Jan. 20.
We have recently received two exceptionally striking accounts of present internal conditions in Russia, coming from opposite ends of the vast country. One was quoted by"Reuter's Harbin correspondent from some refugees lately escaped out of Russia. The other was the evidence, contained in yesterday's telegrams, of the American Schwartz, a believer in Communism for twenty years—until fle went to Russia, whence he narrowly—escaped with his life. Both accounts agree that, generally speaking, the rule of the Soviet has brought Russia to starvation, disease and death, and that its tyranny is worse than the worst of Tsarism. Simultaneously with these terrible statements comes the ''Spectator'' with a very full review of Professor Bertrand Russell's book "The Theory and Practice of Bolshevism." Popular opinion regards this author as himself a Bolshevist. At any rate he went to Russia. with no prejudice against the Sov And nowhere did he find "'the freedom of the human spirit" less realized than in Russia. Believing in Communism, the best he can say for it as practised in Russia is that it has shown the world how not to obtain "it. The epithet ''proletariat,"" that badly overworked word, is reserved for the few who agree with the leaders of Communism. The remainder are mere slaves. Work is conscripted, and farm produce is seized by the State for /division among all, with the natural result that there is not nearly enough to go round. Professor Russell says that at no free election could a. Communist possibly be elected. But elections are not free. Votes are given by IS
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.