Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1916-1918, 1917-11-13


are filling them must meet those speci-
fications.
WHAT RUSSIA TEACHES.
The fatal weakness of socialism and
the socialist-their utter failure to
realize responsibility for the damage
they do-never was more clearly en-
phasized than by the present Crisis IN
Russia and the frantic efforts OF the
socialists in this country TO DENY
that Russia's chaos is the direct ana
inevitable result of the attempt by
Kerensky to establish ideallsm IN
stead of government.
In Des Moines yesterday, Charles
Edward Russell, socialism's cniel
pleader in America, issued state
ment in which he paralleled the Rus.
sian extremists with Americas !. W..
w. and indicted the majority OF
American newspapers on the charge
that they are ignorantly aiding the
cause Of Germany "by crlticlsins ana
denouncing Russia
He went on to say that the bolsnek'
wi or extreme socialists, who nave put
Premier Kerensky to flight ana I'M
prisoned the members OF the cabinet
who moved less slowly than their
leader. are in the minority in Rus
STA. They have power in Petrograd
and MOSCOW. he said, but in Russia
at large they have none. Outside OF
these two cities they are about as
popular and influential as the !. w. w:
is with the American farmer, Russell
adds.
In passing. it may not be amiss to
say that the only American farmers
who have assimilated the |. w. w.
virus are those of North Dakota,
where their non-partisan league is as
able an ally of Germany as is the |.
w w. in the western lumber district.
MI Russell should know just how
easy or how difficult it was to plant
that virus, after his pleasant expert
ence as one of the sponsors for the
Non-partisan league. That. no doubt,
he counts among one Of his many
mistakes" to which he refers so VIZ
tuously in his articles on socialism IN
the current issue of Golfers. Weekly.
The Courier has been frank about
tia reluctance to trust Kerensky or
any other socialist to bring about or
dor in Russia as a sequel to the ter
rible disorder which kerensky and his
fellow socialists achieved last March.
The revolution, while it removed one
of the most vicious rulers ana sys.
tens of government the world nad
known, had no plan for Reconstruction
of government to take its place.
This was the fact to which we called
attention when Prince Lvoff tried to
establish order. 1t was evident
throughout his short regime and 1t
was only more evident when keren'
sky took over the reins of govern
ment.
Every attempt to establish order
and discipline met with failure be.
cause it was made in half-hearteo
manner and necessitated step away
from the senseless doctrine OF uni
versal brotherhood and universal
equality to which Kerensky and so
cialism are pledged. Every effort TO
set up a government in Russia immed'
lately was denounced by all but the
handful Of men chosen for caoinee
positions.
This was the inevitable result OF
socialism. 1t could not have transpired
otherwise. And the extremists are
the inevitable result of socialism,
too, for they were and are no more
than an organized mob with the aim
of destroying any government and de'
feating any effort to thwart them IN
their reign of thievery. lawiessness
and pro-German agitation.
In America the socialist and l. w.
w. are both enemies of the govern
ment. both allies Of Germany In the
present instance. The difference 10
merely that the socialists are less
bold and less bald in their position.
They claim responsibility while the
extreme socialists, the |. w. W.. ooast
of their opposition to society ana all
its institutions Of order and decency.
The lawlessness of the /. w. W. is
only short step beyond the social
lists effort to remake the present laws
in order to legalize his disregard Tor
them. AT one street corner we flnd
socialist on soap box, ranting
about universal brotherhood and its
destruction of personal restrictions;
block away we come upon an |. w. W.
agitator urging open revolt aginst the
government. The difference in their
preachments is not difference OF
doctrine but merely difference be-
ween fear of the law and contempt
for it. Give the /. w. w. agitator
shave. change Of linen and dollar
and he becomes a socialist. Take
away those three possessions and
your socialist becomes an l. W. w.
The difference between the social
list and the extremist in Russia is no
greater. The bolshekivi are the social
lists who read their socialistic tracts
only to the point where the over
throw Of government is sanctioned.
The socialists assimilate the whole
book. with its theories OF universal
brotherhood. but they cannot induce
the bolshekivi to regard their feeble
efforts at construction as anything but
treason TO the common cause OF
equality.
Socialism is beautiful theory as
far as it goes. but it stops with de-
struction. just as kerensky stopped.
HAVING TAUGHT ONLY THE DOC
TRINE OF DESTRUCTION HE Be
CAME AN ENEMY IN THE EYES OF
HIS FORMER FOLLOWERS WHEN