The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-11-07
Cultural Victories?

M. Karahan's exultation over the acquisi- tion of the Chinese Eastern, railway by the bolsheviks, though somewhat natural, is be- ginning to exceed all bounds. That it was a great economic victory has already been broadcast from Moscow. But M. Karakan goes further. He calls it a cultural victory. That is to say, the Chinese and Mongolians living in the districts through whcih the rail- way passes will get an interesting spectacle, a railway, operated not for profit as hither- to, but to strengthen the cause of the inter- national proletariat:.@ At least that is M: Karahan's prognosis. The strengthening of the cause takes the form of intense exploita- tion, along the same methods employed in the Baku oil regions. The natives smay come I in and help; in fact, there will be few divi- sions of the red army to compel them. There will be no wages, no remuneration. If the natives accept membership in the communist party, they will get rations of bread and cloth ing. If they do not join. that party they're out of luck. They'll get nothing and will be slaves of the men whose, slogan is: 'Prole- tarians of all countries unite. You have nothing to lose but your chains"
 MOOriSh Ways
 The ghosts of Don Juan, conqueror of the Turks at Lepanto; Don Alvarez de Toledo, Medina Sidonia, Don Requesens and the world conquering Spanish grandees of a couple of centuries ago must have gnashed their teeth in humiliation and chagrin at the spectacle of Spanish general walking around in a walled-in Moorish camp with a steel collar round his neck and fastened to a chain. This the way the Moors of the: Riff republic with whom Spain is at war; threatened General Navarro and his staff officers. The gen. erals story, just published in Madrid, is an laccount of horror, of massacres and cruelty that are a fitting sequel to the campaigns of Spain in the Americas and the Netherlands While ill the latter countries the Spaniards distinguished themselves with a ruthlessness that knew no mercy or pardon, but slaugh- tered and footed with the abandon of Van dals, the Riff tribesmen have apparently turned the tables on the conQuistadores sent out by General Primo de Rivera. The senoras who accompanied their husband-of
 ficers on the victorious march" were cap tured and were promptly commandeered for the harems of the different sultans. When the forts of Alhucemas opened fire on the Moor encampment, the prisoners were hastily marshaled in line few yards in front of the target. Often the wounded were murdered in one place 2,000 wounded and helpless Spanish soldiers were dispatched by thC knives of the footing Moors. The second part of General Navarro's story is in the form of diary, and deals with his own captivity
 It seems almost incredible that for more thar 800 days the officers and men could have existed in such appalling circumstances within view of a Spanish fort-the island of Alec
 humas-sO near, in fact the relatives could be distinguished waving handkerchiefs. The price of ransom was helf million dollars apiece. Of the AS officers only 13 managed to escape. The others were padlocked to gether. -- i- --s N... .- .r-5 .