Salt Lake Tribune | 1919-05-25 | Page 25 | Tells of Conditions Existing in Moscow

TELLS OF HDITIDKS EXISTIH1M Armenian Engineer Gives Vivid Picture of Situation in Soviet Capital. People of the City Live in Terror of the Bolshevik Red Guard. - f ; BAKU. April 20, Via London, May 10. (Correspondence of the AsMH'Iatea . Tress.) G iimpbcs into the fautaiw t life in Moscow under Lolshe tk vulo ; . are given by an Armenian engineer ' , lias arrived here 3'rom the capital ot' ' soviet Russia, lie sa s the peoplo of'.' the city live in terror of the liols-hovik red guard and that t he former bourgeoisie bour-geoisie have very few privileges. To ; be well dressed is a crime. The hated u p pe r classes must m as ; querade as poorer folk wheucver they go into the streets. Good clothes or : furs bring down upon I hem Iho cry ; , of "bourgeois.'' Uno word of protest1'; or of uousubmissiou to the ruling pow- i' ers is quite sufficient to evoUe tho I i damning word, ' ' counter-revolution- ,.j ; ary. " That means prison and romo- i i I times death. The jails already are full - j of counter-revolutionaries, and llu ! '' Armenian says almost daily from thirty M ( to fifty men and wumeu are shot. t'i The Strasnoi monastery is now a ill "people's law court,'' where tho hour- lj j geoisie are tried and condemned for ' crimes' 5 of opposition or alleged op ! position to Bolshevik rule. ': Many Priests Killed. The churches, lie says, aro safe, but,:! j their valuables have been removed, j! ( Many priests have been killed or in- ! j prisoned because, after tho death of i the former emperor and his fanuh,;' they prayed in secret for the dead. ,: Some of the theaters are still opcu. i, Tho great imperial theater is used-for,,: Bolshevik meetings, but in the evenings ; opera and ballet continue. The great- est artists have all escaped from Moh- l-cow, l-cow, but many good ones remain. Only ' soldiers go to the theaters. The bourgeoisie bour-geoisie apparently dare not. Most of the banks are closed. Only : one bank with several brauches oxUts. ; It is known as the "People's Bank of : tho liussiau Federal Soviet Republic ' j Sum's not exceeding .1000 rubles a ; month may be drawn, but usually c: has to pay an agent oO to 00 per ceni of his draft as a commission fur ub-taining ub-taining it. It is dangerous to employ any serv- ants a sure sign of bourgeoisie, feerv- ! ants aro in, some eases retained secretly. : 1 But on tho paper showing the number i; , of people in the house. the servants are listed as poor relatives. Streets Are Filthy. 1 The streets are filthy. Kvcry now : and then the bourgeoisie are ordered to ! clean their own streets. Mn, women : and children arc given spades and oi- ' dcred. under penalty of imprisonment, , to shovel filth away. As a rule, tho bourgeoisie have to load and carry their : own supplies. No one else will work j for them. : There is no gasoline for private nu-i tomobiles, and alcohol ;i used for fuel.! ; This is stoleu by the chauffeurs, mixed ; with water and sold as vodka for 400j; rubles a bottle. I Soldiers of the red nriuy commandeer t! the peasants' stores of grain and food, : give them ridiculously small iiriei'M .in j : payment and then sell tho food at, hug'v profits. Often thry visit houses mi ' the pretext of searching i'or arms, take what valuables they can find and s'dl ': them in the streets. They loot, mh ; and even murder any one daring to say a word against them. ' Foreigners Unprotected. ; The slightest offense in the army is ! now punished by death, but when tho J red soldiers are not on duty thev seem ! to be able to do as they like with im- '' punity. Most of the civilians who h: e been mo hi lized into the a riny a re d i:i i ' contented and are awaiting the first I j i opportunity of turning again.it the ' ! Bolsheviki. j: j There is no protection for f orcign-r.i. f : A decree was recently publisher! de- I , I daring there were no longer any for I 1 : eigners and that everyone living in Kussia henceforth would be deemed a. Rnsnian and have to submit to Bolshe 1 vik rule. Pa per money to the fare va lur of .J")0('MiO rubles is printed daily. Only two new .spa pers are perm i U'd to bn published the Soiet News and tli" Soldiers' Truth.