Can Russia Help Us Again?

Levin Daily Chronicle, 9 July 1918, Page 3

Can Russia Help Us Again?

— *- EVERYTHING IN MELTING POT. WHY FOREIGN INTERVENTION WILL BE NEEDED. Mr L. B. Golden who, until early in April, had remained in Petrograd as tho "Daily Mail's" special correspondent, has some interesting observations to make in a recent article on the oft-pro-pounded question: Can Russia help us aguin in the war? He says:— Ever since I have been back I have been asked these two questions by nine out of every ten I have met. Quite a number of people have drawn my attention to the great Napoleonic wars when Russia fought against Prance, patched it up with Napoleon, and then fought once more. What is not generally recognised is (hat the old Russia and tho new Russia arc two different things. In the main the people have remained tho same, but the mechanism ef Government has been materially altered. Even to-day thcr e are quite a largo number of Russians who have not the faintest idea whom they had been fighting and with whom they had been allied. Men coming from remote villages in tlie interior saw splendid films at the kincma showing the British and French Armies and Navies at work. EXTRAORDINARY IGNORANCE. There was nothing whatever wrong with the films, but unfortunately tlie peasant soldier could never make out which was which. When he saw a representation of British troops he often had a vague idea that they wore the Germans that he had heard so much talk about. But what really baffled them were the naval pictures.' Most of them had never heard of the sea, and while they were delighted with pictures of Dreadnoughts, cruisers, and destroyers, they could never understand that these wonderful things that floated in some magical way on water had anything to do with the war or could be of the slightest assistance to Russians. Some indication of the extraordinary lack of knowledge on the .part of some Russians can be found from the fact that some of the soldiers had never hoard of tea. They were men who camc from the great marshes of Polesia, and their amazement was incredible when they saw water being boiled, a spoonful of something thrown into it, and then the thing was drunk with a bit of lemon and perhaps some sugar or other sweetener. In their own wild home water was the only thing available for drinking purposes.

In the old days before the revolution th 0 peasantry was told to do something and the thing was done without question or even much curiosity as to why anybody should wish to give the order. Once the mechanism of government had broken down and there was nobody to give orders, nothing was done. Things went to pieces. Now everything in Russia is in the melting-pot. Nobody can possibly foretell where the brcaking-up process will end or what parts are likely to form a coalition, but at the moment, all the hundred and one races are drifting away from the old centralised Russia. AN ORGY OF TALK. More fatal than anything, however, to the prospects of Russia doing anything again for a considerable period is the unceasing flow of oratory and discussion. Practically without exception every Russian, rich and poor, old and young, man and woman, "has some pet theory of what is to be done. So keen are they on their theories that they spend the wholo day and greater part of the night discussing and quarrelling with each othor. The rest of the day they are too exhausted to do anything but sleep oil their debauch of talk. All their energy has been expended. At the moment the only two men who actually want to do anything and have the power to do it arc Lenin and Trotsky. These two men are ruling Russia today. All the intelligent and semi-intel-ligent people who have anything to lose naturally detest the Bolsheviks and their rulers for having plunged Russia into chaos. All those who expect to gain by disorder .support the Lenin regime. Whatever one may think about Lenin and his policy, so far as he goes he is personally honest, although the means that ho employs may be condemned. Perhaps the most tragic feature of Russia to-day is thnt nobody has yet shown the slightest desire to resume work. The decent workmen long ago left Petrograd and returned to the villages where they were born. Those who remain have not the faintest intention of doing any more work than they can help. Nor is it a matter of surprise, when one rememocrs the conditions to-day. Every factory and workshop is controlled by a Soviet of its own, and in every one of tliein there is the same pandemonium. To give a typical example. A friend of mine was general manager of a great munitions factory which, by order of the Soviet, was to be demobilised for peace work. A week or so after it had been transformed the workshop Soviet held a meeting and told my friend that, he was dismissed. He was willing to stay on and help the factory, to oxplain processes, and the way to keep a business going, but they cut hi in short. "Never mind all that," said the chairman of the Soviet, '' you hand over the cash at the bank. We can run the business ourselves. "

Unable to help himself the bank balance of something over £50,000 was handed over to his comrades. Since that day not a stroke of work has been done by anybody. The workers just draw their wages as usual while the members of the committee live in the factory and spend their time in gambling. At all hours of the dr.y and nighl they call for the cashier and tell him to bring along snmp more cash. The plant is being mined, and when the money has been all spent the place will be dismantled.

Now that is typical of Bnssia to-day. The decent people in a hopeless and helpless minority spending the whole of their time talking; the oihers enjoying themselves largely by spending other people's money—and also talking.

If over there is foreign intervention it will probably be welcomed by both sections, for by that time nobody -will have anything left. When that comes anil order is restored it will net be such a difficult matter for Bussia to recover. I do not think, however, that this 1:1 likely to happen in time to enable Bussia to help us once again in (he war.