6 THE REVOLUTIONARY AGE November 27, 1918 The Repudiation of Debts in Russia IT happens occasionally, because of some obscure Russian financiers all loans contracted by the maintain a vile autocracy: but what of it? It impulse, either twitches of conscience or reasons Czar government were repudiated. The Czar meant profits, and profits must be secured, out of circulation, that the press prints something fa never was the people.
of blood and massacres if necessary.
vorable to the Soviet Republic. In this class beIt is suicide for the Russian people to pay the The Russian people in 1905 started revoluof Philosophy at Wisconsin University, published enormous debts of the Czar regime: they would tion. They battled heroically against Czarism, and recently in the Boston American. According to ruin their recovery from the catastrophe of the they were conquering. They might have destroythe interview, Dr Kallen is fully convinced that war. The government of the people, the govern. ed Czarism then and there. The Czar was desperment of the workmen and peasants Soviets, ate, the Czar required money to finance the counthe present system of government in Russia is of such a liberal democratic nature and so respons cial obligations of the Czar.
cannot without stultifying itself accept the finan ter revolution. The money was provided by the ive to the people will that should a majority desire an overturn of present policies, that majorThe world knows that the Czar regime was cracy, democracy and Socialism throughout the ity could do so through the ballot.
an autocracy, that it never in the slightest degree world, protested against the loan, declaring that The reactionary press insists that the Soviet represented the will of the people, that it fattened the money was to crush the Russian Revolution.
Government and the Bolsheviki are incapable of upon the misery, murder and degradation of the But the bankers of France, intent upon profits, reorganizing Russia, are plunging the country tracted by the Czar and his corrupt bureaucracy, millions and millions of francs, and this money people. The debts of the Russian state were con intent upon conciliating Czarism, made the loan, into chaos. On this head, Dr. Kallen says. It is my firm belief that the Russian governout of which they grew rich and maintained their crushed the revolution, this money paid for the ment as it now stands is moving on toward sub power.
thugs that murdered the rebels, that massacred But, more important, if it had not been for the the Russian people, that maintained the Czar stathie Russian people are allowed to work out money loaned the Czar by foreign financiers the Russian people pay back this money, approve their Wilson clause in his points dealing with self great fact, the unforgiveable thing, is that English of this murderous slave trade of French finance. determination of the peoples of Europe, they and French bankers, international finance gene The Czar engaged in a war against Germany should soon be able to rehabilitate the agricul rally, maintained the power of the Czar by loans and Austria; it was his war, the war of the auto tural and industrial systems.
of money. This money was not used to promote cracy, started without the consent of the people.
There are a number of reasons why internation the interests of the Russian people: it was used the Czar did not wage war for democracy, but al forces violently oppose the Soviet Republic, but to pay the murderous secret police, to maintain grab territory, to increase his power. Internais introducing Socialism and industrial democracy sustain the army that crushed the people, to pro which was not used for purposes of war against which is a danger to Capitalism and industrial vide the Czar with the moral and physical instru; Germany, but for war against the Russian people, Republic has repudiated the national debts of people in subjection. Shall the Russian people pay olution. It is this money that the People Gov.
Russia. The initiative in the campaign for inter the debts of their former murderers and oppres ernment in Russia refuses to pay.
vention came from the French financiers, who sors, shall the Russian people compensate the in Why should the workers recognize the financial have billions invested in loans to the former Czar ternational financial brigands who, as an ally of obligations of their masters? The workers are government. Dr. Kallen ventures a prophecy the Czar, maintained the predatory autocracy in not slave traders, and refuse to honor the money about this repudiation of debts: It is my belief power?
obligations incurred in the slave trade of interthat when prosperity returns and the spectre of International finance was aware of the infamous national finance against famine has been removed, they will voluntarily character of the Czar regime but the Czar paid peace and democracy.
There is still another consideration. The nareconsider the vote taken to repudiate their na and accordingly was respeetable, even though tions of Europe are tottering under a huge national debts.
these payments represented the blood and tears tional debt, because of the war. They face bankWhether the Soviets will reconsider the repu and agony of the Russian people. The Soviets ruptcy: The national debt of the United States diation of debts depends largely upon the strength refuse this blood money, and they are brigands; is a trifle compared with the national debt of the olutionary proletariat. But the Soviet Republic finance is the most brutal and infamous of hypo wealthy as all Europe together. great problem will never voluntarily reconsider the repudia crites; it despises liberty, scorns justice, and will in Europe will be these debts; and already a ge tion. Why?
tolerate anything providing it means money, The neral campaign is developing to repudiate the It was not alone the debts of foreign financiers French and British and German financiers knew national debts as a phase of the developing strugthat were repudiated, but equally the debts to that their money was used to strengthen and gle for Socialism.
to The Flowers that Bloom in the Spring a ŞTABLE government, as the veriest tyro in di but the Allies have persistently refused to recog armies decided the citizens of Archangel to let piomacy knows, is one of the first laws of inter nize their authority because they do not consti the issue go by default. Suddenly a group of 50 national politics.
Without it no self respecting tute a stable government. In remote parts things or 60 monarchists arose, transfered the Governnation will grant recognition other than that reare different: the Bolsheviki have been over ment the North to a couple of barges, shipped quired to successfully kill them, of course. to thrown in the cities and stable government once it off to an island in the Gulf of Archangel, and any people. So important is stable government more holds sway.
formed a new government.
After the arrival of the Allied troops in Vla The island on which the Government of the cognition to the unstable one, but they will send divostok the local Soviet was disbanded and its North landed was controlled by the Bolsheviki armies and fleets to shoot the people into a con members jailed. Democracy being the keynote. which circumstance added to the fact that the dition of stability the stability of death. of things governmental nowadays, an election Government of the North had been landed on Take Russia for example!
was immediately held to form a proper govern the south side of the island resulted for time The whole trouble with that unfortunate coun ment. But the Russians are an ignorant people in relations being somewhat strained. The Allies try is that it has no stable government. Under they elected the Bolsheviki. This would not do at intervened, however, convinced the monarchists the Czar it was a great empire, any nation would all so of counter revolutionists got to that they, like general Semenoff in Vladivostok, lend it money. Its flag, ambassadors, soldiers, gether and formed the All Siberian government, were the victims of a cruel mistake and brought sailors were respected everywhere. None dared which promptly found favor with the Allies. back the Government of the North which After issuing few proclamations regarding promptly issued a manifesto laying forth its plans regular diplomatic observances were followed and its plans for reorganizing not only Siberia for the regeneration of all Russia.
if war resulted hostilities opened only after forIn the meantime, inspired apparently by the mal declarations had been made.
not General represent all Siberia at all.
few hundred presence of the Allies, the counter revolutionary But now, under the rule of the people, nobody Semenoff at the head of forces at Omsk set up another government, jailed respects Russia, not even her enemies. Alien Cossack and Chinese troops, appeared one day troops land on her soil and slaughter her citizens and, after arresting the All Siberian government the local Soviet and issued some proclamations without any declaration of war. Her flag is tram and declaring that he was the Heaven sent savior regarding the benefits of stable government, while pled in the dust, even Tammany politicians for of Siberia, established himself as dictator. Re yet another group set up the All Russian government at Ufa, at the same time issuing an inhounded from pillar to post and arrested in spite and the worthy general thereupon issued anothiei delegates so that it might be All Russian in some of diplomatic immunity, her sailors and citizens proclamation to the effect that it was all a mis thing more than name. Difficulties occured right are publicly flouted in the streets of friendly take, that he was not the instrument of heaven away, owing to the fact that all these governnations.
after all but only a humble general, that it was ments were widely separated and that the counry In the matter of the Brest Litovsk Treaty her clearly a case of mistaken identity, and that the intervening was controlled by the Soviets, so for enemies imposed outrageous terms upon her. All Siberian government was all that its name time the All Russian government mysteriously Why? Because she had not a stable government. implied.
This is clearly seen by a comparison between the With the arrival of the Allied troops in Archan disappeared apparently leaving all Russia with terms of that treaty and the terms imposed upon gel the Bolsheviki were again put in their proper out any government, stable or otherwise.
the then stable governments of the Central Em place and group of gentlemen announced to a Recently it turned up at Omsk with a flourish, pires by the Allies in their armistice.
bewildered people that they were the Govern announcing the names of the generals of the AllIt is, however, in comparing the outlying parts ment of the North and really the representa Russian army, the admirals of the All Russian of Russia with the rest of the country that the tives of the entire Murman coast. The population navy, the chief of the All Russian police, the head of the Murman coast being mostly composed of of the All Russian street cleaning department and fusal of the Allies to recognize any but a stable a few tribes of wandering fishermen who care many other important All Russian officials. All government become clearly apparent. Through little about governments, nobody contradicted the went merry as a wedding march until two or thr out Russia generally the Soviets are in control new government, and the presence of the Allied Continued on page eight