The Washington times., 1923-01-07

made. ana according to All indica.
lions drought results Ear more
substantial than was originally *.
pected.
BENEFITS By MISTAKES.
At the beginning Of October 8
large number Of Gubernias, states
bad delivered 70 the government
100 per cent ~ their respective
Quotas and the rest 81 the Gu.
bernias were about 70 complete
their program a. outlined 81 the
I government.
The success of the grain tax
campaign, now drawing % al end.
proves that the soviet govern
ment hes vastly benefited 81 its
past mistakes and d now ven
under way in it, execution al !
sound and enlightened policy.
which may mark the daWnine 81
= new and happier er1 Cn Nus
Sia's horizon.
Since October, 1917. the nnost
formidable problem facing the
Soviet government was ID recon
che the peasant. upon tho u,,c.
cessfuI solution 81 this problem
depended its very life. fcs wen
did the leading brain III Moscow
know that ia the long run no
government can exist ia Russia
IN the face Of the peasants active
o. passive opposition.
Force ana terror naay have had
thois effects Tor 4 short Tina. hit
these effects were never found q
% lasting, nor Wes the reaction
from the application Of tOrc very
comforting.
Things looked ID urIaen the
Soviet Government. after taking
aIl the land from the land owners
and handing It Over to the meas
ants. had been frequently com.
peIled q 1915. 1919 ana 1920 to
0end .Rosvieshis armed expedi.
tiona. 70 compel the peasant .to
share his provisions with the.
starving population 81 the city. to
feed the army. Ths peasants Sc
Iief 81 ana love Tor his property
w. too great u IS hastily over
come ~ Communistic propar
ganda.
By NO MEANS HOSTILE.
He Was ~ a. means hostiNs t.
the government. Ho was Indeed
grateful Tor thos resent 1rnt 81
land. : thing be hoped ana prayed
Tor an his life, but the produce
he raised the peasant cherished
no lees than the land itself. and
was extremely reluctant u part
with Il II the ahsence cf any
t2ngible equivalent.
IN . great many instances the
reluctance was intensified IN a
aOttve anti BolsheviI prOpa gania
carried On On = rather larGs scale
by the various anita oniut,a epax.
ties. which nom tirno - time
wero gathering their COR - prep
aratory 70 delivering what was to
10 = nnal ana smashfng bloW.. e
Communism. $50.
The local clergy. too. Nas 8
great factor In those dlyn. Their
influence On the peasant was
tremendous. ana thsy never let
80 Of an opportunity 70 antago-
nize him. to ret him against the
government.
Tho anti-6ovask rropaganda
among peasants at that time Ten
on fertile soil mainly because
Communism and an II implied
was inconprehensibIe to the
peasant. . thing to which his
mind did not readily take.
At the same time the peasant
was extremely fearful OF the re-
turn Of the old order Of things,
which meant the certain loss Of
the newly acquired land, and It
was this instructive fear. that
held them back from mass insur-
rection against the government.
Actuated by the motives out
lined, the Central Executive Com.
mittee Of Soviet Russia passed a
series Of supplementary agrarian
laws defining and vastly strength.
ening the peasants right to. the
use OF the land allotted to him
by the government.
say ''use'' OF land and avoid
the word Ownership becaua. the
supplementary land law passed
about a year ago by tho All Rus
sian Central Executive Commits
tee reaffirns the principle. that
the Russian land. with all it's for
ests, rivers and natural resources.
remains national property. owned
by tho Russian people, and that
definite and limited parts of it
may be held by individuals or
groups az long al such land is
properly and benefieiaily used,
In the event OF neglect, the
land reverta to the people and
is given to mere industrious
farmaR, Ne man an group can
acquire land for speculative pur-
poses.
Along with the new land laws,
the government passed law pro-