Evening star., 1927-03-06
SOVIET STRENGTH WANING
DESPITE GAINS In CHINA
Peasants Power Increasing in Russia
With Tendency Toward Capitalism.
British Hit Hardest by Reds.

policy of attack upon Great Britain IN
Asia would be continued and extended.
Such reports as reach the west from
Russia, however, make II fairly clear
that real change Is beginning TO take
| place. Little by little the peasants are
at last becoming politically potent.
And for the peasants the dominating
feeling is hatred Of the city. and
| therefore hatred of the bolshevist
leaders and rule, which Is based upon
the cities and Is the result of the ac-
tivittes of men and women who belong
TO an Industrial. not an agricultural,
world.
The bolshevists have been tolerated
| by the peasants because from them
the peasants obtained the land in the
revolution. But it has not been posSi-
ble for the Reds to obtain acceptance
| for their communistic ideas among
| peasants. On the contrary. not only
have the peasants rejected the idea OF
state ownership of the land, but they
nave with, growing frequency killed;
| the agents of the Soviet governments
VINO have endeavored to collect taxes.
Weakness of Soviet Shown.
Today the Russian Soviet regime
| lives because of the government mo-
| nopolies. 1t derives its revenue largely
from the oil and gold and other prod
ucts or state property. which 1t sells
/ directly to foreign countries. 1t does
not dare to attempt any real policy
of tax collecting. But the weakness
here disclosed Is accentuated by the
/ fact that it is unable to provide the
| peasant with the things which he
| needs 1t cannot provide roads, IL
| cannot even provide markets, il cam
not supply goods.
| The great evolution which is taking
| place within Russia with the passing
of time is this rise of the peasants to
| political power. Actually there Is ap-
preaching an intermediate stage be-
| tween the old Marxist Communism,
which was represented by Lenin, and
the peasant state, which many expert
enced Russian students predict Is as
sured within a decade. Stallin and
Rakov, in fact, represent this transi-
ton
| The peasant movement will GER
tainly bring to power capitalistio
| ideas. So far from seeking to destroy
the idea of property, the peasants, now
masters of their own land. will prompt
ly re-establiSh capitalism, so far as
| land is concerned.
Thus, profound as have been the
disasters which Russian Soviet policy
has inflicted upon the Western ma
tions, upon Great Britain first Of all,
| it is far from impossible that the
worst has already been seen. And it
| is also far from unlikely that the
British government is now aware or
the domestic developments In Russia,
concerning which it must have far
| better information than the unofficial
| world.
British Labor Sees Light.
Nor is it less clear that its position
is strengthened by the fact that Brit
| ish labor is becoming increasingly
| aware of the fact that IL is the real
victim of Soviet activities in China.
| Unemployment in Britain is an OBJ
vious consequence of the Chinese boy
colt and attack upon Britain, which
have been stimulated and melted by
| Soviet agents. And, at last, labor Is
giving evidence of resentment and
even willingness to support govern
mental reprisal.
Meantime for the whole world tho
British course must be at once inter-
esting and important. Soviet activity
in China. while infiicting great f1nan-
cial losses upon Britain. has destroyed
labor sympathy for the Reds.
The hand of the Tory government
has now been forced. The British
people are up in arms and public
opinion is more excited than at any
moment since the Zinoviev letter up
set the Labor government. Were
the British government now to pro-
pose a general policy of reprisal and
blockade against the Red regime, the
consequences might be considerable.
They might even hasten the trans
formation now inevitable within
Russia.
British policy toward Russia has
always been influenced by the domi-
mating necessity to reopen Russian
markets and regain access to the
relatively cheap food supplies of the
old empire. Along with this has gone
the realization that a hostile Russia
could do incalculable injury to all
British interests in Asia. All British
efforts at conciliation and restoration
of commercial interchange have failed.
All the advantages of restored COM
mercial intercourse, so far as 1t has
come. have been Russian. America.
which has not recognized the Red
regime, has actually Jared better at
Russian hands.
Now the British seem about To-
change their policy. Their warning
may have effect. Moscow may mod
crate its hostile operations for the mo
ment. But only in Asia and against
Britain can it actually pursue its pol
Icy of war against the capitalistic
world. Therefore an accentuation of
the Anglo-Red troubles seems assured
Asia has become the final battle-ground
of the Reds. China is their supreme
bid for the world revolution.
(CoDyright. 1877