WHAT SHOULD WE DO ABOUT THE RUSSIAN FAMINE? [To THE
EDITOR OF THE " SPECTATOR."1 V SIR,—Can you or any of your readers throw light on what is one's duty in regard to the Russian Famine? If the Russian Government were short of funds, would they spend as they do on seditious propaganda? While we take on us a responsibility which should be theirs—of feeding their people—are we doing wisely? We send thousands of pounds to feed their famine stricken; they send thousands of pounds to us in poisonous literature to overthrow our Constitution. What is the right course? The children are dying.-1 am, Sir, &c.,
MIDLANDS.
[We are strongly of opinion that the only right course is to do what we can privately—since the Government have refused money—to try to save the starving Russians in the Volga provinces. It is a terrible thought that it is already too late to save all of the 20,000,000 persons who are most directly affected by the famine. Nearly 10,000,000 are probably doomed. It is only too true that the Soviet Government continues to spend money on its poisonous propaganda. But the Volga peasants are among the worst victims of that Government. The Soviet Government formerly took their harvests at a price which made it unprofitable for the peasants to continue to till much of the land. The drought was the real cause of the famine, but this former practice on the part of the Government of discouraging agriculture greatly contri- buted to the disaster. We cannot see that there is anything to be said for the argument that the Volga population should not be helped because the Bolshevik rulers are criminally wasting money. The only argument which gave us pause was to the effect that food sent to the starving people would not get through, but would be diverted to the use of the Red Army. That fear, however, proves to have been unfounded. The British Commissioner, Sir Benjamin Robertson, states in his report that practically everything sent has reached its proper destination.—En. Spectator.]
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