Joseph Markus Goldstein

“ Moreover, we must not forget that it is to Germany's advantage to keep Russia weak economically, as an economically weak country cannot be a formidable adversary in war. Russia's weakness would facilitate considerably the realization of Germany's dream of a hegemony in Europe, since the land forces of the rest of her opponents are not very formidable to her. ”

“ Those who desire lasting peace, which alone can afford Russia an opportunity of developing her productive forces, and of increasing her economic might and making her better prepared from a military point of view, must do everything in their power to bring about a strong economic alliance between Russia and those countries which, like her, are opposed to Germany's economic policies. ”

“ When we consider that one or two billion roubles will be necessary for the resumption of normal activities in the territory devastated by the War, and that the interest on war loans will require an outlay of enormous sums of money, we feel justified in asserting that by 1920 Russia will have spent, over and above her normal budget requirements, the immense sum of about twelve billion roubles. ”

“ The statesmen of Russia should not, moreover, forget that an economic rapprochement with England will benefit Russia by making difficult, and, for a long time, even impossible, a repetition of the unfortunate events of the kind of the Russo-Japanese War, or a whole series of possible complications in Persia, Afghanistan, Asia Minor, Thibet, etc., which would be no less dangerous to a peaceful development of Russia. ”

“ It would also be unreasonable to expect that the general lowering of prices on the world market would result in a restriction of the grain areas in the American West, Canada, etc. For farmers take into account not only the prices on the world market; they are concerned primarily with utilizing as best they can the stock and the working force at their disposal. Always fearing the possibility of crop failure, in which case they would have to purchase a part of the amount they need, they are often compelled to plant larger areas than the existing prices on the world market would seem to warrant. ”

“ Hope is expressed in some quarters that the low exchange value of Russian money might prove a factor in increasing Russia's exports, since it will make the purchase of grain in Russia very profitable. While we cannot deny the possibility of such an influence upon Russian exports, we ought to bear in mind that this fact alone cannot have an all-important significance. The possiblities of extended export trade will be greatly lessened, for some time at least, by the difficulties of the means of transportation and the large number of floating mines in Russian waters. ”

“ Russia must develop and increase her trade with foreign countries, especially her present allies and some of the neutral countries. This will make it possible for the productive forces of the country to develop precisely along the lines required by the economic and social conditions in which Russia finds herself at the present historic moment. It is well to note in this connection that England and Belgium alone can provide a larger market than Germany for the exportation of agricultural products. ”

“ If Russia is able alone to combat Germany, Austria, Bulgaria, and Turkey, then the coalition becomes needless, from her point of view, since, like any other agreement, it would require certain sacrifices on her part. Therefore, in order to answer the above question, it is necessary to determine who is more powerful, Russia, or her enemies, united under the leadership of Germany. There seems to be very little doubt as to the nature of the answer to this question. It must be admitted that Russia is the weaker of the two sides. ”

“ Only a visionary can maintain that Russia will be able to adjust her financial affairs after the War without seeking foreign loans. It would be no less fanciful to expect that there would be any possibility of obtaining these loans in Germany. Even before the War, Germany was constantly in need of money in order to make possible her rapid development along the lines of industry and commerce, and she was often compelled to seek loans in France, Belgium, Holland, and Switzerland. ”

“ Where is Russia to obtain all these billions of roubles, since the home market is absolutely incapable of supplying them? As it is, the home market will have to withstand a tremendous strain if it is to supply the needs of rapidly developing industrial enterprises, as well as to solve many problems of national economy, the solution of which was postponed on account of the War. ”

“ Russia's allies, as well as the neutral countries which are amicable to the Entente powers, realize the necessity of an energetic economic struggle against Germany's policy of forcing her cheap exports upon other countries. ”

“ The extent of this accumulation of grain may be seen from the fact that according to estimates made by experts, there is an accumulated surplus of all kinds of grains in Siberia alone of almost nine million tons. The accumulation in other parts of Russia is also very great, because the peasants are not very anxious to sell their crops, fearing the difficulties of transportation, or biding their time in the expectation of still higher prices. ”

“ In the course of only seven years, from 1905 to 1912, the world's trade has increased by fifteen billion roubles, or exactly the whole amount of the world's trade in 1860, after many centuries of human civilization. ”

“ Moreover, with the aid of our allies, we shall be able to obtain considerable credits in Holland, Switzerland, and particularly, in the United States. These countries will hardly be very generous with us unless we have the assistance of our allies. ”

“ The impossibility of exporting this grain would entail a sharp fall in the prices of agricultural products, which would be highly unprofitable for our rural economy, since its expenses of production have increased considerably during the War. ”