San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1925-11-08


horror Of that situation. / have just
made another visit to Russia. The
contrast of the present with the grim
picture that was presented to me a
little over four years ago makes the
recollection seem like a bad dream.
Millions of men and women liter
ally were starving to death when
Herbert Hoovcr's highly philanthropic
impulse moved humanity to the re-
LEI Of poor Russia. They roamed the
country, ragged, sick. hoil0w-eyed, des-
perate, and they dicd-Heaycn alone
knows how many of these teeming
bordcs Of starving died.
FOOD FOR EVERYBODY
Today there is food for everybody
in Russia. In fact. | believe there
is more food there than in this coun-
try, and the prices are much lower.
The population that was standing Ill
line waiting for bread in 1921 and
1922 now is well fed. The destitu-
ton and suffering of those black years
is now only bitter memory.
In the wake of the great war and
the political chaos into which the land
~ the old cars had been plunged,
and which Slapped the production Of
the country, came drought. There were
no crops. Then followed misery such
as no civilized peoples on the face
of the earth have had to endure.
Women threw their babies into the
rivers rather than see them starve in
their arms. Whole villages We're
abandoned by the inhabitants who
went wandering weakly here and
there. and everywhere. hoping some
how to find just enough food to keep
soul and body together.
ATE BARK. ROOTS.
Thcy devourcd acorns. the bark OF
trees. roots and herbs. They lived in
The manner Of wild animals, but with
out the resource and ingenuity Of
wild animals. They lay down beside
the roads. in mud and ice, and grovcl-
ed there until the breath of life merci
fully quit their poor emaciated
frames.
When ] entered Russia four years
ago no stores were open in the towns
{ because they had nothing to sell. and
no one had any money to buy with.
Those were the last days Of pure
Communism in Russia--Of theoretical
(. communism. You got G0,000 paper
ruublcs for one dollar. but there was
nothing behind the rouble. Ii went tn
FoJO. 100000 roubles to the dollar be-
+ fore my work with the American re-
lief administration stopped. and final
ly. / understand. to billion to thu
dollar. They were issuing 1O,0OO,OO0-
rouble notes in those days.
ROUBLE NOW STABLE.
Today the Russian rouble is quoted
ut fifty-0ne cents and is on parity
with the English pound and the Amer
lean dollar Moreover, it has been
there over two years and is backed
by gold reserve. All the old money
has been wiped out and there Is
plenty of silver and copper money
around. The stores and market. cx-
ccpt for few articles, are plcntfully
supplied with goods.
About the time ] first entered
Russia four years ago no one re-
ceivcd any wages and no taxes were
levied. The banks were closed. The
population was ratiOncd and housed
by the government but it was against
the law to barter and exchange. There
was no traffic in the streets of the
cities, and little effort was made to-
ward municipal cleanliness and sani-
ration. There were no policemen. only
soldiers. on the corners. The street
cars were running, but no one paid
fare. The drosky drivers had taken
their horses to the country. Every
body was in rags.
SUFFICIENTLY CLOTHED.
Today the Russians are sufficiently,
il not fashionably clothed. The streets
Of Moscow and other cities hum with
traffic. The droSkys have reappear-
ed. and even taxicabs are in opera
ton. The average wage paid the
workingman is now about $50 per
month. and with it the government
gives him lot Of perquisites of one
kind and another.
The workingman is no longer hun
cry or oppressed. The soviet gov
eminent. which is really Dictator
ship with the Communist party tell
ing it what to do, dcfers to him Mt
all times and in all things. His is the
preferred class. He can walk into
any hotel in his shirt sleeves and get
all the service and consideration of
fcred to any rich foreigner. lie is
handled with kid gloves.
CONTRAST is SHARP.
Contrast this with the popular con-
ccption of the old, old Russia-the
Russia Of the tabled opulence and
magnificence Of the upper classes, of
religious oppression, and cruel land
lord.
All that, Of course, has faded into
the past. The once proud mobiles of
RUSSIA are scattered over the world,
some starving as buffers and walters.
The workingman, who was once
less 10 them than the dust beneath
their naughty feet, now has the first
consideration. The peasant or farmer
doesn't figure so much, and what i
might call the intelligcntsia, or the
professional classesLdoctors, lawyers,
and teachers and the like-get fewer |
favors than the man who works with |
his hands. I
LABORER is KING.
The workingman's children. who |
seyer had chahce in the old days, |
crc now also in the preferred class. |
The government owns everything, end |
everything is conducted with special
reference to the workingman. The
merchant and the employer Of labor
cannot vote, although voting in Rus J