UNREST IN RUSSIA.

Shannon News, 21 November 1924, Page 4

UNREST IN RUSSIA.

PEASANT RISING FEAIIKi). LEADER'S STRONG- OUTBURST. LONDON, October 27. Serious doubts with regard Jo the "loyalty" of the Russion peasantry ait now beginning/to be openly expressed by the Soviet leaders, according- to the correspondent of the "Times" at Riga. He draws particular attention to a speech delivered by Stalin to a spe-cially-summoned congress of "Communist, secretaries for propagating rural Communism,** which is now isittrng in Moscow. • Stalin, who is reputed to dominate the Soviet internal policy, just as Zinovieff dominates its foreign policy severely reproached these agitation organisers with seve"a years' complete failure, which, instead of permeating .■the countryside with Communism, had aroused the peasantry's bitter hatred of the ruling-authorities. This jeopardised the Soviet Government's very existence andi unless it was radically changed,, migEt produce general peasant risings throughout Russia. "Your method is over-clumsy," Stalm declared.

The official assurances that the Georgian rising was merely a coun-ter-revolutionary plot by former nobles and intellectuals, who were "aof enjoying their association with the masses, are contradicted by Stalin. He ■ bluntly declared that it was not so. He stated that the insurrection included the peasant masses in different parts of Georgia. ~ . Stalin bitterly twitted, the Com-, munist workers that the peasants',, disaffection was greatest J«st .in those parts of Georgia which had most Communist agitators, yet the latter bad unsuspecthigly allowed the conspiracy to develop, under their very noses; and similar "things were threatened throughout', the whole of Russia. "If," Stalin added, "the Communists do not change their tactics, they will ■not succeed in winning over the peasantry. The latters'-. growing political activity will proceed independent of the.' Soviet,, and will find mass expression, such as it found in the Georgian insurrection." ' Other speakers expressed similar opinions. ... '*