The Bridgeport times and evening farmer. (Bridgeport, Conn.) 1918-1924, 1922-05-18

Summary of an address before the
International Chamber of Go1illl nedt 20
by Herbert Hoover w asflllh Ioii' 4'h0
Evening, May Is, 1917
have been asked to say something
upon the situation in Russia II ID
indeed one with which every synt c..ss
thetic person must feel great concern.
A great nation is suffering agonles
that the world has not known since
tba dark ages. The overthrow OF the ola
regfne with its centuries OF mlsgoV-
ernent met a great response III sy ~
pathy from our people. But Lne Smii lIS
the old store of suffering dld not
stop half way but swung TO a ISiAy
of destruction that has brought their
economic system to ruin. EVEN Out
side the drough stricken area the Rus
Sian people are slowly dying. They are
being destroyed from INSIDE Oh rus
STA mot outside. For they die from the
destruction of productivity. me pep
nile are sick with war and terror; their
hone of relief is in evolution not IN
revolution Today the special peno-
l1lum is swinging back. Communism
has been abandoned for a cross breed
individualism and milder but equally
unavoidable forms of socialism, NOT
must Communism or Socialism pc con-
fused with the Russian people, TOT
today the adherentS to those beneIs
in Russia have diminished to a very
small minority. But whether the al
herents are small or large Russia must
work out her own pol1t1caI ana ecoii
omic system.
This is no time to disuss the re
sponsibi1ities for this great catastro-
phe except in one minor particular
Some officials dn Russia ana tneir
followers in the United States seek to
blame the resp nShbility for this SIT
uation upon America. The point where
we are supposed to have incurred TINS
responsibility was DIN continuation OF
the blockade after the war was won
p
sure against the co-operation of Rus
sia. with Germany was continued Tor
a year after peace. L myself, was one
of those who strongly advocated Lnat
this should not be done, because
felt that whatever goods could filter
to Russia would relieve just that
much individual misery, and that 1t
would be well for the world to lift the
curtain on this eXperime nt in eSono-
mics. We know now, however, that IL
would not have made one jot of econ
oTlic difference in the real situation
of the Russian people had the block
ade never been imposed The econo-
mic troubles of Russia were from
within and not from without, for Rus
sian production was being destroyed
in this social experiment and she had
no commodities for exchange even If
exchange had been permitted. THIS
is indeed now demonstrated to have
been truly the case because the
blockade was removed two yeaS8 ago
been no ban on any merchants send
ing in his goods, or any investor $
lending his savings for development
of industry if he felt so inclined. No
practical advantage has been taken Of
this situation and the productivity
and industrial machinery of Russia
have continued to degenerate steadily
until this day. The proof that access
to Russia alone was not the solution
is evident for if we subtract the goods
that have been moved into Russia by
the charity of Anaarjca- and the two
or three hundred million dollars OF
goods imported with the old gold re-
serve, the supplies moving in the
course of normal trade have been pit
liable. and the people were starving
even before the drought. The export
of goods from Russia for 1921 was less
than s10.00o.0O0 as compared with
500, 100000 before the war.
If America is TO consider financial
assistance to Russia on any basis ex-
cept charity. we must examine the
whole problem from practical point
of view. Two solemn facts are out
standing
The first is that Russia. is bankrupt.
She has no productivity; her factories
and mines. even where founded on
Russian raw material and repairs
are producing but from 2to rs per
cent; her railways are Transporting
less than per cent of their prewar
capacity: her agricultural production
Is below her own needs instead of the
great normal surplus: she has eaten
up her entire fat, and can for a long
time have nothing to exchange for
the service Of our worknen or the
savings of our investors. Therefore. if
we would supply work, capital and
talent to the reconstruction Of pro-
ductivity in Russia, they must be
given upon credit or charity
Second, when our peopIe are caked
upon to place their savings In. such
investments. they viii be likely t<, Il
foxzeczxitK Tor Eanaz1nHnt audzsGri-