The Washington times., 1923-07-05
BALDWIN s SO n
HAS RADICAL
LEAN|NCS
Avowed Socialist, He Has Had
Trying Experience With
Bolshevisks.
BY DAVID M. CHURCH.
international News Service,

LONDON, July S. Although
Stanley Baldwin, prime minister,
rode into office on support Of Tory
reactionaries, his son, Oliver Bald
win, is Of decidedly liberal tenden-
cies and has suffered, almost to
the point Of death, in the cause
of Socialism.
Oliver Baldwin, twenty-four years
old, fair;haired and blue eyed,
showed his disregard for tradition
and family rank when he enlisted
in the ranks of the Irish Guards for
service in the world war. His en-
listment eventually led to extra
ordinary adventures and privations.
After the war he went to Armenia,
where he suffered greatly at the
hands of the Bolsheviks, because he
was a social revolutionary.
TT was in September, 1920"
Baldwin said In recounting his ad-
ventures, that / went to Armenia,
at the request of the President Of
the Republic, as an instructor to
tn army gduring the Turkish-Ar-
menian war. We were beaten by
the Turks in November, and next
month the Bolsheviks swept down
and took the country by force.
Thrown Into Jail.
zone of their first acts was to
throw me into Jail, together with
many Observation-Disclosures and So
cialists Of the Second International.
In this, as in MANY other acts, they
showed themselves completely re-
CARELESS of the welfare of Socialists
and lovers Of liberty"
The-~young son Of the premier
here displayed a brilliant orange
colored card, which, he said, was q
certificate of membership in the
Dashnakzutun, one of the most
powerful of social-revolutionary
bodies.
II esteem my election to that
cially as was its only non.Arme.
Man member.
"At the time I was a witness of
one of the vilest acts committed by
the Bolsheviks; before my eyes
they executed seventy-five Arme-
MAN Socialists.
six weeks in prison, and l spent my
shevism worked.
Goes to Turkey.
"In March I left for Turkey,
armed with a passport given by the
Kemalist consul for safe conduct
across Turkey. / know now that
it was only trap for me. In the
horrors of that march across the
Caucasus perhaps the worst were
that I was snow-hlind and frost
bitten.
AT Alexandropol I was arrested
by the Turks and sent to prison at
kars for a month. Then 1 was
moved to another prison, where l
feet, and starving, for five weary
months. ! used to crawl about on
my hands and knees looking for
crumbs and other scraps Of food.
During that time the B0lsheviks
asked for me to be handed back to
them for execution, but the Turks
were not quite as unprincipled as
that. But in prison with me were
two Communists, who were exc
cuted outside my window.
Freed By Exchange.
AT last an exchange was fixed
up, and, after a weary. walk from
Erzerum to Trebizond, made my
way back to England"
Gwen though his father is Prime
Minister, young Baldwin has mel
ancholy views Of the future.
"Thcrc liz nothing for me to do
here now" he said. 1.-THE British
Labor party have broken my heart
because, while ostensibly belonging
to the Second International, they
back up at every turn the Third
international Of Moscow, which is
eve.y day crushing liberty and
numbering anyone who raises his
voice in defense Of public right.
80 in September. ! I'M going
out to British East Africa, where,
with nature as the common enemy,
all men are united in the great
work OF building up instead of
pulling down."