"BOLSHEVISM MUST BE SMASHED"

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 62, 6 December 1919, Page 13

"BOLSHEVISM MUST BE SMASHED"

CLOSE-IP IMPRESSIONS OF THE RED TERROR

LECTURE BY MR.' AUBREY

WILLIAMS

Mr. Aubrey L. Williams (brother of Dr. Harold William*, probably the first British authority on. internal Russia), and who lived in Russia for five years prior to 1914, and subsequently resided m Pctrograd and Moscow in 1917 and 191S, lectured on "Bolshevism," under the auspices of the Chnutauo.ua to an interested audience at the Concert Chamber. The lecturer skilfully traced the history of ill-fated Russia from the time feho Isiir took up the gauntlet tnruwn down by the Kaiser until the days of the Bolshevik red terror of 1918, and in wellchosen language, free of any taint of thealricaiism, painted the picture of the most awful cataclysm that has probably befallen any great nation in the history of lilio world. Mr. Williams pleaded consideration for tlio Russians on account of the great part they had played in the' early stages of the war, a part which was probably responsible for the security in which they in New Zealand rested to-day. The Russian soldiers fought the Germans and Austrians and Turks with inferior equipment, and were at times reduced to fight with sticlts and stoiuo omy; and whilst they were to lighting iiifripriic atlho court, fostered by foreign agents, and the fact that the Tsarilsa, after the Tsar's retirement, took over the Governmental control, and acted under the advice of Rasputin and oliiw evil cMinseuors, hastened Rus?Vs downfall. Hero the lecturer interpolated that the stories circulated about the Tsaritsa and Rasputin, as detailed in the book, "Rasputin, the, Rascal Monk," were" false—they were the result of tho fertile imagination of the author. That ho 6tated on tho authority of Sir George Buchanan, tho British Ambassador at Petrograd, who knew tho Russian Court very well. He traced the uecimu of Txunlom up to the dato of the first revolution, which brought about tho abdication of tho Jsar. The Provisional Government set up did very veil, and for the first few months of its existence under Kerensky, it seemed as though a now heaven had been born on egnth. Indeed, too much liberty was given to a people not used to it, and when a slight shortage of food was followed by another levy of a million men, discontent beeamo apparent, and fed by enemy agents and propoganda, grew apace, until the Government tottered and fell, before the rise of Bolshevism, and in its place tho Soviets or Soldiers' and Workmen's Councils, were set up, Lenin promised the people what they wanted—ponce,, bread, and tho land, Adopting the pernicious principles of Karl Marx, the Bolsheviki claimed that they were going to abolish private ownership and regulate production nnd commorce. so that all may live and work equally. But it did not 'work. Tho army became an undisciplined rabble, and the Treaty of Brest Litovsk, by which Germany was to securo some of IMissi&s most) valuable territory land .£300,(100,000 indemnity, was signed. He was glad to say that what gold Germany did securo sho had beon made by the' Allies to "cough up." Then as'thero wa 3 no production to speak of, food became scoroo and prices high, there was no law. or order in the country, and so the nation drifted to the days of tin Ted terror," whon the lives of'the bourgeoisie, or middle class, became endangered, peoplu were done to death in the streets, burglaries and shooting affrays devoloped njto open warfare between the. Bolsheviki and their opponents. ComMissions were set up to suppress antiBolshensm. and these commissions became so powerful and terrible that they overshadowed the Soviets. Uritsky, a Jew, the; bend of one commission, is said toTiave ordered 800 executions within, a. month. Anyone with the slightest grudge against another could by bribery securo a form-«nd fill in the name of the person he wished removed, and tho members of commissions found that it, wid so well that executions took placo day and night, anoi Bolshevism in all ib horrors reigned supreme. Paper money was issued in profusion, but became so worthless that the peasant farmers refused to accept it in return for (tram, and tho commissions raised a Food Army, wly) scoured tho country, and fought pitched battles with the 'farmer class, until tho latter onlv raised sufDceint food to keep themselves alive. In tho meantime industrialism was killed, tho railways deteriorated, and the factories produced about 5 per cent, onlv of their pre-war output. So by adopting Bolshevism tho people got neither peace nor bread, for oven, to-day the snows of Russia were being stained by a terrible fratricidal war.

Mr. AVHlianw referred linnefnllv to tlio efforts of Denikin and Kolcliak to defeat i'lohshev adi, and pin ted out tho Giibertianism of the situation in the fact that Jiiissin, with its 130,(100,000 people, was. being dominated bv some 200,000 Bolsheviks. Ho regretted to see that the Hlips-cnntMn'nlntpd coming to terms with iiho Soviet Government, and said tlmt Mr. Llovd George, by treating with them, tln-Pntaned to undo most of the splendid work lio had done bv thn Empire. "Bolshevism must be smashed," said Mr. Williams; "there is no other wav of dealing with it I"