Evening star., 1933-02-05

TIME latest cable dispatches from
Russia bear witness to the fact
that after two years of relative
L tranquility new tide of politi-
cal unrest is sweeping over the
Soviet Union This unrest reveals itself
in two sets of facts. In the first place,
not all is well within the ranks Of the
Communist party. In the second, be-
hind. the official Soviet statements on
the enthusiasm of the Russian pIole-
tariat for the five-year plan" the Rus
sian masses at large, and peasants in
particular. are in state of ferment.
The first danger signal went off in
Moscow four months ago. In october,
1882. "a noted Communists. included
c. Zinoviev, L. Kamenev and N. Ugla-
nov, were expelled from the Communist
ranks. 1t was officially announced that,
under the leadership of N. Ryutin, q
young. influential and talented Com
munist, these men were organizing a
secret plot to overthrow Joseph Stain.
They professed that the dictator's policy
of "breakneck speed industrialization"
was "a criminal mistake which was
causing incalculable damages to Rus
sia."
Three months had hardly elapsed
when new secret group of 'Rightist'
opposition" was discovered by Stains
men. This time, too, the rebels were
important men. two of them. N. Els
mond and " Tolmachev, being govern
ment ministers.
OF course, these men, too, were i'm
mediately communicated, and some
of the other Communist leaders, like A.
Rykov, the former premier Of the Soviet
Union, were severely reprimanded for
"sympathizing" with the conspirators.
Moreover, the well-informed Russian
Socialist papers published outside of
Russia assert that, on both these occa-
sions, hundreds of minor Communists
who participated in these plots were
arrested and banished or merely dis
appeared"
Discussions as violent as these have
not occurred in the Communist party
since the dramatic years from 1924 to
1927, when Stain was consolidating his
power and when N. Lashevich, one OF
the leading members of the commits
sariat of war, was organizing an armed
uprising against him and gathering
arms and rebels in the forests around
Moscow; when, in a word, the very air
of the Soviet capital was pregnant with
revolts, intrigues, conspiracies.
Position Is Shaken.
These dissensions in themselves
would suffice to show that Stains posi-
tlon as leader again is shaken and
that the Iron unity" of the Communist
party is at present open to doubt. But
this is not all
Since last Fall, thousands of cases OF
"Sedition' have occurred in the lower
grams to the effect that "the Commu-
nists of such-and-such village have
concluded an alliance with the local
'kulaks' (propertied peasants) and
counter revolutionists and are helping
them to hide grain from the govern
ment. or even to carry on the anti
Soviet propaganda" have daily poured
into the Moscow papers from all cor
nerS of Russia.
This is worse than an occasional
conspiracy in Moscow. For the humble
provincial Communists are truly the
very backbone of Stalin's regime; It Is
upon them that the government de-
pends for its grain collections-and,
consequently, for its food Supply-for
the enforcement of DEGREES, preserva-
tion of order, etc. And when, while
continuing to send SubServient reports
to the center, these Communists begin
to sabotage their chiefs, the whole So
Wet system finds itself under the threat
OF breakdown and paralysis. To q Ger
tain extent it actually has been para
lyzed; the Soviet press is right in blam-
ing the partial failure of this years
grain collections, which failure has
added a great deal to the food difficult
ties in the cities. upon these mass
Seditions.
Alarmed, Stalin's Central Committee
decided to take drastic measures.
At the end Of December it was an
nounced that wholesale party cleans
ing" would take place. And, through
out all of last month, hundreds Of spe-
cial control commissions" often ac-
companied by o. G. P. U. officials, were
sent out to the provinces, where they
carefully inquired into the records and
activities of local Communists and ex-
PEELED them from the party by the
thousands, or even inflicted heavier
punishments upon them. It has been
asserted in Moscow that out Of 5000
600 Communists, 100000 may thus be
expelled
Such, then, is one set of facts. The
other set is equally significant.
For long time stories have been re-
ported of Jealous grain collectors whose
heads had been split with spade dur
ing the night, in a dark lane OF TINS
or that village. This popularity OF the
Russian peasants reaction to rural So
cialism is more or less chronic.
But since early last Fall, . mucn
more important symptom has ap1eqes4e