Evening star., 1923-10-02
Can Europe Hold Together?
XIX-Russia Before Dawn
by JOHN f. SINCLAIR

the day for the soviets. All Russians
| (both white and red) Joined hands to
resist to the death the incoming in
vaders. This gave the soviet govern
She successfully resisted all the In
vaders. But conditions continued to
! grow worse. Something had to be done
or tho government was lost. The prob
lem OF increasing the production of
| agriculture was the first consideration.
At last on March %, 1921, the soviet
government, under the inspiration and
| leadership of Nicholas Lenin, decided
to so modify the policy of communism
that private trading within certain de-
lined limits was made legal. This Is
| what Is called the new economic policy
OF Russia-'NEP" for short.
| Seek to Piacate Peasants.
Since that time conditions in Rus
sia have been steadily improving. Es-
pec1ally is this true with regard to
| agriculture. Under the new NEP
policy the government takes In taxes
PEASANTS crop. The peasant can dis
pose OF the balance as he sees fit. The
requisition of all crops by the gov
ernment is gone. AS result produc-
tion is increasing.
In addition to this new develop
| ment. the all-Russian central execu :
tive committee in January, 1922,
passed a decree establishing q CEN
| tral agricultural commission, under
the presidency of NJ. I. KaIinin. presi-
| headquarters In Moscow. the present
capital Of Russia. The object of this
commission is to increase production
and to rehabilitate agriculture. So
important is this work in the opinion
| of the soviet government that Presi-
dent kalinfn. himself peasant, gives
two hours a day TO the hearing of all
cases of disputes between peasants
which the local, authorities have not
been able to settle The government
trealizes that the contented agricul-
turist Is its strongest weapon.
This policy has already had two i'm
portant results. 1t has had the effect
or bringing the great peasant class
10 per cept of the. population-into
sympathetic relationship with the So
Wet government of Russia. In the
second place, agricultural production
has so far recovered that the authori-
| ties expect to be able to export about
! 75,O00,o00 bushels of grain for this
year. 1923. which. grain they will ex-
change for agricultural machinery and
other essential imports. Whether
Russia syet produfng sufficient grain
| for all her people am not able to
say. but Russia must have certain i'm
ports, like farm machinery, to reha-
| bilitate, and she will sell this year,
| outside of her own country, the larg-
est volume of grain since 1917.
Sees Signs of Recovery.
! Since the NEP policy was intro
| duced. two and n half years ago, the
present government of Russia has
! been growing stronger and more
powerful. Agricultural production Is
| Increasing; the cities are showing
| increased life. i was In Russia in
| July and l saw old buildings being
remodeled and painted. new plate
! glass fronts being installed in many
stores in Petrograd and Moscow and
! other cities: streets were being re-
| paired and new street cars being in
| Etalled Stocks of goods in the
| food was cheap and plentiful. Al
| the Savoy Hotel in Moscow in July
of this year ! had a dinner consist
| ing of vegetable soup. fish, fried
/ chicken. potatoes, vegetables. n let
tuce and tomato salad. ice cream
cake and coffee for 80 cents;
| Russia since the revolution has
| been through the most horrible suf-
! fering yet experienced by a modern
| nation. She has touched the bottou
| aconomfcaily, financially and 80.
| cially.
Through it all the soviet govern.
| ment has survived until today the
/ is not only the oldest. but, judged by
| all former standards, one of the
/ strongest In Europe. At this time Il
! is in. very strong position. The
question, then, is:, Can this govern
/ meno last? This we will take up in
| our next article.
| Tomorrow: Is Russia Coming Back
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