president,
and I believe the gentleman of oos
choice Is in our midst this evening"
added Balfour. turning to Secretary
Hoover. who sat upon his right.
sMere IndIcstion.- He Says.
Viewing "the work achieved by
the international committee as that
of a Good Samaritan to the suffer-
ing relations of the chaotic inter-
national affairs" DR.. Frederic P.
Eeppel. nswly-appointed chief of
the American Committee of Com
merce in Paris, declared that what
had already been achieved was a
mere indication of what was neces-
sary before an impetus in interna-
tional trade could be realized.
other speakers of the evening
were A. B. Farquar and n. Sumner
Myrick. Following the dinner in the
City Club. the guests went to a re-
ception at the Washington Hotel
Igiven by Mr.. Bedford.
Text Of Address.
Mr.. Hoover's address follows in
Il have been asked to say some
thing upon the situation in Russia.
II Is indeed one with which every
sympthetic person must feel great
concern. A great nation is suffer-
ing agonies that the world has not
known since the Dark Ages. The
overthrow of the old regime with
its centuries of misgovernment met
q great response in sympathy from
our people But the swing of the
pendulum under the impulse of the
old store Of suffering did not stop
half way but swung to a frenzy
of destruction that has brought
their economic system to ruin.
Even outside the drought stricken
area. the Russian people are slowly
dying They are being destroyed
from inside Of Russia. not outside.
For they die from the destruction
OF productivity.
The people are sick with war and
terror: their hope of relief is in
evolution not in revolution. Today
the social pendulum Is swinging
doned for cross=breed Of Individual
ism and milder but equally unwork-
able forms of Socialism. Nor must
Communism OF Socialism be con-
fused with the Russian people, for
today the adherents to those be-
hefs in Russia have diminished to a
very small minority. But whether
the adherents are small or large
Russia must work out her own poll
tical and economic system.
Must Reason Clearly.
"Our relationship to this problem
must be predicated upon one basis
only. and that Is what will bring
real assistance to the Russian peo-
pie in this time of their greatest
need. We could base help upon
sentiment which is charity. At best
II Is but a temporary expedlent. We
are providing charity in Russia to-
day in a measure ten times all the
rest of the world and we are saw
ing the lives of ten million of their
people. The solution can not be
found in charity for unless produc-
tivity is restored charity will be
overwhelmed. Real and lasting
help must be based upon cold econ
omics or II will bring no real re-
construction OF relief to Russia
This Is no time to discuss the
responsibilities for this great ca
tastrophe. except in one minor par
ticulsr. Some officials in Russia
and their followers in the United
States seek to blame the respon-
sfbtlity for this situation upon
America. The point Where we are
supposed to have incurred this re-
sponsibility was in continuation of
the blockade after the war was
won. This blockade imposed as a
war measure against the co-opera-
tion of Russia with Germany was
Soptinued-for a year after peace.
v, myself. was one of those who
strongly advocated that this should
not be done. because felt that
whatever goods could filter to Rus
sis would relieve Just that much