Evening star., 1923-08-27
Russia Equal to u. S. in Wealth
/ And Po,oer Seen by Col. Haskell
Basic Conditions Like america 100 Years
Ago, Says Relief 4 gent--Souiet Most
Grateful for Famine Aid.

tpolitical police). whose primary
junction is to suppress counter-rev-
olutionary propaganda. Now and then
Russian newspapers indulge in con-
structive criticism of soviet policies,
and this seems to be tolerated. What
evidently is not tolerated is any
thing that directly or indirectly is
calculated to undermine the basic
communist principles upon which the
soviet regime rests"
British Have Made ONCE.
What sort of political or trade re-
lations is Russia now maintaining
with foreign states?" the writer
asked.
with Germany. Poland and all
of the border states like Latvia and
Lithuania." he said. there are reg
ular diplomatic relations. with en-
bassieS or legations in one another's
capitals The British government
, maintains at Moscow a trade commits
sion, under the agreement KraSsin
concluded at London in March. 1921.
but actual commercial operations be-
tween Great Britain and Russia are
! not very extensive.
The Germans have sold the soviet
| a considerable amount of railway
equipment and other manufactured
articles. but even with Germany,
| nothing like oldtime commercial in
tercourse is in progress. All the ma
! tions, apparently, are waiting to see
what is going to happen within Rus
sia- If matters continue to settle
down and Russia somehow provides
! herself with the wherewithal with
| which to pay for foreign purchases
which she lacks at present-then
| trade Will normally and gradually be
| restored"
Russian Crops Good.
| Col. Haskell asserts that Russia
| agricultural come back" Is the out
| standing fact at the moment. There
| The American Relief Administra-
ton" he explains. "tided the Rus
! SLAMS over the danger period and
! they. are now more than self-sus-
| tanning; They claim they will ex-
port 100000 tons of cereals-wheat.
rye, barley and other grains-at the
| end of this summers harvest.
! My own estimate is that they
may nave a surplus of 100000 tons
to send abroad. Russia. at any rate.
has from so to 20 per cent of her
| pre-war acreage under cultivation.
Perhaps her chief difficulty in an
agrlcuitural sense IS transportation.
Her shipping facilities, both at Black
sea ports like Odessa and Novoros-
ai'k are not perfect but are ade-
quate for handling of such stuff as
| me ..,r russians can export.
unqualifiedly that American philan-
thropy saved the day in Russia
| During the past two years the Relief
Administration, Az counting the 100000
| 600 appropriated by Congress, has
spent more than ss5. 900. 900 in Rus
| sian relief. We fed at one time
| 100000 people, a problem of which
the immensity will be appreciated
when 1t is remembered that is more
than four times the number of men
! the United States had in France.
Saved 100000 Lives.
Russian authorities admit that but
| hoh
women and children would have per-
lshed They were impressed by the
| fact that American charity was rem
| dered without regard to creed
Protestants. Roman Catholics. Jews,
| Friends and men and women of other
| faiths were represented, either in
| their corporate capacity or by cash
contributions to the general fund, in
the co-ordinated American effort
The American Relief Adminstra-
ton had to win it's spurs in Russia
before 1t was received in that spirit
or local cooperation that was indis-
pensabie to the success of its pro-
gram. When we started in. the myth
! was widespread that the Hoover or
ganiZation' had played politics in
Hungary and upset the Bela-Kun
communist regime that lived awhile
at Budapest. 1t soon became appar-
ent that the only kind of politics
! Herpert Hoover was intent upon in
Russia was food politics.
| The soviet came to recognize in
| him an American of wholly disin-
terested efficiency. For my own part,
L am free to say, and would like to
say, that the work the Relief Admins
trat1on was enabled to carry out could
not have been performed except for
the Hoover spirit that dominated it
| from beginning to end. Mr.. Hoover
always followed those two principles
! essential to effective administrative
| Work-he gave us all the leewy we
wanted and unfailingly backed us to
| the hilt."
l lCnnrr1ht