Evening star., 1924-02-02
Soviet Facing Supreme Test
With Passing of Nicolai Lenin

With the passing of NicoIai Lenin.
dictator OF all Russia, the soviet re-
gime will undergo the supreme test
of its existence. Naturally much in
terest attaches to the probable effect
of the death of the red premier That
it Will lead to catacIysmic results
most editors think doubtful. They
admit, however, that it Is attended
by grave possibilities TO that country
At any rate, it should soon be deter
mined whether there was any per-
manency In the machine he builded.
After all, the paramount question is,
after J4enin, what?'
AS the New, York Evening World
sees 1t. "the fact that he is removed
from the scene at the moment his
most brilliant colleague, Trotsky, is
Inundated and defeated makes the
immediate future OF Russia uncer-
tain" but there are reasons to con-
clude that the elimination Of the two
dynamic leaders Will mark the pass
! ing of a phase of the Russian revo-
luton"
This is also the opinion Of the Seat
tie Times, which feels there may
be .bnds an orderly ecyJI transition to saner
that Lenin himself favored a retreat
from pure communism" Before Lenin
left the stage, the Milwaukee jour
nal recalls, he found his methods
into the background" and these sue
cessors, the Portland Express OBJ
serves, rule Russia with an iron
| hand as did he; however. conditions
there are better than during the early
days of the revolution. for the i'm
practicability of the communistic
principle has been recognized"
The Chicago Daily News, neverthe-
less, maintains conditions are chaotic
evitable and their effect on the
economic and political life of Russia
may be momentous." Granting that
there may be sentiment which will
go to the extreme to prove the spirit
of Lenin lives in the Russian con-
sciousness, the Albany Knickerbocker
Press insists "even that will pass, for
| it Is not conceivable that the vaga-
ries of communism can endure and
develop in such q large and populous
country in a time when the arts and
science of civilization are making
advances"
The Columbus Dispatch points out,
further, there are strong forces try
ing to break away from the COM
| munist domination and that the more
| radical element may not be able much
longer to retain its control" At any
rate. the change will come more
quickly, according to the Des Moines
Tribune, "if the rest of the world
does not wage war on the soviet
regime" for nothing would solidify
the Russian people more behind the
present government than u national
war OF defense"
But what happens in Russia. the
indianapolis News declares, will de-
pend largely on how much Lenin's
experience" The Omaha World
Herald. however, predicts that Rus
sia again faces turbulent times"
puts it, "Lenin passes, but Trotsky
remains, which means that sovietism
is not We. at an. end" for Lenin's
withdrawal from leadership during a
years illness has made little differ
ence." And the Knoxville Sentinel
asks, "Win the death OF Lenin give
the oppressed bourgeois or majority
| In Russia government by all the
people and for all the people, with
dictatorship by none and oppression
for uone?"
The Detroit tTee PresS douDtS that
Lenin's death can bring about any
thing like a return to sanity. because
any optimism that might have re-
suited from the death is put to flight
by the simultaneous report that, un-
der resolution adopted by the COM
| nunist party assembled in Moscow.
] ;he pure and the compromise
teachings of the departed Vladimir
| Ilytich Ulyanov are hereafter to be
| :aught the youth of all Russia as
| udiments for their outlook on life"
which "is blindness greater even
than Lenin.s."',. Likewise the Savar-
Iah Press believes any changes are