San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1923-04-29
In Minority as to Numbers
But Complete Power
in Their Hands.
THEY SETTLE POLICY
Congress Now Closing
Shows Influence of Party
in Shaping 1t.
BY F. A. MACKENZIE
Special Gable to The San Antonio Light
and the Chicago Daily News.


Moscow, April 2S.-The Russian
communist congress now drawing to
close has settled Russia's national
and economic policy for the coming
year and settled it along strong COM
munistic lines. Those who hoped for
further concessions in order to at
tract foreign capital or a further ex-
tension of the new economic policy
have been disappointed.
The communist party's position in
Russian politics is unique. Number
ing Just over 100000 members, of
whom one-half are VOL kers, less than
a quarter peasants aid a quarter Of
ficials it controls the government abb
solutely and has the entire admins
tration, national and local, in its
hands. Every peo.le's commissar is a
member of the party. Communists
control every department of state,
direct every government factory and
control the police, the army, the uni.
versities and the schools. Every child
ren's home has a communist at its
head whose duty it to see that the
children are properly trained in the
right politics. -.
The annual communist congress de-
cides the national policy and its de-
cisionS are carried cut ~ a committee
which is in constant session and by
small group Of from five to seven
members called the political bureau
which virtually is Russia's inner cab
met. Every member of the committee
and bureau is an old revolutionist
who worked as a communist before
1905.
The last two years have witnessed
the growth of the right wing in the
party mainly represented by CONNER
cial and financial experts like Kras-
sin, Bougdanov and Larin. These par
ticularly sought to establish the prln-
ciple that business should be run on
business lines by business men with
out political interference except on
questions of fundamental policy. Kras-
sin led this group in a bold fight, urg-
ing Russia to take strong steps to Sc
cure foreign capital on a large scale,
making terms agreeable to foreigners
and working TO secure de jure recog-
milton. His main point was that in
way that the country could not hope
for q quick recovery without large
scale foreign cooperation. Krassin
further urged the political bureau TO
leave business affairs to business men.
Trotzky, Kamenev and Zonovfev,
who stood out as leaders of the ma
jority. took the other lines, urging
that it was better to go slowly with
out large foreign aid than to pay the
price demanded by foreigners and to
surrender large riches and political
principles. Trotzky's plan is to prac.
tice rigid economy, increase taxation,
reorganize big industry under state
control, making the smaller private
undertakings and the peasantry en-
dure the temporary burden of recon-
struction and relying upon the good
harvest anticipated this year to carry
the country through.
Anticipates Loss This Year.
1t is frankly admitted by Trotzky
that the heavy losses endured by biz
industry last year were probably much
greater than the returns show owing
TO the disappearance Of invisible as
sNAo. iit tuat spAht VI
all that can be done there will be
loss this year also but he maintains
that industry IS improving. In min
erals, coal and naptha the govern
ment return is very small but the
production of textiles has nearly
doubled and that Of wool has in
creased about so per cent.
Throughout the debates the COM
munist leaders recognized the vital
part played by the peasantry and the
whole tendency of many of the speeches
was to induce the peasantry to see
the necessity of heavier taxation and
to win their friendly cooperation. The
government has too vivid n recollection
of the result of the peasants passive
strike against the old economic policy
to desire a repetition. A peasant now.
owing to the low price OF manufactured
goods, pays two and three-quarters
times more in grain for his goods
than in 1913. The peasants are to be
asked this year to pay 81 per cent I
the national expenditure in place of
II per cent last year.
Conflict on Financial Methods.
The peasants taxes however are TO
be unified. Taxation in time is to be
gradually abolished and n further sys.
TEN of control established in order
to do away with local abuses in the
collection of taxes. Trotzky especilly
insisted upon the principle that the
state must retain financial control,
declaring that those who finance in.
dustry. are its masters. Trotzky and
Krassin agreed upon the poverty OF
the country but were in sharp conflict
over financial methods.
"You cannot accumulate large cap.
ital By petty saving" Krassin de-
clared. He estimated tie annual loss
through the wrecking of industry at
5000 100000 gold rubles (S4,O0O,-
600. OO0).
Krassin and his friends would have
encouraged foreigners TO take over the
industries along the lines outlined in
recent cable. They were however
completely defeated and their pro-
posal that the communist committee
bureau should divest itself of some
of it's power aroused special wrath.
"All power to the party and I'VE
must maintain the dictatorship OF the
party" were favorite slogans.
Despite this many responsible bust
ness men here are far from dis
couraged. They are convinced that
economic necessity within few
months will compel a modification Of
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