Evening star., 1923-10-15
.REVERSES SOVIET
|. VIEWS AFTER VISIT
Representative Britten Gives
President Advice to Shy
From Recognition.

PROTESTING against any recognition
or bolshevik Russia on the ground
that 1t would be only lending strength
! TO a cause which sooner or later must
rail, Representative Fred y. Britten
of Illinois today told President Cool
ldge that he is positively opposed ito
recognition OF a visionary government
| whose very foundation is based on
murder anarchy, bolshevism and
theft"
Representative Brirten has just re-
turned from a personal tour of Rus
sia, where he went with the purpose
of substantiating his publicly eX-
pressed opinion in favor of a Russian
commercial treaty. Il have completely
| changed my opinion he said today at
the White House. He travelled unoffi-
ciaily. selected his own guides, sought
no favors and, says he really tried
to see the good side of that tremen-
dous political theory which is now
holding 150,000,000 people in subjec
ton"
Ruled by Theorists.
What he saw and heard in Russia
and his impressions were given by
Representative Britten to President
Coolidge, in part, as follows:
The country is ruled in silent ter
ror by clique of theoretical dream
ers who are too stubborn to admit
their wrong.
The red press is the only press per-
mitted in the country and no foreign
newspaper or magazine is permitted
to enter the country either by mail
or otherwise.
There is no such thing as free
speech. Probably the most rigid cen
sorship that the world has ever
known is now going on in Russia.
Most of the churches in Russia are
closed because of government oppo-
Sition.
1 had a long conference with Com
missar Tchitcherin. who said that
President Harding's speech at San
Francisco closed the door to further
hopes for a meeting of the countries
on commercial treaty. The new
Russia could not be responsible for
debts of the former Russia and there
is no intention on the part of the
bolsheyiks to ever pay the United
States the millions due us.
Industry Is NntIonaIized.
The government has "nationalized"
| practically every walk of industry or
business. and it calls them trusts"
Black bread was four and one-half
million rubles per pound and white
bread six million rubles per pound.
Everything that does not now belong
TO the state finally automatically re-
vertS to the state
Considerable has been said in Amer
lea about the new Russian money
called "chervonez," which is compar-
able with the British pound sterling
and which has a so-called gold value
of $4.S5. The chervouez is backed by
such gold. silver, foreign deposits and
CT edits as the government may have,
as well as by the crown jewels No
one can tell how many chervonez have
been printed and no one knows what
value has been placed on the crown
jewels and other questionable credits,
so that 1t is impossible to determine
the real value of the chervonez.
Taxed Leaving Country.
People, foreign or otherwise, leaving
Russia are taxed on everything they
carry above reasonable requirements as
interpreted by bolshevik extravaganza
A man travelling with more than three
SHIRTS, six collars, two suits of clothes,
three suits of underwear, one watch,
one ring or one overcoat is taxed on the
surplus, while kodaks. toilet articles and
other articles of luxury are heavily
taxed
Petregrat looks like a great summer
resort city in the winter time. Thou
sands of houses and stores are closed
and the city has been reduced in popu-
latlon by nearly u half million people
OF those that are left, 10000 are out of
employment.
No business is done before IL o'clock
in the forenoon and no service what
ever is TO be had in the hotels be-
fore O'Clock in the morning.
The children looked healthy and
strong and many we'll dressed women
and girls wear shoes but no stockings.