Evening star., 1924-02-20
IN TODAY'S SPOTLIGHT
BY PAUL y. COLLINS

| Is the United States beginning to
| feel lonesome in it's refusal to recog-
I nize the Russian. soviet government!
There seems to be a European stam-
pede to give the bolsheviks recoEni-
| tion. Italy. Czechoslovakia and Nor
way. within the last month, have
given their official recognition. The
new labor government of Great Brit
| ain is pressed by labor interests and
will accept the unavoidable recognt-
tion within a few days, so Prime
| Minister Macdonald has plainly inti-
mated.
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On the other hand, there are sew
| eral nations which long since took
the step in recognition, and now
openly seek a way to repudiate that
action. Germany is one of the ma
tions and is complaining that heH
recognition has been a mistake, since
the bolshevik propaganda for social
ism persists in attempting to under
mine the German republic. Turk ey
! has notified Russia that her consuls
| who are persisting in spreading
socialistic doctrines are to be ex-
PEELED.
Esthonia has adopted a law making
the teaching of communism or any
form of SocialiStic bolshevism trea-
! son against the government. Some
days ago three members of her par
! Lament, not elected as socialists, were
arrested because they declared in
| favor of socialism. There was agita-
tion to call a special session Of par
| lament for the express purpose OF
| taking action in enforcing the i'm
munity against arrest held by men,
bers of parliament. but the govern
! Inent preferred to let the courts TAX
! care Of the cases. as members are
| immune from arrests only when par
| lament Is in session. Parliament
| met in regular session last Mon
day, and the question now is
| whether the members shall remain in
the hands of the courts and be ex-
parliament shall impeach them.
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| 1t is a much more serious act for
q country to withdraw recognition
after having accorded it than to
| withhold it from the beginning. To
sever diplomatic relations is almost
equivalent to declaration of war, but
to withdraw once-given recognition
is practically declaration of outlaw
I
France and Japan refuse recogni-
tion on the same grounds that the
| United States stands upon-that no
recognition will be given unless Rus
Sia assumes all debts and agrees TO
pay them. In our case, the claim
against Russia amounts to some $780,
, 000,0 loaned to the czar and keren-
sky governments to help win the war.
and S570.000,000 private claims of
| Americans whose property has been
seized by the soviet government. All
debts are "annuiled" by the Soviets
and they freely boast that they have
/ no intention of ever paying them.
/ All private property hSJ been seized
by the state, whether belonging to
Russians or foreigners.
German threats to sever diplomatic
relations with Russia are laughed at
| by the bolshevfks, who well know how
! desperately Germany needs friends.
! Austria is similarly Haunted for the
sa me reason. Every day but adds to
| the strength of the Russian position.
Its government is today one of the
| most stable of all European gov
ernmertS, and there are many Amer
; leans who, not realizing what Rus
! sian bolsheviSm means, are wondering
whether 1t is not d mistake for this
country. France and Japan to persist
! in aloofness, against such manifest
, stability. They argue that We Eecog
nized the cars government. which
| was a far more cruel despotism than
| that of Lenin ever was.
p! 1t should be noted, say the Amer
! lean statesmen who are charged with
! responsibility. that this is not ques-
! tion of domestic tyranny. That would
F; be a matter only for the Russian