Evening Republican, Volume 23, Number 149, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 21 June 1920 — Soviet Russia on Last Legs [ARTICLE]

Soviet Russia on Last Legs

Reports From Many Sources Indicate Early Collapse of Bolshevism. EMPIRE'S SUPPLIES USED UP Industries Unable to Meet Country's Requirements— Broken Railroads Complete Disintegration of Authority. Washington.—Soviet Russia 18 on the eve of collapse in the opinion of the best informed officials and diplomats in Washington. The best confidential official information has indicated for some time that the soviet leaders were confronted by such a failure of their economic and social experiment as probably to bring about the downfall of the Lenine regime this year. Now it seems probable that the collapse will come even sooner. Col. Edward W. Ryan’s report from north Russia, after a visit to that part of the country with the Esthonlan peace mission, that soviet Russia will not be able to hold- out for six months, is considered both important and significant by high officials here. Colonel Ryan's ability as an observer of Russian conditions is well known to officials, and they do not believe he has overdrawn conditions as they exist in Russia. Other reliable reports reaching Washington, through official or diplomatic channels, during the last few days. Indicate that the soviet government of Russia Is no longer able by an outward manifestation of strength to conceal a general disintegration which has been steadily taking place within the bolshevist organization. From a neutral government information has reached Washington that conditions in Petrograd are extremely bad In every respect. In well-informed quarters here the belief exists that the soviet regime is weaker at present than at any time since jhe r It has been stated by at least one authority intimately conversant with Russian affairs, who hitherto has been convinced of the permanent establishment of the bolshevist authority, that the present reports differ so radically from previously received as to indicate a posslbility that within six months the soviet power as it exists today will be a thing of the past — Disintegration Confessed, A marked tendency toward disintegration within the soviet state characterized recently published reports by the bolshevist leaders with particular reference to the economic situation in Russia. The reports were not intended for publication abroad. These reports congiented upon the critical nature of the economic situation with soviet Russia, the demoralization of transport facilities, and'the inability

of the devitalized soviet industries to utilize even such raw materials as could he obtained and transported to the factories. The bolshevist leaders, in these same reports, also gave attention to the existence of an acute labor shortage in Russia simultaneously with a potably stack demand for labor because of the reduced Industrial production. All three of the documents said that Russian industry was falling far short of meeting the country’s most meagre requiremen ts. and that there api>eared to be no available means of remedying this situation. It was stated that Russia had been living on supplies left over from the period of the Romanoff government. These supplies were rapidly being exhausted and bolshevist industry was Incapable of replenishing them. The reports maintained •’that the! situation would not be Improved by the lifting of the blockade and the resumption of International trading, since Russia could only purchase materials from abroad with raw materials of Russian origin, and these could be neither produced in sufficient quantity nor transported by the Rus-

sian railways to where they would be needed. 6 Similar critical conditions were stated to exist in the matter of fuel ami food supply with a resultant growing discontent among the people. Corroboration of Colonel Ryan. - The report of Colonel Edward W. Ryan, Red Cross commissioner for north Russia and the Baltic states, transmitted through Red Cross channels and published a few days ago, is regarded as significant in official circles in that it confirms what the soviet reports had Indicated. Colonel Ryan visited soviet Russia with the Esthonlan peace delegation and his first-hand observations confirmed prevlnus advices and show how rapidly the untenable economic conditions in Russia are resulting in a disintegration of the bolshevist organization. Through neutral countries the state department has received confirmation of many of the points brought out in Colonel Ryan’s report. Advices through official channels have shown lately that the soviet organization has at no time been able successfully to extend its authority with any completeness into the rural district even of central Russia. Its control hi "the cities and the industrial centers has been complete and this control is said to have extended along the railway lines from point to point. It has not, however, according to the reports, extended into the rural districts further, on the average, than three miles on either side of the railway line.