RETURN OF LENIN

Otago Witness, Issue 3590, 2 January 1923, Page 41

RETURN OF LENIN

SCENE AT THE KREMLIN. AN UNEXPECTED VISIT. “NO SILVER-TONGUED ORATOR.” It is the Throne Room of the Tsars in the Kremlin of Moscow. It is full of tables, chairs, and benches ; and on the platform before the Sounding-board which hides the throne of the Romanoffs stands Krylenko, once chief of the dread Supreme Tribunal of the Revolution, wrote Mr George Selds, of the Chicago Tribune, from Moscow recently. Now he is speaking of a 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 Russia 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 specially careful iu-cray. They don’t know why, but they do their duty. A little man in a black coat, looking very much like a sleek business man, presents his red 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 of the Soviet since his sickness and retirement eight months ago. A short, rather stout, fi/iire fiatless head mostly bald, face set in a smile, his little eyes twinkling, he tipties along the outer aisle, passes the press table, and goes to wards the platform. Hd is as yet unrecognised. Krylenko continues to speak. Lenin puts his foot on the two first steps of the platform. Instantly there is an up roar. The convention is taekn by surprise. It rises. Applause fills the Throne Ronm. The session is broken. But only for thirtv-five seconds. While Lenin is still shaking hands with Kalinin and other

executives, Krylenko resumes his legal debate. Thus passed rather quickly and unimpresively an event which Russians believe will go down as a great historical moment in their history. AN ILL-CLAD FIGURE. 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 down upon the dynasty of the Tsars. Lenin addresses Congress with “Comrades,” and with fire and gesture begins his speech. He is dressed in a cheap grey-black, badlyfitting 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 tile throat, revealing a white collar underneath, with loose blue necktie. “Comrades,” says Lenin, “I greet you; but your first greetings must be to the Red Army, whiclj has just regained for us an outlet to the Pacific by taking Vladivostok. This is, I hope, the termination of all Russia’s warfare. It has thrown into the sea the last White Guards.” Vital and energetic as Lenin looked, his voice was disappointing. There is nothing of the spellbinder or silver-tongued orator, or even the personality of a backwoods Congressman. His words came thick, not clearly enunciated; sometimes even with traces of a lisp. But his small eyes beamed continually, and the index fingers of both hands poked points at his audience. “DIPLOMACY IN FAR EAST.” “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 forced to withdraw and give up the undertaking. I hope our diplomacy will do as well regarding the Near Eastern question, which is coming up at Lausanne. I 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. Among the countries Russia is the poorest, the lease 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.” DAY OF SWIFT CHANGES OVER. Lenin declared that no one now favoured swift, fantastic changes as in the early days of the revolution, but predicted real progress, surpassing anything dreamed of. He declared. “While in other countries capital is attacking labour, here we are confirming the eight-hour law and continuing legislation benefiting the peasants.” He stated that a new civil code was neecssary to explain what was legal and illegal under the new economic policy, “the sincerity of which must not be doubted.” Lenin attacked the present Russian bureaucracy. He drew only a laugh when be related that after four years’ cutting, the Government employment staff at the census showed an increase of 12,000. The speech concluded, Kalinin announced an intermission. Everyone flocked to a nearby room when a photographer appeared. The picture that was taken was remarkable. It was like a country picnic. Lenin, Kalinin, Zinovieff, Eameneff, and members of the Cabinet, delegates. correspondents, 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.