Conditions in Russia Hon. William H. King

68TH CONORE88 SENATE fDoCUMENT let Seaion J - I No. 126 CONDITIONS IN RUSSIA SPEECH OF HON. WILLIAM H. KING A SENATOR FROM THE STATE OF UTAH DELIVERED IN THE SENATE JANUARY 22 AND APRIL 24,1924 PRESENTED BY MR. LODGE MAY 26,1924.-Ordered to be printed WASHINGTON GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 1924 CONDITIONS IN RUSSIA S P BEE CH OF HON, WILLIAM H. KING OFP UTAiH IN THE SENATE OF THE IJNITED STATES J(Inlearyi 22 and Aptil 214, 1924 Mr. the Russia (question has been theMri.subject14ING.of, frequentPresident,discuselon In the Senate during and since the World WVar. lt hat$ provoked great Interest not only in the, executive anid legislative departments of our Gov- ernment but, amoPg; jthe American people. Not only in the United States, but throughout tbe world; the situations1 Rus- sia under Bolshevik' rule Ilas Ofrofoundly- affected the people and has been ;the cause of serious disquietude, If not grave alarm, Ruslsa's vast territory,, her unnumbered millions of population, her dloipinatlng position in Europe and Asla, her menacing attitude toward the ,governments and social sys- temn of the world-all conspire to make the Russian problem one of thf most, important. with which the world has had to deal. This problem is Aot a local, one;At is a world problem, The future, oYf Asia is involved in, the future of. Russia; and Europe's future cannot be dissoclated from the Russian people. While Russia Is in p"art oriental, she reaches far into the OccM- dent,.aud aPan"-Slav movement draws within its circle many States. of. 3urope. It is not Pan-Slaviem alone which compels the attention of the, world, but It Is the proposed schemes and avowed policies. tif BolshevsP'nm that produce international apprehension. With -the. triituophI of Bolshevism, the overthrow of the (erenpky Glovernnuipt,' and the establishment of a cruel and despotiq BolshevikrImIg which announced its purpose to overthrow all governments npd establish world communism, Russia took on a new aspect and to many became an object of terror- a devouring and destroying monster. Bolshevism is still a mysteryv to, mally, So mnuch 'of myth and fable have been published throughout tlthe world concerning thle Soviet Govern- ment and RussiA under the Bolshevik regime that many honest people who have sought the trutlh have been unable to learn what was,.the truth. Perhaps thqoupadus of volumnes have been written about Russia during and since the war; most of them have dealt with communtiipd 'Bolshevik leaders, and conditions in Russia particularly as affected by the Bolshevik regime. Many writers attempted( to study the questions involved ob- Jectively. Some were eieicerned in establishing the thesis I 2 C(O)NDITIONS'4 IN RUSSIA that the vorild was 1P1ile for social and economic changes and that Rusia under Bolshevik rule presented' a most interesting experien t. Teerewere some who examined the experiment critieally-others sym4npathletically, Some books and pamphlets were so mnalnifestly unfair to the Soviet Government and so inaccurate and prejdliced In th Orefeitation of "tie facts its to call for crlticisn2. rThey misr res entedi conditions and gave currency to falsehoods against which Bolsheviks and fair- minded persons had the right to protest, PamIphlets and books in eve'r-ifcreasing numbers lhave been pulished for the pulrI)ose of not only defending Bolshevism but propagating tile communistic faith. Most of these pub- lications have .disregard4deconomc and political scoi4itlons, tile faets of history and the events which were transpiring In Russia, The zeal of thelrl authors in behalf of Bolshevism lead them to pel'vert the facts, falsify the records, and support a propaganda intended to deceive the world. As stated, the Russian question is not settled. In various European chancelleries statesmen are 'seeking to deal with Russia in a manner compatible with the honor of their country and conducive to the peace of the world. China has been shaken by Bolshevik intrigue, and radical m6i'ements in Japan are being fostered by emissaries of Russian communists. What shall be done with Russia in a question not et answered to the satisfaction of most nations. It is perceived-by nost that both European annd Asiatic problems ;can not be finally atd satisfactorilydetermined unlss Russia participated in th$ settlement. Recent congresses between various Eropcpan nations and. Turkey found that the specter of- Russia was iat every council table, and the uplifted hand of Russia was a warning agaInst every contOmplated niovemeitt And the chief executives of this ,Republic and1theh State Department under Democratic and Republican adminiStrations a been brought face to face with the luestlon "4What shall the attitude of this Republic be toward the /olshevlk Governnient " A resoliP tion is now pending before the Senate Foreign Relations Comr. mittee declarlig in favor of de jure recognition of the, Bolshevik Government by the UVited States.: Mr. President, I have upon a number of occasions presented to the Senate m'y views in regard to Russia and have sub- mitted what I believed to be the facts, as to conditions in Russia,. My interest In Russia is not new.- I have for many years believed that Russia was destined to play a most important rMle in the history of the world. The Slav race, With its genius and strength, its patience and reslgiatloni its capacity for suffering and endurance, its remarkable' qual ities-subtle, stolid, evanescent, :,incohgruou and Irrecohcll- able-will powerfully influence the future history of mankind. There are those who believe that as the scepter of authority and greatness has, :passed from races and nations in the ceaseless tread of the centuries, so sooner or later the scepter of power will hNe held hythe Russian people as the representa- tives of the Slavic race., However, It Is unprofitable to speculate upon this mfiatter, the Important question 1s, What shaltlbe the attitude of our Government toward the Sovlet r gime? Mri President, be6 cause of my deep interest in the Russian people 6nd In order that I might more intelligently act upon matters bought to the attention of the Senate, involving the relations of our Gov- ernmelnt with Russia and her people, I seized the opportunity a short time ago of visiting Russia. Early In July of 1923, in CONDITIONS IN RU$SIA 3 vompgny. withl the :Senator from North Dakota (Mr. LADD and Prof. A. A. Johnoon, of New York, I sailed froml New' York for, Russia. WeeGerianynpent a few days In where we were joined, by, Congressnian FEAUR of Wlseonsinm 'Yith the party were Mr. Frank Oonnes, a linguist of ablity, who has, for many years been interpreter for the Supreme Court of the State, of. New 'York (he: wasJfamiliar ,with ROusia, having been there at various times anO also kne the Russian. lan- guage)^; Mr. I~pac Don Levine,; a journalist of ality and in tellectual ifitegrity-having been born in, Bussla and having traveled extensively throughout, that country, he was in a position to, be '5of great assistance in our efforts to obtain:a knowledge of conditions in Itusslo-and(1 Dr. George A. Bow'en, of Waslhingtoll, a young man of ability, who.acted as secretary for Senator LADD, Congressman F1REAR, Mr. Johnson, and myself. Leaving Berlin we proceeded to Warsaw, where we remained for a few days and then by tra n departed for Moscow. We crowed into' Russia In the latter part of Jul, stopping- at Minsk and then continuedjour Journey to Aloscow. We spent 10 days at this ancient capital of ItUssia, There we metjthe Bolshevik leaders,. practically.all of them except Lenin, whose precarious physical ('onditign made it impossible for him to see visitors. We lheld nuimerotus conferences vith the political leaders and the lhp)ortant ofcials of the Soylet Governiiment. We spoke. with them frankly and freely about conditions in Uussia anfidasked for datail showing the In(luStrial, economic, social, religious, and political conditions of the people. We visited churches and mingled with the worshipers. We Vis- ited the shops and factories and plailts antd 9cnversed with the workmen andl sought to learn their yIews and to obtain the:.facts as to wages paid, and the, conditions, industrial, social, aid, economic, bIy whiich the1. lvere surrounded. To' the leaders, as well as to the people, tiu public and l, private and Jin n1tervjews given to the B13sheyilk apers, we stated that our object ias to learn the political, industeal, economic, religious, and social., conditions existing throughout Russin. It was known in Russia that I had opposed recognition, and Mr. Chicherln had stated when application was made for permIs- sion to enter.iRuis*l that I w1as regarded as an enemy of the Bolsheiylk Gover nment. I stated to lhim, as I did t( hundreds of Bolshevik leaders, that I differentiated between the Bol- shevik Government anti the Russian people, that I disapproved of comluniihismn, and that if the Bolshevik regIme persisted in. its efforts to enforce it upon the people of Russia, the sor- row~s of the Russilan people would be multiplied' and the reha- bilitation aild d(evelopmeflt of Russla would be postponed for Ian indeflnite.period. Permit me to state at this point that our party traveled freely without the slightest restraint in all parts of Russia. We were subjected to-no annoyances, to no espionage, and no ob- stacles were placed in our pathway to prevent the fullest: and 'most. searching inquiry into the conditions to be found' in Russia. We went when and where we pleased, without direc- tion from any Soviet authorities. We were permitted to see substantially everything we asked to see, and there appeared .to be no hesitation in replying to all questions propounded,:or In furnishing information in regard toany matters of which tie Soviet Government had knowledge.

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