TRUTH ABOUT RUSSIA.

Pukekohe & Waiuku Times, Volume 6, Issue 272, 4 May 1917, Page 1 (Supplement)

TRUTH ABOUT RUSSIA.

STOMACH THE DICTATOR.

REACTION ARIES' SCHEMES,

As long ago as last November, a Russian prophet, in the New York Times, had outlined the possibilities of the tragic events which have just closed the door upon the old order in Russia. The embitterment and exhaustion of Bureaucracy up against the strengthening and exaperation of Democracy —these two combatants it was who waged the last round in the fight that has been in progress since 1905. The world has now—with the resilliency of the world—ceased to be amazed at the spectacle of the leaders of Russian Democracy at the head of what was the most autocratic Government in Europe.

Few people realise the influence the present war has had in the development of this very Democracy. The fact that the two factions joined, over the war, in the question of mobilising all the resources of the country, does not prove any more "rapport" between them than that of expediency in a common crisis. The attitude of the Democracy was that of patience, calmness, and a waiting until the storm had gone by. This might have continued until ttte end of the war, excepting for the- food crisis, which was the first cause of the revolution—with three minor but also contributory causes to keep it company. The prophet whom I quote, who is a famous Russian writer, assures us that the three after-causes are all of a political character. The continual and meaningless changes in the Cabinet (more flagrantly the appointment of Protopopoff as Minister of tho Interior), the Government's attitude towards the people who were helping the army, and its contemptible and unjust attitude towards the Polish question. These are the final nails which were driven into the coffin of the existing order in Russia. Of course, Russia has ~always been famous for the frequency and irrelevancy of its Cabinet changes, in the last two" years Ministerial changes have outdone all previous historical records in frequencv. The last straw apparently came when Boris Sturmer was appointed Premier. The country sensed the possibilities in this of an attempt at a separate peace with hated G_ermany; and when Sazonoff. the Foreign Minister, resigned, and Sturmer quietly annexed the portfolio, the flames began to uprear their heads in earnest.

PROTOPOPOFF'S DUPLICITY,

Protopopoff's appointment was fiercely resented because, aside from the fact that the regressive* regarded him as an adventurer "an ambitious careerist" (a good expression, this), and a capitalist with innumerable private interests to serve, it was known that when in Stockhilm he met, in conference, an attache of the German Legation there. Denving, of course, that iiis meeting had any "arriere pensee" towards peace, he stili admitted that he was planning to found a big Progressive paper, and the prophet in the New \ork Times solemnly assures us that the capital te back the enterprise was largely German.

It seems, from this interesting writer's disclosures, that a society was formed in Russia in 1914 "which aims to destroy all German influence and activity in Russia, its original purpose being to rid the country, both politically and economically, of' the German yoke," and the disgusting feature of all this is that Protopopoff was a member of the society; and even after his appointment as Minister cf the Interior the society decided to blacklist »him. As the writer points out, one can easily see the moral importance of this incident, and how it would incense the people against the Government. When the Government, added to its other follies by putting th; immense and patriotic machinery of win-thc-waf activities under the supervision of the police, who are empowered to interfere or entirely to interrupt the movement when thev choose, the people at last realised that the Premier and his followers willed to obstruct as much as possible the progress made by the Russian people towards the attainment of a complete triumph over Prussianism.

SYMPATHY WITH POLAND

Finallv the Poli.-fh question, with its wide appeal to the sympathetic Russian people who, on the whole, feel sincerely the injustice of Poland's treatment by Kuseia in the past, was raised, when the report was spread that the Central Powers were planning something with regard to Poland, and the Russian people, as against the Russian Government, determined to frustrate any Teutonic attempt to fool Poland. When Austria-Hungary jointly captured Poland, some time ago, as a kingdom Russia saw with final definiteness that "if had been outraged y its own Government," because it wits known that Protopopoff, during his first audience with the Czar, advised the postponement of any action on Poland. Then the economic factor completed the crisis, and, as in the French Revolution, it soon became manifest that the limits of human endurance lie, after all, in the human stomach. The Rread Crisis, they rail it. Prices had been soaring in Russia beyond belief. Manv other articles as well could not be had for any price in certain parts ' '•• Kmpire, though quite easily purchasable in others, .'shoes, for instance, were a luxury even for the rich, and wooden sandals and rags replaced them. Tallow candles had to Ik- substituted for kerosen", and sugar became a thing of the past. And then stalked with stealth v tr"i'd Famine- Tens of millions were starving, and these millions knp\< that. Ru-sia had a .surplus of "hundreds of inillioiis of bushels of grain." In the hands of speculators! and even some of f!ie peasantry were holding hack grain, hoping for higher prices.

cif.voTic Fonn sttpi.y

Idiotic Miners vrore done. The f!orprnnient mniisitionod. and, for instance, in the province nf Viatka, forhade tie? export of inv hread. Vet the provinc; ofl.OO'l.OOO lmshc'q of I,'iain to spare and .is enlv .3,000.000 vrcro requisitioned hy the armv, there were i 0.000.000 left to rot in the harn.s at Viatka. Tin wns then called upon to introduce order, or return, and at once attempted the difficult problem of fixinc prices. Thi<. of conr-e. onlv increased t'he t.ronhle. as those who had reserves of hrcad preferred not to sell it at all. Stich are nowe tjpe.s of human nature.