IN FEAR OF LIFE.

Wairarapa Daily Times, 14 December 1927, Page 5

IN FEAR OF LIFE.

TROTSKY THE HUNTED. LIVING UNDERGROUND. Press Association-Electric Telegraph-Copyright. (Received Wednesday, 5.55 a.m.) BERLIN, Tuesday. The outstanding figure in Russia at present, Trotsky, fearing the summary processes of the 0.G.P.U., has been living underground. He appears at meetings of adherents no one knows whence, and vanishes no one knows whither. Although he has no home of his own, his supporters are so numerous that thousands of dwellings offer an open door to Trotsky, In a special interview at Berlin, Trotsky made a remarkable attack on his .former allies. He said: “The dictatorship of the proletariat has degenerated into a personal regime of a ruling clique, which has deprived the workers of freedom of speech and assembly, and the professional defence of class interests. The Russian workmen who defended the revolution at the barricades are compelled to work ten hours daily for a miserable pittance. It cannot be borne longer, hence the chief demand of the Opposition, namely, the demoeratisntion of the Communist Party and the restoration of the freedom of the workers. That is all that matters. Until the personal dictatorship of Stalin and his clique is destroyed, we will not suspend the struggle. His brainless policy has brought the country to an economic catastrophe. II is foreign policy has suffered a complete fiasco. Ilis entire new economic policy was to be based on assistance from foreign capital. The capitalists proved less naive than our diplomats, while continually raising our hopes with promises of credit. They have made use of the armistice declared by us to strengthen their position. As a result, the Soviet is economically isolated. This means the same old dilemma, Either the Socialist Federation or capitalistic Europe's promised co-habi-tation has proved impracticable.”