BEHIND RUSSIA'S VEIL.

Taihape Daily Times, Volume XI, Issue 3529, 16 July 1920, Page 7

BEHIND RUSSIA'S VEIL.

LABOUR REVELATIONSI

.-\'l'l‘EMl’T TO MASK MISICRY

SOVIET DICTA.'I‘ORSHI]:"

LONDON, July

Ml-‘H. Y. Keeling. a. Bl'i’risll ‘(rude unionist, in an interview «;lescl'ibing his experiences_(lurillg several years in Russia, including a. yo:n"s impris; onnicnt, \'il'tunlly‘declares tllfll‘ the Soviet sway based" on -lies. The poo,f%lé'“w\'ho are surprisingly igllol'anf, are assiirecl that the world is turning Bolshevik. If they only knew tllilli thny were really living in sordid isolation they“ might. pluck up courage to fight thé Soviet '5 l)al'bal‘ic dGSpo'l’lSnl.

V.-\_£:l's Philip Snowden, who has also rnfiirned from Russia, which .3110 visited as a mombol' of the Bl‘i’rish 'LaliE>ln' delegation, _qa_\'S:—‘ ‘TI2-ore is no :~‘o(*.i:l]ism or communism thol'e——it is all :1

‘matter of labels. The Soviet makes !no pretence of being democl-am-.. Its

:z. dictatorship of about six or seven." in an article in Fife ]§'venin-g »\.'.t:lml~ (Md, Mrs Snowden sLlppleme‘nts her nu ports of the Russian visit. “The people hesitated to speak to me,” she .~'.uys, “fearing su'bsCq'_‘.ont, arsest, as the Soviet representatives were alw:lys listening. The general control of Bussia. reprdduccs the .tcrrorism of ‘the. French Revolution. Everybody sus-

poets everybofly .e]se, “Some of the British Labour delegates, possibly cal'l'icd away by their "c'oel‘illg‘s, gave 3 false impression_ of the Labour movement in Britain, and when said pubiillly that Britain was not I'evolutiollar;»j, my ‘hosts showed displeasure, and did not permit the publication of my speech.”

Describixig her meeting‘ with Lenin, whose rooms are always guarded bf: 20 .~to‘ldiers, Mrs Snowdon szl_\'§:—“H;o gives an oufsfiinding iinprcssion as :1. dognizi. He is unselfish, except as reganls the sutisfacfion of his pox-.<on-.11 pride. He I'eienilossl_y eiifox-cos his flioorios. ’ "

Mrs Snowde'n found Tl'Utzk_\' :1 «-o1'.«L~ m:2mlin_<_r personality, :u'l':l}'ed in :1 gm‘gfinitls unifonn; and Inc:3.lly reputed n milil’:u'\' s._Tmlill.~". The Bl'it'is}l' I.:lboux' dole-;,r:xtvs snxv HII‘OLI_Q,'II the aim of the R'.)l.~ih;‘V'i‘.{.\' to pl‘es2-nt ovel‘_\'_H)illg in u I';l\'({u:':fl>]e li_g‘ht. MM atfompts at <=nnvo:lllnoxlt made :1 very bad impres-:—-Eew. '!‘hr»u';rla peasmlf,< fm'Tn SJ: pm‘ rent. of thefpopulntion, a Int-ff of brofid costs :1 thOllS{‘.]ld roubles, about £100: at the pro-wnr value of Hl9 roublo. \Vo2".~:9x‘s are given 0.\"r1':1 I':ltion.<. buf Hw <-nmlit?on>‘ of HM-3r .<or\'i(-G :Ip;‘n-:>x’~.-man» to slavery.

“Fifty ‘rhnus:md roubles (£5000) was offered to one of the British delrogatos for his boots," said I\lll's. Snowdon, “but I am proud ‘ro say that mine ~.vereL\'mlllea. at 70,000 roubles. I he}i<=\'c- that .a point has bocn I‘(‘{‘..(’hCd at which the value of tho rouble is undvr thv cost of‘ its artistic printing. L:1:~'t \\‘intr.*l' tllousands of people died from cold in their own homes. and unlo.<s flw ‘r‘u_o] pr>:<.ifion improves I am convixwed that’ millions will perish next winfmn

“T found the art conditihn.< superb

zmfl quoenly. contl':l.~'ting wiflw. the gon(Wzfl mi.<ol'_\'. Plays aw 111:rg'11ifi0e11f‘.}' sfmqnfl. in .\l”o.<cow, whore Hie prmlnrHons are the ]:lsf word in honnf_\'. The :‘<inqvrs, acfors, and dancers are well rll-nsseul :.1n(l hi_9;hl_\' paid. Ch:L‘xl:lp'rn the opera singer. gets 200,000 roubles nig}ltly'. bvsiflvs as n2u.ril food as he w:mt.<.” A