The Raymer enterprise., 1922-04-20

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II ~ the Soviet Russian government has
~ ~ empowered the minister Of justice
to seize the wealth Of all religious
bodies and sects for famine relief
EEs EWss3 The decree extends even to Moslem
IW Sy mosques and Jewish synagogues.
w A Archbishop Yeydoklm Of Novgorod
4 had just issued an appeal to all
II IN Y true believers to "lend to the Lord
their possessions to aid those dying
OF starvation. adding that even
church wealth should be sacrificed
In this time Of terrible need. Until the famine
gave the Soviet government this opportunity It
had made no open attempt at appropriation.
though II had done all In Its power to dscredlt
the church, whose influence Notwithstanding. on
the Russinns-the most religious people In the
world-has steadily grown. Mystery surrounds
the action Of the archbishop in yielding up the
churchs treasures 10 Its bltterest foe. But the
Soviet government has ways Of Its own for getting
results. .L
Now. all the world knows there Is famine In
part Of Russia And all the world knows that there
are-or have been-vast treasures In the hands Of
the Russian church. But one Is not so sure that
these treasures are still In the hands Of the church
Nor Il one entirely confident that the starving
will get the benefit Of these treasures even II they
prove intact and the Soviet government gets pos
session Of them. 1t Is hard to believe anything
to the credit Of the Russian Soviet government
these days.
America knows full well that there Is famine In
Russia. We are trying to save many as pos
sible of the starving Russians Up to the middle
Of March the A. X. A. activities, 1t Is known, had
resulted In the landing of 81 ships at Black sea
and Baltic ports. These ships carried 2l2 Alb TONS
Of which 1886 tons were corn. wheat and sun.
dries or this amount 129723 tons Of corn and
wheat were discharged and 1850 shipped into
the Interior OF sundries 5,342 tons were shipped
leaving 57gS63 tons of corn and $500 tons Of sun,
dries In stock waiting for transport to the volga
Goods were shipped on l24 trains as follows:
From Reval, %; from Ilbau IA; from Novoros
sissk 20; from Theodosia. 10; from Odessa, Is;
from Wlndau. 81 from Danzig. II. The wheat
and corn trains were reported March Is to
have arrived at Ufa, Orenburg Tzaritzan, Samar
and saratov. Fifteen trains were nearing Kazan
and Simbirsk on the same date. Distribution Of
the corn to adults began In the first week In March,
In addition to these arrivals 10000 tons were
moving on ports and another 100000 tons were
being loaded In United States ports.
These stocks are enough to feed 100000 people
The main problem is transportation for, In addition
TO the dlsorganlzation Of Russian railroads. In some
districts there are railroads at all.
Nobody here seems to know just how awful the
famine situation is. Exact figures are lacking In
Mnrch DR., Fridtjof Nansen who headed an inter.
national commission OF investigation said:
"The famine Of 192l-l922 was caused by lack Of
grain. caused In turn by lack Of seeds and farm
labor. Not thing has been done to prevent a
similar shortage for next year and II the world,
with the exception Of America, which has been
marvellous In Its succ0r, still remains aoof, the
suffering Of next winter will surpass anything ever
before known In the history Of the world.
"Not one-tenth of the acreage available for
harvest purposes has been sown this year In prep.
Aration for the fall. The peasants have neither
the seeds, the animals for the powing, nor the
energy which Is generated by food
/. '4Ther wives and children are starving and
despite the admirable relief already brought to
them by the American Relief commission and
the International Commission for the Relief Of
RussIa millions are doomed to death, failing a
concerted action of the powers before June.
"For 100000 square miles there Is nothing but
starvation In Russia. No crops. No food No
Gmiling children. Nothing but desoation and
death. II Is a crime against the world"
In March It was stated that the Russian Soviet
authorities had failed to provide even half the
number Of cars promised for the transportation
Of American relief administration food supplies
from the Black sea ports Of Novorosslssk and from
Windau on the Baltic sea to the famine afflicted
eenfers Of the interior. according to reports BY
walter Lyman Brown. European director Of the
American organization.
sThe Eoviet officials promised US sufhcient cars