Wairarapa Daily Times [Established 45 Years.] THURSDAY, APRIL 22, 1920. BOLSHEVISM.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 46, Issue 14103, 22 April 1920, Page 4

Wairarapa Daily Times [Established 45 Years.] THURSDAY, APRIL 22, 1920. BOLSHEVISM.

Descriptions of Russia, under Soviet rule have for the most part, been coloured by the political opinions of their writers, who either, "detest. Bolshevism so heartily that they condemn it. offhand, or sympathise with it to such, an extent that they refuse to admit thi‘ existence, of any abuses whatever. The merit of “The Russian Republic,”, by Colonel; C. L. Malone,- is that it represents a genuine attempt to view Russia with a detached and critical eve. The author, who is a Coalition member; of' the House of Commons, lias been struck by the unreliable and conflicting nature of all information, coming from Russia. There was one fact in particular which puzzled him, as it has. puzzled many; The Bolsheviks, it has often been said, are only a; minority; the Red armies are a demoralised rabble; Lenin's deliberate policy had been to reduce the, country to a condition of chaos and anarchy. Yet in spite of this his Gov-, eminent has been able not only to maintain its position for more than two., years, but actually to. strengthen it. Colonel Malone felt that the stories of Bolshevik disorganisation and Bolshevik successes were incompatible; clearly, whatever the-state of Russia might fie, it could not. be one of anarchy. The character of Bolshevism must have changed; however much one. may disapprove of it in. theory or practice, it can no longer be dismissed us a system of mob rule destined to a speedy collapse. Colonel Malone went to see its operation with his own eyes, and his account of his journey is very interesting. Russia is a land of illusion.- When Catherine the Great made a royal progress through the country her Ministers camouflaged the villages through which she passed with screens’ painted to create an appearance of prosperity. The author was on his guard against this sort

of thing. He knew that a foreigner, ignorant of the language, is apt to sbe and hear only what the authorities desire, and more than once he admits the possibility that certain phases of Bolshevik administration which impressed him favourably had been stage-man-aged. But wherever he went it was evident that Bolshevism to-day is no

longer the creed that preached unlimited individual freedom. It isi an industrial oligarchy of the most bureaucratic type, dust as its leaders found that go-as-you-please methods .were impossible in the army, so they have found it nec-. essary to introduce an iron discipline among the civilians as well. To restore industry Lenin has had to enlist the services of the 'ohco-despised bourgeois. He has also established what, amounts to industrial conscription, and those stalwart unionists in New Zealand who affect to admire the Soviet regime should remember that cue of its results has been a ten-hour day for the Russian workers. The regimentation and the hierarchy of officials suggest the very antithesis of anarchy; if the movement continues to develop on its present lines it will ultimately evolve “the most drastic and ruthless system of law r and order that the w'ovld has over seen, and quite as formidable an example to the workmen of western Countries as to the ..owners of pro-, party.’} The Red armies are no longer the motley assemblies w io used to hold a debate on every order to decide whether it is to be obeyed. Their diseip-, line is even stricter than it was under the Tsar. Many Tsarist officers have joined the Reds, finding that there alone have they'any chance of advancement. They are given positions of responsibility,- and,; have't in tied; the. Reds into a fighting fofde of immense value. “Given the pressure of external threat of war,” says Colonel Malone, “in ten years they will be formidable, in a generation the greatest military power in the world, in the-sense of that military power staked and lost by the Germans in the recent war. Their man power is almost untouched compared with that of'France and Germany., . . I would ask people who seek a pjlgn to read the history of the French Revolution, and imagine what may happen if the spirit which imbues the Red Army becomes a military spirit, and out of Russia arises a Russian Napoleon.”, Again, there are Germany's relations with. Russia to be considered.. German skill and organisation may to develop Russiajs great resources; Germany, frustrated;ini' the West, -may turn to the East to realise her ambitious. “We may find ourselves faced one day by a great military alliance between Germany and Russia; and, as before the war, we were frightened by the phrase, “ Hamburg-Berlin-Bag-dad,” we may yet live to fear “Hai. lnirg-Moseow-Vlndivostoefe. ’ ’ Such a. danger is the more likely to materialise if the Allies persist in a policy of antagonism towards the Bolsheviks When lie was in Russia they were still supporting the anti-Bolsheviks, and he is convinced that their attitude closed the Bolshevik ranks .and supplied . an impulse to the development of llie military spirit. The analogy of the French Revolutionary wars is again instructive. Since Colonel, Malone wrote the support has been withdrawn, but even now the Allied policy would hardly satisfy him. He argues that, after all; w r e are not concerned with the merits or demerits of Bolshevism as a form of gdverlriiient; if 'the Russians chpose fo .laceept it, it is their own affair. Colonel .Malone’s advice with regard to Russia is that given by General Smuts: —“ Leave Russia alone,remove the blockade, adopt a policy of friendly neutrality and Galli'o-tike impartiality to all factions. It may well be that the only hope for Russia is a sobered, purified soviet system. . . . If we have to appear on the Russian scene at all, let it be as impartial, benevolent friends and helpers,'and not as military or political partisans. Be patient with sick Russia; give her time and sympathy, and await the results of her convalescence.”