Evening star., 1924-08-02
ARTICLE L.

I have been spending three months
in Soviet Russia-the Russia or re-
viving industry and agriculture. OF
a gold-value stabilized currency. Of a
consolidated Bolshevist power threat
ened by no domestic or foreign foes
and being rapidly recognized by one
after another Of the nations. 1t is
a Russia far stronger than that ex-
hibited to our perfpatetic congress
sional Investigators last summer.
Nevertheless, thinking Boishevists
are extremely worried about the
general economic unsoundness exist
ing behind the gilded facade OF lively
business streets, busy factories.
growing exports and a favorable
trade balance, which they are accus-
toned to exhibit to foreign visitors.
1t is two and half years since /
last visited Russia. then beginning
its new economic policy, or NEP as
1t is familiarly abbreviated. 1t was
barely commencing to recover from
the ravages Of invasion and civil war
and facing a great famine. The con-
trast between the MOSCOW OF then
and now is startling.
The advance in apparent prosper
tty Is impressive and undeniabie. 1
lived six years In Russia before the
war, knew pre-war MOSCOW very
well and could almost imagine myself
back in 1t from the surface life in
the streets and theaters. L can more
easily realize how the visitor, strange
to Russia and to the Russian Ian
guage. dependent upon transiators
and brought m contact with care
n n m t<aly n
nation. can be impressed by the
window dressing OF his BoishevIst
hosts when those skillfuI propa-
gandtsts desire to shave him i'm
pressed.
Surface Indicat tions Erroneous.
Nevertheless. I believe boishevtsm
In Russia Is in a bad way. Surface
indications are erroneous. regarding
both the stability Of bolshevism and
the soundness OF the economic re-
vival. The proletarian workman, for
whom Russia was boIshevized. is
worse or financially than before the
war and is rapidly becoming disil-
lusionized about the promised bless
inEs.
The peasant, bolshevists complain,
party which gave him the land. In
stead of opening his mind to boil
sheyist communism. he is developing
in the opposite direction, becoming a
stout believer in individual property
ownership. He is getting to have
the same antipathies toward the
gentry who collect heavy taxes from
him as he had formerly against the
caste holding the land which he
coveted and believed rightfuiiy be-
longed to him.
And Muzhik Ivan, be it remembered.
constitutes approximately 80 per cent
of Russias population-a fairly con-
siderable majority against which to
rule Russia on bolshevist lines il he
once makes up his mind to have none
of them.
The business revival. too, is of an
anti-bolshevist nature. II is based
and conditioned upon capitalism, the
serpent foe Of the proletariat, which
the bolshevist Hercules strangied in
1S17-191S, and later nurtured back to
life when he found his own menag-
erie of economic dogmas devouring
the proletariat and the Soviet with 1t.
Bolshevist leaders would like to
strangle it again, for 1t Is becoming
a pretty hefty anaconda, having re-
gained entire domination of retail
trade and encroaching steadily upon
wholesale trade and manufacturing
But they dare not
If they kill capitalism and private
initiative they kill reviving trade and
industry. and Russia sinks back into
an economic chaos which means the
end of their experiment and their
power. They know this and content
with looping of the heads