The New York herald., 1922-03-16
Russia Tomorrow.

the worst phase of the Russian fam
inc will be passed by the middle of
next month and that its end now ap-
pears in sight. This will be read
throughout the world with deep
feeling OF relief. Besides the salts
faction at the passing Of this gaunt
terror Of hunger and death. there Is
a peculiar interest in the effect the
improved physical condition of the
Russian people will have on the
present political situation in their
country.
Famine In Russia has not been un.
usual even in comparatively recent
times. The unselfish relief work Of
ToLsToY in the dread years Of 1890,
1891 and 1898 and the pictures he
drew of the destitution and suffering
of the peasants are familiar not only
to readers devoted to his works but
to thousands who are unfamiliar with
any other part Of his literary pro-
duction. The difference between the
famines Of those years and that of
to-day marks in a striking way the
difference between the political con-
ditions Of that time, however severe
and autocratic the rule may have
been, and those imposed by the dom
ination Of the Soviet Government.
The famines formerly were largely
confined to the regions peopled by
the peasant farmers themselves; that
of 1891 was to large extent re-
stricted to the Volga district, which
is to-day affected. The primitive
methods Of culture and the small
plots of ground allotted to the peas
ants brought them in years of poor
harvests a return insufficient to meet
their own requirements and those Of
the community dependent on them.
The situation quickly brought about
famine condition. The large centers
OF population and the industrial and
manufacturing towns were seriously
affected. But the transportation ia
cilities Of the empire brought to them
the grain of the Black Earth districts
of the Caucasus region and the plains
of Siberia. The affected rural dis
tricts were thus in time relieved and
the Government furnished the means
for the fertilization of the soil and
the planting of the crops, besides
food to tide the people over until the
next harvest.
In contrast with these conditions
is the situation produced in Russia
since 1916. This a Russian econo-
mist has recently elucidated in his
effort to explain to the world the
present famine and the reasons why
it has so long held the country in
its grasp.
To him the famine is but the logi-
cal outcome OF Soviet rule. From
1916 to 1920 tie official estimate is
that the planted area in the thirteen
European provinces Of Russia
dropped off SO per cent.
One reason for this was that the
farmer found the result of his crops
was uncertain and there was no in
centive for him to plan to harvest
more than would fill the needs OF
himself and his family. In the next
place the large estates which alone
employed modern agricultural meth
Communist adherents and the output
of the land dropped almost to moth
ing. To this was added the complete
disorganization OF the railroad sys-
tenn, a disorganization which made
impossible the transportation Of
grain and left the cities of the, north
and the more seriously affected fam
inc districts helpless.
Even had the acreage been in
creased in 1921 and had the country
not suffered from drought Russia
would still have been land Of fam
inc. The complete breakdown Of the
transportation system under the So
Wet rule would have made the sup
plying Of foodstuffs to the towns Of
northern Russia impossible.
The hope for the seed for the
crop this year lies not in the Moscow
Government but in help from foreign
lands. There is no help to be ex-
pected from the Communists them
selves. Though they be eager to aid
they have not the capacity so to do
They have not been able to hold to-
gether the public service they have
controlled; they cannot improvise
service to meet an emergency
II is impossible, as the Russians
themselves have pointed out, that the
effect of these four years of suffering
will not be felt by the people and
that they will not lay on the rule
LENrNE and TRoTzKY have imposed
upon them the responsibility for the
hundreds Of thousands Of lives sacri.
feed to hunger and destitution.
ToLsToy, when the condition Of the