Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1916-1918, 1918-02-12

OF agitatos who are to depart soon
for the provinces to lead the conf1s'
cation campaign"
I.enine, the correspondent says
urged his missionaries to make wal
on "all village exploiters and rich
peasants as they did on the wealthy
landowners.
I'VE have taken the land to give it
to the poor peasants" the premier
said. do not let the rich peasants
or exploiters get the agricultural inn
plements. Put ten poor peasants
against every rich one. The police
are dead and buried and the masses
must take affairs in their own hands. =
Such speech might have been e1.
pected and accepted with round OF
applause in some such play as THE
Wizard of o." THE Isle Of Spice,
or "The Sultan of Sufu." But who
in the audiences that laughed at
those outlandish plots would have be.
lieved that in 1918. in the heart Of
Europe, the head Of the government
for one Of the worlds greatest coun-
tries would issue such orders to his
retainers?
The bolsheviki are putting into &C
tual practice the doctrines Of social
ism. That they are not violating
those doctrines is evidenced by the
rousing resolutions Of approval which
representative American socialists
adopted this week in Chicago, assur,
ing Trutzky of their sympathy,
pledging him their support and de-
manding that the United States not
only recognize the Lenine-Trotzky
farce as a government but join hands
with those destructionists in their
cowardly peace negotiations with
the Germans.
The bolsheviki are condscating
property of every sort in Russia.
ANY citizens possession Of anything
of value constitutes that citizen an
enemy and therefore victim OF the
government, Only those who are
penniless receive consideration at
the hands Of the Lenine-Trotzky com
bination. These are told that they
shall be given the riches which the
government is Selling.
Instead of general or state owner
ship, at which socialism professedly
aims, the only practical experiment
Of unbridled socialism proposes a re-
versal of the old customs and condi-
lions which will transform every poor
man into q rich man and every man
OF means into pauper. That is the
ultimate stage of socialism. which is
endorsed so warmly by several OF
Americas foremost socialists.
In view of that endorsement 1t
certainly Is not unfair to assume that,
should socialism obtain control OF gov
eminent and affairs in America the
same system Of destruction would
follow.
For socialism is not political
principle nor political party. 1t Is
a propaganda Of destruction. wn1cn
can count itself successful only when
it obtains entire control Of the gov
eminent for the purpose OF upse1ing
that government and cancell1ng all
it's laws and covenants.
The title I'd property Of every sort
is valid only while the government
lasts. With the government destroyed
property rights disappear. This IL
what SOCIALISM, Oe6lISS, 0Au ~ w
crates as q political party, under
various aliases, only because its only
hope for obtaining control Of the gov
eminent is based on its prospects
for success as party. Having OBJ
tanned control once by this means, 1t
would tear down the government &C
cording to its destructive policies,
just as the bolsheviki have done in
Russia.
The democratic and republican
parties live from year to year. and
the government lives while one OF
those parties-either Of them-is in
control of the governmental machine
~. The constitution is the govern
ment's guaranty OF authority. That
constitution would be destroyed should
socialism overrun America.
This is the same socialism winch
L. being fought in America and right
here in Iowa under the name OF the
Farmers Non partisan league. 1t must
be wiped out il America is to con-
tiuue a safe place in which to live.