Dec. 31.
In Mr. Rodney Gilbert's former report of the views of Professor Golovatchev, the latter was quoted as, on the whole, favouring the idea that Vladivostok would vote for union with the Communists of Chita, That forecast proved true. To-day the Professor tells Mr. Gilbert that the final issue lies between the Communists and peasants, that hitherto the latter have not greatly concerned themselves in politics, but that now there are signs of their beginning to organize. Again in support of Professor Golovatchev's view, it will bea remembered that the Siberian peasants have lately protested violently against the Chita Bolsheviks' attempt to manipulate the elections for the forthcoming Constituent Assembly, threatening to withdraw their sons from the Red army unless they were left to vote as they pleased. From many other sources—for lack of space we do not quote them by name—we hear the same story: that the heel of the Soviet Achilles is the rift between itself and the peasants; that the latter have almost entirely ceased working except for their own immediate wants and that neither cajolery nor bullying will move them.
With due allowance for exaggeration this appears to be the predominant factor in Russia today. The ascendancy of the Bolshevik oligarchy is not to be questioned. But unless it can win over the peasants, its days are numbered. And the moral; of that is that the salvation of Russia can come only from within. There is no hope in armed intervention from—_ without. Yudenitch, Koltchak, Wrange!, all have failed. There have been momentary successes, with ruincurs of anti-Bolshevik risings 10 Russia; but the end has always been defeat for the invader and Lenin, Trotzky & Ca. as firmly in power as ever. Still less do we look for any help from trade agreements, whatever they may mean. And on that score it may well be asked, what do they mean? There is no economic blockade of Russia for a Government to lift. There is nothing so far as can be seen to prevent any British merchant from sending to the nearest Russian port to buy and sell. But when he gets there he will find that Russia hag nothing to buy with and nothing to sell, because three years of revolution have ruined the country and stopped all means of production. And he will find that Bolshevism, so far from wishing to trade with him, desires only to destroy him, his banks, his factories, his credit system, everything which stands, in Bolshevist eyes, for capitalism. This talk of trade negotiations between Downing Street and Krassin, the Soviet envoy, is meaningless, useless and dangerous. It makes the British Government look undignified and pushes it down the slope towards recognition of an organization which openly avows that its sole purpose is the destruction of all ordered government.
Even yet the enormous peril lurking in Bolshevism does not appear to be recognized as fully as it should be. Admitting that it is still a small minority in the world—the genuine Bolshevists of Russia are computed at only 600,000—its minute organization and perfect union give it incalculpable advantage over those it attacks, who are divided among themselves and in their attitude towards it. Bolshevism is without scruple, without pity and without truth. The ruthlessness of Prus-sionism is the very milk of human kindness in comparison with the doctrines of Moscow. That is proved by every word of the Soviet's widely disseminated propaganda. What might be called the articles of association of the Third Internationale declare war to the knife not only on every bourgeois institution, but on reformers of all shades, social democrats, the centre party of Labour, trade unions as found abroad, particularly in England, and their leaders, all mentioned by name. Every Communist, in strict obedience to Moscow, must work unceasingly for revolution, by any means legal or illegal and there must be periodical purgings to cleanse the party of all small-bourgeois elements that might insinuate themselves, The Moscow creed might almost be laughable—reminding one of the old Scotswoman who thought there were only two in her village that would be saved, herself and the minister and she wasa just sure about the meenister "—were it not meant in such deadly earnest, and if those who expound it were less powerful and could find less help in the ignorance and dividedness of their opponents. And the conclusion to which one is driven is that the only safe way of dealing with Soviet Russia is to have no dealings with her at all. There is no way of holding communication with her through which the poison in her veins will not pass to others. She is too big to conquer and in the matter of propaganda she can defeat all competitors. She has nothing to trade with and has no idea of doing trade, because the foreign traders stand for all that she moons to destroy. The only safe course is to stand aside. There may be hope for her in the peasant class. As in the old Greek legend. her shoulders touching the earth she may draw strength and sanity from it. For the Third International is above all things insane, and for that reason cannot survive. But it is for Russia alone to find the cure for her madness.
Trerz is said to be a bad outbreak of cattle plague in North Manchuria, and the ill success of the measures taken to cope with it is causing anxiety,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.