RUSSIA'S FUTURE

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 295, 7 September 1920, Page 5

RUSSIA'S FUTURE

A PEASANT REPUBLIC AMERICAN JOURNALIST'S VIEWS "It is tho peasant classes who - will eventually rule Russia, ,a'nd their day is coming fast. Tho present Russian Government is not democratic. It is as autocratic as over the Tsar's Government

was. The Bolsheviks do not beliovo in majority rule, but the peasants do, and, as thev. number 85 per cent, of the population, they are going to have it, and soon."

These are the opinions of Mr. Frazier Hunt, world correspondent of the Chicago "Tribune." Mr. Hunt was attached to the American Expeditionary Forces as a war correspondent. When the armistice was signed he joined the American Expeditionary Force in North Russia, where he was stationed during the winter of 1918-19. He then went to Central Russia, and afterwards to Siberia. He has recently been visiting Sj-dnoy, and was interviewed by a representative of tlio '-'Herald."

"All parties in Russia have had their propagandists excepting one group," Mr. Hunt said. "The Tsar had his official Press agent; so had Kersnsky; and so have Lenin, Trotsky, Ko'.chak, Denikin, Jacob Peters, and the latest White hope, General Wrangol. But no one has bothered to say much about the Russian peasant. This chap with the beard and high boots is worth more than the whole batch of leaders and alleged leaders put together. He is the real future ruler of Russia. He will come into his own one of these fine days, and that day is not far off. The first man who told me that nothing could stop Russia from being a peasant republic was Maxim Gorki. That was in Moscow in March of last year. Since then I have proved this a score of times, at least to my own satisfaction. There must soon be some compromise with this wild Russian Bolshevism. But wo need not be quite so afraid of this ghost of disorder when wo know that tho Russian farmers aro eventually going to run Russia, and they are going to make their own brand of republic. It is a far cry from the Radical Socialism and. communism of Lenin in Moscow to the semi-Socialistic ideas of democracy of the far-flung Russian peasants. "Lenin to-day represents only tho very 6niaJl percentage that he crushed 1 and who had ruled so autocratically before. Ho rules just ns autocratically himself now. Eighty-five per cent, of the population have nevor had a voice, and these 85 per cent, are the bono and tho blood and the 6teel and the heart of, Russia— the. formers. Their day lias yet to come; and it is coming fast. The Russian peasant has real instincts for democracy, and is thinking straight about it. He wants a full vote and a full voice. He is out for the ruJe of the majority— for equality, fairness, and justice; and that is surely democracy. He may listen to the silvered words of the radical for a while, but is already estimating him at his true worth. In the magic word Soviet he thought he sSw his agelong dreams of Zemla-c-Svobpda (Land and Freedom), but it is only a magic wOTd. What ho does want is peace and land and freedom, and he will fight till those are attained. At first he turned to Koltchak and Denikon for these, but found they gave him only promises of the old abuses of tlio reactionary Tsar days. Had there been any middle ground between -these, reactionary figures and Lenin ha' would have ohosen it, but there was none, and all he could do was to choose between two evils, and he chose Lenin. Tho 'White' generals and tho action of the world in supporting them wid fighting tho Moscow Government brought millions of peasants into tlio Bolshevik fold, and assured their life. To-day, in the hope, of getting peace and land and freedom, the majority of the peasants of Russia are undor tho spell of tho Soviets. Most of tho 150.000,000 peasants want the, end of Wrangol, the last of the White hopes, to come quickly, and have internal peace established. They want the Allies to lift the blockade and trade again with Russia. Thev no longer fear the word Soviet, nor even Bolshevik. Thoy know full well that their 85 per cent, majority would control the Soviets as they would any body. And when thoy discover that there is ono vote in the AllRussia Council o:: Soviets for every 25,000 of city population, and only one voto for every 125.000 of country population, (hoy will make tho Moscow organisation change this for equal suffrage. When they find that Lenin cannot perform tho promises of prosperity he has made to them, there wili be something doingmid they have tho 85 per cent, to do it with. Russia, will be a peasant republic just as sure as the sun shines. The people aro going to take tho land and not pay a copper loopok for it. They wil trly tho present Soviets for a whilo and if they do not suit than they will change to something else. I speak of the vast majority of them—the- farmers— ivho have all the fundamental ideas of conservatism.'

"Tho Russian revolution will win, hut by its very winning it will break tho Bolshevik revolution. Once, peaco cornea Moscow can no longer feed men with slogans and promises and fino speeches. There will have to be broad and shoes and real liberties, and these 150,000,000 peasants of Russia will sea that they got these." , Mr. Hunt concluded by saying that almost two years of observation of. Russian affairs had made clear to him tho fact that only by permitting Russia to settle hor own affairs in her own way could the Russian affairs bo solved. liitoncrence in Russian affairs was only strengthening the hand of tho Bolsheviks. Let tho world allow Russia to work again bv e"dii"-' the blockade, and by .eopening her factories and hor railroads, and tho peasants would very soon see to it themselves that they got the type of Government they wanted, and that they deserved,