Flame but no Fire

Eight hundred and seventeen delegates assembled within the walled and turreted Kremlin last week. Lumbering peasants, stalwart workers, stern or oleaginous officials, they made up the 15th Conference of the Communist Party. One-fourth of them were empowered to take the floor in reply to a question from the Chair. One-sixth could comment on the debate. One-fourteenth were authorized to make speeches. . . .

Docile, the Conference began by re-electing to the Praesidium, or "Standing Committee" of the Party, Joseph Stalin, "political boss of Soviet Russia,". and 36 of his henchmen--among them Premier Alexei Ivanovitch Rykov, War Minister K. E. Voroshilov, and Vice President Nikolai Bukharin of the Third International.

Cowed Oppositionists. President Gregory Zinoviev of the Third International was not elected to the Praesidium. Neither was once omnipotent Leon Trotsky. Recently in open opposition to "Boss" Stalin, they have been forced to desist from obstructing him (TIME, Oct. 25), and figuratively whipped into a corner. During the week M. Zinoviev, "the bomb-boy of Bolshevism," archadvocate of violent onslaughts upon Capitalism, growled to his intimates, "Henceforth my work with the Third International is impossible."

This organization is, of course, the once world-extensive Communist bureau for promoting subversive movements in Capitalistic lands. At present Joseph Stalin, astute, sagaciously "conservative," has seen fit to squelch such activities.

Preliminary Forensics. Speeches before the Communist Conference last week were as inoffensive as the lowing of a herd of peaceful cows.

"Boss" Stalin, officially Secretary General of the Communist Party, held back his annual report on internal conditions in Soviet Russia, and spoke in general terms of foreign affairs: "World Capitalism is still attempting: first, to encircle our country economically; second, to effect our political isolation through a concealed blockade; third, to take revenge for the assistance we have given to the British strikers* and the Chinese revolution originating at Canton."

Though M. Stalin did not set forth what he intended to do about the machinations of world capital, last week, he concluded his address amid cheers with the pious assurance that world communism will somehow triumph in the end. No fool, M. Stalin was apparently engaged last week in ingratiating himself with the "pure" Communists to whom he is something of a heretic, however potent. The way seemed clear to introduce before the conference a program of action skilfully masking the "conservative" policies of "Boss" Stalin behind a screen of fervent Leninist oratory.

"Boss" Stalin will discourage the wasting of Communist fuel in vain attempts to set the world on fire, but shrewdly strives to keep the Communist flame alight beneath the boiler of his own political steam roller.

*President Herbert Smith of the British Miners' Federation revealed last week that $4,000,000 (-L-822,634) had been contributed to British strike funds by Russian labor. Said he: "Thank God there is some Christianity in Russia T A tenth of all we have paid out to relieve the miners has come from Moscow."