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132 Some Thoughts on Resumption of Trade With RussiaCentral Russia is dominated by the Bolshevikwar status. She will not, as some extremistsor the so-called "Soviet Governwarment."Northern Russia is under a provisionaland dreamers—not business men—profess to believe, be able to avoid theconsequences of illiteracy and low productivity,but the new Russia has beengovernment recognized by the Allies andreceiving their economic and military born into a modern world and willsupport.partake of the spirit of the general advance.Of the Baltic Provinces, Esthonia hasA Russian business man of wideachieved some degree of equilibrium andis maintaining it against Bolshevik attacks.experience told me recently that thesefacts are recognized by men of his class,Latvia and contiguous Lithuania and that they are only seeking the pointare not so well off as Esthonia.of equilibrium so as to be able to makeSouth Russia was under a Germanfosteredtheir calculations. This is what Ameri­government until the armistice, can business men must do also.and was saved from Bolshevism by thepresence of German troops and the prevalenceAs to the economic situation, there pre­of better food conditions than in vails over Central and Northern Russiathe north. This richest portion of Russiaactual starvation. The entire country isis now overrun by Bolshevik armies, denuded of staples—of ordinary house­who are opposed by Allied and Cossack hold articles. Just a year ago I visitedforces.The Caucasus, the bridge betweenevery principal store in the town ofViatka, in Northeastern Russia, and aEurope and Asia, is still disturbed by local little later in Irkutsk, the capital ofconflicts which grow out of the several Eastern Siberia. The situation in theseraces and religions of its conglomerate provincial towns was the same as in thepopulation. The heart of this territory, capitals of Petrograd and Moscow: thewhich is called Georgia, seems to be makingheadway under a democratic government.shelves were literally empty and merchantsabout to close for lack of goods.Money has no value. The peasants haveSiberia is under the so-called Omsk plenty of money. A peasant woman, ingovernment, headed by Admiral Kolchak. the last stages of pregnancy, came into aThis government, which the Czechoslovakpeasant cottage where I was sitting oneforces helped on to its feet, is nowreceiving material support from the Alliesand appears to be making considerableday last winter, in the government ofPerm, and begged me to sell her mysteamer rug, assuring me that she hadprogress, both in the maintenance of plenty of money and would pay me wellorder at home and in the campaign of itsarmies against the Bolsheviks in the field.for it.The area sowed this year, according toIt is encouraging that the loyal Russian a consensus of opinion from reliableforces of the South and of the North haveboth proclaimed their adhesion to thissources, is scarcely a third of the pre-wararea; the reasons being lack of seeds, lossgovernment. Should the success of this of horses, lack of implements and tools,"All-Russian Government of Omsk" and fear of being deprived by the Redcontinue, it will be in order for them to Guards of any surplus over minimum personalconsumption. declare their land and labor programme,Whereas town lifewhich will be of great significance for has been virtually destroyed, the primitivefuture trade relations. A just programmelife of the country—of six-seventhsmust undoubtedly be promulgatedwhereby, with due regard for moraland economic considerations, the Russianof the population—has simply droppedback to something like the mediaeval conditionsfrom which it had slowly and painfullyrisen. land must be chiefly in the hands of theIt is marked by unsettle-eighty-five per cent of the population ment and epidemics. Transportation iswho make their living by it.almost at a standstill, with rolling stockwearing out and no renewals. An insignificantAs to labor and social conditions, Russiawill certainly not return to the precitypercentage of the factory capa­is operating and that most inefiicient-(Continued on page 84, following)