444 445 THE CLASS STRUGGLE AN OPEN LETTER lack the strength to perform in a year a task a thousandfold more difficult than that which you could not perform in less than ten years, and under immensely more favorable circumstances.
Where is your reputed fairness, you Americans. Where is your sense of fair play?
Russia, a country of 180 millions of people, belonging to about 40 different nationalities, representing every conceivable stage of economic evolution, starting with savage Samoyeds on the Arctic coast of Siberia, and nomadic tribes of Trans Caspia, up to the educated intellectuals of Russia, a country where the natural economic progress has been deliberately hampered by 300 years of abominable autocratic rule, which necessitates to day a relatively longer step in the way of social reorganization than any country has been asked to take at once, a country where the so called intellectual classes, to their eternal disgrace, are deliberately sabotaging the serious efforts of the working people to restore order and progress, a country where the Government, although consciously supported by a greater percentage of the people than is the case in any other country in the world, is attacked by all reactionaries the whole world over, a Government which is not being helped, but whose actions are deliberately interfered with in every instance. this country, in spite of all this, has been able within less than a year to bring about more order than there has been in Russia for the past three years. But instead of expressing even the faintest commendation of the almost supernatural organizing ability of the Soviets, you, without protest, allow your papers deliberately to withhold all news favorable to the Russian workers and to circulate deliberate lies tending to bring the Russian workers into disgrace and to justify attacks on their Government. If the Soviet Government had received even a small part of the encouragement and help which you are to day willing to give any Russian adventurer who promises you to deliver Russia into your hands, or even if you would have let Russia alone and had not encouraged the Russian reactionaries in their fight against the Soviets, Russia to day would be a shining example of an orderly society and an everlasting proof of the constructive ability of the laboring masses.
Russian, Swedish, and even British newspapers received in this country contain highly interesting reports of the constructive work which is being done by the Soviets. In the face of tremendous obstacles they have been able quite satisfactorily, considering the circumstances, to organize the Russian agriculture on the basis of the new conditions. They have conducted a tremendous educational work all around Russia. They have rehabilitated the means of communication. Every fair observer admits that in those parts of Russia, where the Soviets work unhampered by the German autocracy and the various brands of counter revolutionists, the life has rapidly returned into normal channels.
Some time ago sent you a copy of a speech held by Premier Lenine at the All Russian Congress of Soviets. This speech, which has been commended by the New Republic, convincingly proves that the Russian Soviet statesmen seriously and in a conservative and responsible manner are solving the great problems of economic rehabilitation of Russia, and that they are eager to bring about an acceptable modus vivendi in their economic international relations. It may interest you to know, if you have not had this information before, that even on the question of repudiation of debt, which is perhaps one of the greatest obstacles to an understanding with the Allies, the Russian Soviet Government was willing to compromise with the Allies. The decision to repudiate the foreign debt was held up by Lenine and Trotzky for almost a month, while they waited for some response from the Allies in regard to co operation. No response was ever received.
But, is it not true, that it is that very thing which the reactionaries of the world fear more than anything else? The Russian workers revolution must go down in defeat. There must be chaos because if there were not, it would be a bad example to the workers of the rest of the world. Otherwise your papers could not say that Socialism has been weighed and found wanting.
But why not call a spade a spade? If you are bent on pursuing your present policy in Russia, would it not be much better for all parties concerned plainly to admit the facts and express their readiness to take the consequences? What you