MR LLOYD GEORGE.

Hokitika Guardian, 2 June 1923, Page 3

MR LLOYD GEORGE.

LATEST CABLE NEWS

ACSTHALIA.V AND 7>.Z. CABLE ASSOCIATION. The following find fill of Mr Lloyd George's articles, are copyright by United Press m America and all countries, copyright in Australasia by the Australian Press, Copyright, in Britain bv the Daily Chronicle. (Reproduction m lull or part prohibited). LONDON, June f. In his nineteenth article, Mr Lloyd George write-; "1 am frankly delighted that. the negotiations between Lord Cnizmi ami the Soviet seeui to indicate a genuine desire to establish a more satisfactory understanding between tins and Russia. The Bolshevist episode, like all revolutionary u-rmrs, has been a shrieking nightmare, w hie!) ha - made the world shudder. It did render one supreme service to civilisal ion. It terrified d; iiaa rimy hack into sanity, at a time when the nervous cxctlabiiitv lollowing on the war was bordering on mental instability. In our

attitude towards the .Soviet, however, we nun eoii.-.tantly hear in mind one consideration. What matters to us is. not so much the Russian Government, as the people of Russia, and In th*i moment, a Bolshevist .Administration constitutes the only medium for dealing with that mighty nation. As long as it remains the- enit-t ltuLed authority in ihi- .-in. every act of hostility against it injures Ru-~ui. Toil cannot refuse to trade with it now. without depriving the people m commodities essential to their well-I,dug. The p-op|e will suffer, and they ultimately will resent that suffering. Governments come and go, bin a na-

tion goes on lor ever. I Is- Rils-iun people deserve, specially a! the hands of the Allies, evert sympathetic consideration that can he extended to them. Those who denounce dealings with tin- existing order seem to have persuaded themselves that pre-revolu-tioiiarv Hilda was governed by » genth-, beneficent despotism. which conferred the blessings ol a tolerant and kindly fatherhood upon a wellruled household. In no particular ithis a true picture of the ancient regime. The l-’ortress of St Peter and St Paul was not erected, nor were fts dungeons dug-, bv the Rd-hevisCs. Siberia was not -d. up as a ja-nal settlement for political ofienihrs tothe Bolshevists. In 1 DOG, about fortyfive thousand politicals were deported to endure the severities oi Siberia. The persecution of suspected religious leaders was not .started hv the Soviet. To them does no! belong the di-croud for initiating pegromi-m. lad us not forget that the involution was rendered inevitable by the ineptitude and corruption of the old -.'stem. especially by the terrible sufferings and htt-milhili-i-m which thi- -tale ot 'hings inflicted on Russia in i in- Great War. Paleolugue, in his ‘Memoirs ,u an Ambassador,’ tdls a story oi how a gallant army found itself at a critical hour without amnninit am, rilh-s or transport, and olteu without loud. No braver or more devoted melt ever fought for their country than the young peasants who made tin- Russian A nun's in 1011-10. With little, ami often no. artillery support, they faced without faltering, the hcst-eipiippcd heavy artillery in the world. Thcr* was nothing in the war comparable to the trust fill heroism ot these poor peasants. We know mov why ihetc were no shells, rifles, or wagons. The wholesale corruption of the old regime has been fully exoa-cd to the world by irrefutable documentary evidence. The Grand Duke .Vrgius. Inspector-Gen-eral of Artillery, said to the Erenen Ambassador: •'When I think that this exhibition of impotence i- all oui aristocratic sv-lem has to show. it

makes me waul to he a Republican!' When a Grand Duke talked like Hi at in the ,-arlv da'' of l!!L',. v hat nuh't (In- |,ea out -old',", I, I

his comrades had he, -11 sbi ugh I ered athe re-.ult of the same exhibition ot impotence i" I recall one statement made to our Gem-ial on the Rus.-i/m front, when, on his anxiously inquiring as to the gigantic losses which filled him with dismay, as well as horror, the usual reply was; "Don t worry yniir-r l, 'I hank God that id men, at all events, we have enough !' R is an answer which semis a thrill of inn ror through you when you read

it. That is why, ai the end ot two and a half years, the patient men In the held mutinied. The Little Father had failed them. His minimi- had betrayed them. It is a sordid. I.onTT tnl t . peculation, maladministration, and cruel treaehe.v. Millions ol British and French money went to shameless, open bribery. whilst the soldiers were opposing with bare breasts entering brave beans, the mo-', terrible artillery in the woi Id. Their were honourable, upright men. who did their duly, but they were hopeless in the torrent of corruption, ft is not pleasant to recall these dreadtul episodes, hut the story is essential to a right appreciation of events. There t- no savagery like lhai of a trustful people limling its trust imposed upon, the retribution being hideous in all its aspects: hut the provocation being also revolting from every point ol view. To judge Russia fairly, that hum be taken into account. 1 think the Government. tire re I ore, is taking the right view itt opening negotiations with Hu 1 Soviet. You can easily evoke resounding cheers amongst the thought less by declaring melodramatically Unit volt will never shake bauds with murder. In practice, this policy always Inis been a failuie. Breneh bolshevism was not defeated by lon ian armies. nor starved by the British blockade ; hut it was driven into the arms ol Napoleon, and Europe suffered bitterly for the folly of the hotheads on both sides. If you decline Vo treat with Russia ,-n long as the pro-j sent rulers remain ill power, then y»u ought to place Turkey in the same category. The military junta that governing Turkey ha- been guilty of atrocities at least as vile as any committed by the |!olshevi-ts ; but at Lausanne, we have o-tentatiottsi\ stretched out Britain’s friendly band to the authors of the Armenian massacres. E ranee. Italy. and America have tendered the same warm hand- ; shake. I am not criticising the offer ; of amity made as a condition of poneo. j \\'e mi!-t make peace in the world, and volt cannot do it il you put wnole nations off' your visiting h-t. because of the misconduct of those v. ho governthem. Once you begin, you are not quite sure where it will end. A tefllsal to trade with Russia would not deprive the Soviet Commissaries of a single necessity or eomtort of life, but the peasants, who are not Communists. would suffer, and the people in this country who need Russian produce would suffer to some extent. America can afford this exalted aloofness. She does not need Russian grain or timber: Out- we cannot do as well without them. W e also sadly need Russian tlax for the linen industries, which are languishing without it : tint. above and beyond all these material considerations, the world needs peace. It is time we made up our minds that the Soviet has come to stay, whether we tike it or not, and that one or other of the formidabk' men who rule Russia is likely to rule it for some time to come. The sooner we have courage to recognise this fact the sooner will real peace he established.'’