The Daily Alaska empire., 1937-07-12
RevOlutionaries Facing a Revolution
Philadelphia Record)


 Just what is going on inside Russia? The world doesn't know-and neither do those who live under the Soviet rule.
 But by it Has become apparent that the im- portance of recent events inside the Soviet Union transcends any question of the personal guilt in of the hundreds recently arrested and tried for treason, sabotage and "Trotzkyism."
 In fact it be assumed, for the purposes of analysis, that those tried were "guilty"-snce guilt in the Soviet Union means little than disagree ment with Stalns policies The significant question is not whether they guilty but why they were guilty"
 When Trotzky was driven from Russia, Stalin estimated that the following of the former Red Army chief had become almost negligible That judgment was probably correct. What then has happened since to break the near unanimty of Communist leaders? Why has Russian industry been thrown into confusion and it's progress slowed down. if not halted? Why has it seemed necessary to Stalin to execute not only political leaders of the Sovets ablest military leaders? Why has the chief of the Russian air force suddenly disappeared under circumstances that lead observers to believe he under arrest? Why have 37 more Trotzkyists just been executed in the Soviet Far East?
 Whatever the specific answers it is clear that the Soviet regime is facing the most strenuous opposition since the end of the Russian civil and that the reign of terror is directed largely against party members and men who formerly supported Stalin. AS Harold Denny has recently pointed out in the New York Times the safest group in Russia today may be the former class enemies, members of the old aristocratc and middle classes Those whose heads rest most uneasy are the proud holders of Communist party cards.
 It has been suggested that the defensive "popu- lar front policy which Stalin's followers in other nations now pursue is distasteful to the Bolsheviks who to power precisely by hewing to line of incorporation with liberal groups in revolutionary situations, such present day Spain These groups cannot swallow Stalinist caution and compromise cording to the theory.
 That may explain at least part of what is hap pening behind the Soviet facade of censorship Broadly it is true that effective revolutonaries seldom make smooth administrators. When, like Staln, they become interested in preserving the status quo at all costs their former comrades likely to them of losing sight of the obecves of the revolution In the early days of the United States, the Feder alist group roundly denounced traitors to the revolution by the Jeffersonian radicals
 Stalns cautious international policy today may be dictated by good and healthy desire to main tain world peace But it is not difficult to how such policy would drive into opposition many men with the temperament and training of Bolshevks
 The doctrine of permanent revolution" made to order for temperaments such that. But it was not made to order for a government trying to sta bilize itself before it must fight Thus Stan and his friends who preached revolution for so long and so effectively find that it returns to plague them and threaten their stability at time when they desire the continuation of the status quo heartily any Tory.
 If the methods Salin uses now are almost indis- tnguishable from those the Tsar used against utonaries then it must be remembered that in many respects there not much difference between the absoutsms