russia in 1919(1919的俄国)-第6章
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Kharkov； so that I should probably be able to get a room。 After drinking
tea with Reinstein till pretty late； I went home； burrowed into a mountain
of all sorts of clothes； and slept a little。
In the morning I succeeded in making out my claim to the room at
the National； which turned out to be a very pleasant one； next door to the
kitchen and therefore quite decently warm。 I wasted a lot of time getting
my stuff across。 Transport from one hotel to the other； though the
distance is not a hundred yards； cost forty roubles。 I got things
straightened out； bought some books； and prepared a list of the material
needed and the people I wanted to see。
The room was perfectly clean。 The chamber…maid who came in to
tidy up quite evidently took a pride in doing her work properly； and
protested against my throwing matches on the floor。 She said she had
been in the hotel since it was opened。 I asked her how she liked the new
regime。 She replied that there was not enough to eat； but that she felt
freer。
In the afternoon I went downstairs to the main kitchens of the hotel；
where there is a permanent supply of hot water。 One enormous kitchen is
set apart for the use of people living in the hotel。 Here I found a crowd
of people； all using different parts of the huge stove。 There was an old
grey…haired Cossack； with a scarlet tunic under his black； wide…skirted；
narrow…waisted coat； decorated in the Cossack fashion with ornamental
cartridges。 He was warming his soup； side by side with a little Jewess
making potato…cakes。 A spectacled elderly member of the Executive
Committee was busy doing something with a little bit of meat。 Two little
girls were boiling potatoes in old tin cans。 In another room set apart for
washing a sturdy little long…haired revolutionary was cleaning a shirt。 A
woman with her hair done up in a blue handkerchief was very carefully
ironing a blouse。 Another was busy stewing sheets； or something of that
kind； in a big cauldron。 And all the time people from all parts of the
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hotel were coming with their pitchers and pans； from fine copper kettles to
disreputable empty meat tins； to fetch hot water for tea。 At the other side
of the corridor was a sort of counter in front of a long window opening
into yet another kitchen。 Here there was a row of people waiting with
their own saucepans and plates； getting their dinner allowances of soup
and meat in exchange for tickets。 I was told that people thought they got
slightly more if they took their food in this way straight from the kitchen
to their own rooms instead of being served in the restaurant。 But I
watched closely； and decided it was only superstition。 Besides； I had not
got a saucepan。
On paying for my room at the beginning of the week I was given a
card with the days of the week printed along its edge。 This card gave me
the right to buy one dinner daily； and when I bought it that day of the week
was snipped off the card so that I could not buy another。 The meal
consisted of a plate of very good soup； together with a second course of a
scrap of meat or fish。 The price of the meal varied between five and
seven roubles。
One could obtain this meal any time between two and seven。 Living
hungrily through the morning； at two o'clock I used to experience definite
relief in the knowledge that now at any moment I could have my meal。
Feeling in this way less hungry； I used then to postpone it hour by hour；
and actually dined about five or six o'clock。 Thinking that I might indeed
have been specially favoured I made investigations； and found that the
dinners supplied at the public feeding houses （the equivalent of our
national kitchens） were of precisely the same size and character； any
difference between the meals depending not on the food but on the cook。
A kind of rough and ready co…operative system also obtained。 One
day there was a notice on the stairs that those who wanted could get one
pot of jam apiece by applying to the provisioning committee of the hotel。
I got a pot of jam in this way； and on a later occasion a small quantity of
Ukrainian sausage。
Besides the food obtainable on cards it was possible to buy； at
ruinous prices； food from speculators； and an idea of the difference in the
prices may be obtained from the following examples： Bread is one rouble
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20 kopecks per pound by card and 15 to 20 roubles per pound from the
speculators。 Sugar is 12 roubles per pound by card； and never less than 50
roubles per pound in the open market。 It is obvious that abolition of the
card system would mean that the rich would have enough and the poor
nothing。 Various methods have been tried in the effort to get rid of
speculators whose high profits naturally decrease the willingness of the
villages to sell bread at less abnormal rates。 But as a Communist said to
me； 〃There is only one way to get rid of speculation； and that is to supply
enough on the card system。 When People can buy all they want at 1
rouble 20 they are not going to pay an extra 14 roubles for the
encouragement of speculators。〃 〃And when will you be able to do that？〃 I
asked。 〃As soon as the war ends； and we can use our transport for
peaceful purposes。〃
There can be no question about the starvation of Moscow。 On the
third day after my arrival in Moscow I saw a man driving a sledge laden
with； I think； horseflesh； mostly bones； probably dead sledge horses。 As
he drove a black crowd of crows followed the sledge and perched on it；
tearing greedily at the meat。 He beat at them continually with his whip；
but they were so famished that they took no notice whatever。 The
starving crows used even to force their way through the small ventilators
of the windows in my hotel to pick up any scraps they could find inside。
The pigeons； which formerly crowded the streets； utterly undismayed by
the traffic； confident in the security given by their supposed connection
with religion； have completely disappeared。
Nor can there be any question about the cold。 I resented my own
sufferings less when I found that the State Departments were no better off
than other folk。 Even in the Kremlin I found the Keeper of the Archives
sitting at work in an old sheepskin coat and felt boots； rising now and then
to beat vitality into his freezing hands like a London cabman of old times。
THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE ON THE REPLY TO THE
PRINKIPO PROPOSAL
February 10th。
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It will be remembered that a proposal was made by the Peace
Conference that the various de facto governments of Russia should meet
on an island in the Bosphorus to discuss matters； an armistice being
arranged meanwhile。 No direct invitation was sent to the Soviet
Government。 After attempting to obtain particulars through the editor of
a French socialist paper； Chicherin on February 4th sent a long note to the
Allies。 The note was not at first considered with great favour in Russia；
although it was approved by the opposition parties on the right； the
Mensheviks even going so far as to say that in sending such a note； the
Bolsheviks were acting in the interest of the whole of the Russian people。
The opposition on the left complained that it was a betrayal of the
revolution into the hands of the Entente； and there were many Bolsheviks
who said openly that they thought it went a little too far in the way of
concession。 On February 10th； the Executive Committee met to consider
the international position。
Before proceeding to an account of that meeting； it will be well to
make a short summary of the note in question。 Chicherin； after referring to
the fact that no invitation had been addressed to them and that the absence
of a reply from them was being treated as the rejection of a proposal they
had never received； said that in spite of its more and more favourable
position； the Russian Soviet Government considered a cessation of
hostilities so desirable that it was ready immediately to begin negotiations；
and； as it had more than once declared； to secure agreement 〃even at the
cost of serious concessions in so far as these should not threaten the
development of the Republic。〃 〃Taking into consideration that the enemies
against whom it has to struggle borrow their strength of resistance
exclusively from the help shown them by the powers of the Entente； and
that therefore these powers are the only actual enemy of the Russian
Soviet Government； the latter addresses itself precisely to the powers of
the Entente； setting out the points on which it considers such concessions
possible with a view to the ending of every kind of conflict with the
aforesaid powers。〃 There follows a list of the concessions they are
prepared to make。 The first of these is recognition of their debts； the
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interest on which； 〃in view of Russia's difficult financial position and her
unsatisfactory credit；〃 they propose to guarantee in raw materials。 Then；
〃in view of the interest continually expressed by foreign capital in the
question of
