Results of Allied Intervention in Siberia
By DR. VÁCLAV GIRSA.
Dr. Václav Girsa is the Czechoslovak representative in Vladivostok. Formerly he was a physician at Kiev and during the war became one of the leaders of the movement which resulted in the organization of the Czechoslovak Army out of Austrian prisoners. He has been in charge of Czechoslovak interests at Vladivostok since May 1918, when the first Czechoslovak troops reached the Pacific. He is a man of broad and statesmanlike ideas who knows Russia as well as any Russian, but is able to take a detached view of it. What he has to say of Allied intervention in Siberia deserves careful consideration. Some of the facts expressed here have already been transmitted to America in a condensed form by the Associated Press.
Many months passed, since the Czechoslovak troops attacked by German-Bolshevik treachery on their way through Siberia to Vladivostok took up arms, and after having overthrown the Bolshevik government in Siberia and liberated all that immense country from tyranny took a stand on the Urals in order to protect the whole Siberian population from Bolshevik malice and vengeance. This was an event of first-class importance and through it the Czechoslovaks won boundless love and gratitude of the Russian nation as well as the sympathies of the entire civilized mankind. Allied nations vied with each other to assist the Czechoslovaks and the wretched Russian people. Reporters, politicians, military expeditions and supplies were sent to Siberia to help the fighting and starving people. No one can doubt that the leading idea of all those activities was the best will and a sincere intention to help the unfortunate Russian nation. But what is the result of all this magnimous labor and enterprise?
Many months have elapsed since then, endless months full of terrible distress, both for the troops at the front and for the suffering peaceable people, thousands of the best Czechoslovak and Russian soldiers have given up their lives for freedom, thousands of them are suffering in hospitals and houses for invalids. And yet the whole state of affairs in Siberia and Russia not only has shown no progress at all, but is now—be it said frankly—worse than half a year ago. The strength of fighting troops at the front is diminishing with each day, misery, need and unemployment of working people is increasing alarmingly; the railroads—which at first were working so correctly, have today stopped functioning completely and have become a stage for bribes, frauds, robberies and also a source of astounding profits for unconscientious and criminal speculators. Traveling on the Siberian rail road is today an enterprise perilous to life. This intolerable state cannot last for long, if complete dissolution and general anarchy is to be avoided. It has already demoralized all classes of Russian society and kills in them even the most elementary conceptions of right, justice and civic duties.
Thousands of Russian citizens are returning from German captivity, and the strongest characters among them who could not be prevailed upon by promises or threats to join Bolshevik ranks in European Russia are traveling on foot thousands and thousands of versts, hungry and naked; those of them who do not fall victims to frigid temperature, unable to find any support or shelter and embittered by the indifference of society, become at last—out of despair, victims of Bolshevik propaganda. On the other hand the wealthy classes grow blunt by constant sight of human misery to such an extent that they don’t even feel the obligation to assist others; moreover they will not help the common people at all, because they see Bolsheviks in them.
The political situation presents a picture of the greatest disorganization. The rivalry and struggle among single political parties continues unabated; the Government, which lacking Allied assistance cannot get the confidence of broad masses of population is compelled, in order to strengthen its authority, to apply means that can hardly conciliate discontented minds. Without declaring clearly and openly its program it is fighting the socialistic parties by means of military censorship, curtailment of liberty of speech and of co-operative freedom; it banishes all the popular leaders, but at the same time it is not strong enough to suppress the injurious actions of military organizations of Cossack atamans who acknowledge the authority of no one.
Such is the present situation of that Siberia which last year welcomed the intervention of the Czechoslovaks with such exultation and enthusiasm and has shown such great powers of organization as regards military and political affairs; to such ends
