LENIN'S RETURN TO MOSCOW.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume XLII, Issue XLII, 6 January 1923, Page 4

LENIN'S RETURN TO MOSCOW.

A SURPRISE VISIT. SCENE AT THE KREMLIN. (By George Seldes in the Chicago Tribune.;

lt is the Throne Room ot the Tsars in the Kremlin of Moscow. lt is full of fcaules, chairs and benches; and on the- platform before the soundingboard which hides the throne of the Romanoffs stands Kryienko, once chief of the dread Supreme ''Tribunal of the Revolution. Now he is speaking ol change in the' code of laws. His listeners are 300 men from every part of Russia, many in fur-hats and peasant boots, members of the All Russian Central Executive Committee.. It is a dull legal speech. There is a buzzing of whispers. One man yawns; then another. Suddenly there is a stir at the door. Two soldiers there stiffen. They have been told to be especially careful today. They don't know why, but the\ do .their duty. A little man in s black coat, looking very much like a sleek business man, presents his rec card. The soldiers examine_the card; glance up awe-stricken. The little man in the black coat is Lenin. It is his first public appearance as chief oi the Soviet since his sickness and retirement eight months ago. A short, rather stout figure, hatiess, head mostlj bald, face set in a. smile, his little eyes twinkling, he tip-toes along the outei aisle, passes the press table, and goes toward the platform. He is as yei unrecognised. Kryienko continues tc speak. Lenin puts his foot on the twe first steps of the platform. Instantly there is an uproar. The convention is taken by surprise; it rises. Applause fills the Throne Room. The session is broken. But only for thirty-five seconds. While Lenin is still shaking hands with Kalinin and other executive Kryienko resumes his legal debate. Thus passed rather quickly and unimpressively an event which Russians believe will go.down as a great historical moment in their history. Kalinin announces Lenin. 'There is another twenty seconds' applause. Lenin steps to the Speaker's table. Above him, high on the wall, is the Masonic sign. "The Eye of God," in gold, which looked dovvn upon the dynasty of the Tsars. Lenin addresses Congress with "Comrades," and with fire and gesture begins his speech. Tie is dressed in a cheap grey-black, badly-fitting suit, cut like a uniform, which seems made of shoddy, although the crease in the trousers is kept. He wears a high collar, unbuttoned at the throat, revealing a white collar underneath, with loose blue necktie. RED ARMY PRAISED. "Comrades," says Lenin, "I greet you; but "your first greetings must be to the Red army, which has just regained for us an outlet tp the Pacific by taking Vladivostock. This is, I hope, the termination of all Russia's warfare. It has thrown into the sea bha last White Guards." Vital and energetic as Lenin looked, his voice was'disappointing.. There is nothing of the spellbinder or silvertongued orator, or even the personality of a backswoods Congressman. His words came thick, not clearly enunciated ; sometimes even with traces of a lisp. Rut his small eyes beamed continually, and the index fingers of both hands poked points at his audience. "Don't praise the army too much," Lenin continued. "Don't be overconfident. We greatly helped in the Far East by our diplomacy. You know that Japan and the United States signed an agreement to support Kolchak. It was due to our diplomacy that the agreement had no effect, and even- Japan, with all her forces, was fdreeel to withdraw and give up the undertaking. I hope our diplomacy will do as well regarding the Near Eastern tjuestion. which is; coming up at Lausanne. 1 hope even that if Russia does not participate we shall be able to make a stand there and show the masses where the cause of the trouble lies and who is responsible. "Now to turn to home affairs. :flr*rK>ng the countries Russia is the poorest, the least cultured; its industries the least developed. This is very unpleasant, but we are not afraid to mention it openly; that is why it is so easy to concentrate upon the curing. I claim that we are doing more to better conditions than any country in the world, and we will reach a high level with such swiftness as no country can imagine." Lenin declared that no one now favoured swift, fantastic changes as in the early days of the revolution, hut predicted real progress, surpassing anything dreamed of. He declared: "While in other Countries Capital is attacking Laoo'iir', here we are confirming the eight-hour law and continuing legislation benefiting the peasants." He stated tiiat a new civil code was necessary to explain what was legal and illegal under the new economic policy, "the sincerity of which must not be doubted." ' Lenmg attacked the present, Russian bureaucracy. He drew only a laugh when he related that after four years' cutting the Government employment staff at the census showed an increase of 12,000. The speech _ concluded and Kalinin announced an intermission. Everyone flocked to a near-by room, when a photographer appeared. The picture that was taken was.remarkable. It was like a country picnic, Lenin, Kalinin, Zinovieff, Kamcneff and members of the Cabinet, delegates, correspondon ts, all walking over themselves, jostling, crowding good-humouredly into one big hodgepodge of rulers, peasants' boots, uniforms, sweaty fur caps, patched clothes, shouts, laughter—no more order than at a wake.