Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-10-31
TOLSTOy DECLARES
SOVIET IS DOOMED
Russian Count Believes Com
munistic Government Is
Nearing Chaos

Communism put to a working test
Is developing tendencies of self-destruc-
ton, which must overthrow the boil
sheviks in Russia before their dream Of
converting the world can materialize.
Count Ilya Tolstoy, son of the great
Russian novelist, expects to see the
Red regime topple before his remaining
years have their course.
Senator William II. King Of Utah, who
visited Russia under the Soviet, believes
that Communism must fall Of its own
weight, but does not expect the change
in his day.
Both men told a large audience in
the Jewish Community Center last night
that Russia under the Soviet Is ap-
preaching chaos.
Hopes for Recognition.
Senator King expressed the wish that
reform in Russia would make 1t pos
sible for the American Government to
recognize that country. Senator King
was certain this step cannot come so
long as Russia is represented by the
Communist party, which he described
as a small minority Of city workers
pledged to convert the world to boil
Shevism.
Count Tolstoy told of the destruc-
ton, of the famine and the decline of
the ruble in the wake of the revolution.
The count declared that the pinch of
famine is stronger today than IL years
ago.
The stability of the bolshevik regime,
the count said, rests upon h outcome
of the struggle for food between the city
workers, or members Of the ruling party,
and the peasants.
Faced with the urgency Of feeding
IS, 900 city workers and their families,
the Communists first bought food from
the peasants with worthless money,
When the peasants refused to sell more,
conf1scatory taxes were levied and SOL
diers sent to collect.
Government Took Products.
Thus the peasant found, Count Toll
stoy said, that the COW was his, but
the milk the governments; the chicken
was his, but the eggs the governments;
the land was his, but the government
took the yield.
Later the government fixed a price
for farm products, but when the peas
ant sold he found his purchasing power
was a fifth of what 1t had been. Now
the count said, the peasant is clinging
to his products and destroying them
rather than trade IN . market fixed
against him.
Count Tolstoy declared this funda-
mental quarrel between peasant and
government is growing more acute daily
He said Communism destroys the peas
ants desire to better his worldly sta
ton and that the only equality which
results 10 equality OF misery.
The mass standard Of living Is being
lowered, with mediocrity at a premium
and the hoped-for industrial growth is
blocked because the purchasing power
Of the population has been reduced to q
minimum.
Sketches Leaders.
Senator King told Of meeting the
heads of the Soviet government in 1923
Lenine, of TrotSky and Of Stain. While
the American was impressed with the
sincerity of the Bolshevist leaders, he
felt that they were dogmatic, narrow
and obsessed with a strange fanaticism
that set up q political creed in the place
Of religion.
AS for the Soviet dream of world con-
quest, Senator King said it had been
freely admitted to him that the boil
sheviks would do their utmost to pro-
mote q Red revolution. He said the
Soviet Is contributing money to spread
their doctrines among the people OF
the earth, and that the Red army Is
kept out Of adjoining countries because
the prospect of victory is still too small
Count Tolstoy and Senator King led
the program of q Russian symposium
the opening event Of a series planned al
the Jewish Community Center under
auspices Of the National Forum.