Evening star., 1923-04-04
RUSS RECOGNITION
j HIT BY EXECUTION
Disregard of U. S. Plea for
Condemned PreIate Alien
ates Public Opinion.
CHURCHES AGAINST 1T
Sentiment in Great Britain Also
Undergoes Change and Mission
May Be Sent Home.
CHURCHES AGAINST IT
BY DAVID LAWRENCE.

Recognition of the present govern
,fnent of Russia by the United States
may be said to he as remote today as
venture on Americas part into COM
murism itself.
Execution Of Vicar General Butch
kavitch at Moscow in the face of pro-
tests from the principal governments
of the civilized world, has made pro-
found impression upon officials of the
American government, many of whom
now predict that opposition TO the
recognition of the soviets will become
more pronounced than ever. and will
tie the hands of the Washington ad-
mintstration even if other circum-
stances in the future were to permit
the adoption of a friendlier course to-
ward the Moscow regime
Remembering the active opposition
which American Catholics registered
when the last administration was be-
ing urged 10 recognize the Carranza
government in Mexico and the conse-
quent criticism which crept into the
1916 political campaign because of
the recognition OF a government that
had been unfriendly to the Catholic
Church. the building up of a similar
opposition to recognition of the So
q
natural development.
Received I'm Time.
Although the Department of State
did not go into details in its COM
munication to the soviets on the pos
sibls effects of an execution of so
high Catholic dignitary as Mgr.
Butchkavitch. the government here
n n~I
feeling. pointing out that the Ameri-
can people would be shocked to see
the vicar general executed.
The State Department disclosed to-
day that its message had been re-
ceived in ample time to be consid-
cred by the soviet authorities before
they inflicted the death penalty. and
while the note could not be described
as a protest" as governments which
do not recognize other governments
do not technically protest to each
other; nevertheless, the communica-
American governments opinion of
what the effect would be on American
public opinion If the death sentence
were carried out.
Some officials declared that entirely
apart from the merits of the case.
the soviets had made a serious blum
der in handling the protests of out
side powers as they did. Such an
would not tend, they thought. to
make foreign people feel disposed to
believe the Moscow regime was
capable of International morality in
other matters.
Cause of L. S. Stand.
The refusal OF the United States
government, for instance, to recognize
the soviets has not been based. as
some critics have said. upon policy
of neddling in Russia's internal af-
fairs but upon Russia's apparent in
ability to furnish satisfactory evil
dence that the lives and property of
foreigners would be protected and
that the sanctity of private contracts
would be observed. The execution
of the vicar general is regarded as
an even greater breach Of national
morality because there is nothing to
-prove that the Catholic dignitary
even received a fair trial. 1t was
pointed out here that If, as charged
he was guilty of high treason, the
trial could at least have proved those
charges or disapproved them, and II
guilt had been established there would
have been less justifcation for the
criticism that now will pile up be-
cause the defendant is robbed of his
opportunity to answer the charges
Recent statistics published show
that at least 100000 persons are
members of Catholic churches in
America. Until today there has been
no single body of American citizens
of such size with grievance against
the Russian government. Even the
pleas of the Pope were ignored by
the soviet. and it is safe to assume
the action of the Moscow authorities
will be denounced from one end of
the country to the other by Catholic
clergymen. Besides this number. there
Gr. AT, l. II,
taken by large numbers of Protes-
tantS, of whom the statistics say there
are approximately 100000 church
members, Altogether, the soviets may
not have realized it, but they have
about sounded the death kneu of their
chances for American recognition for
q long time to come
Copyright, 1921