Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1918-05-30
BoLsHEvIK BUSINESS
lBY William u. ChenarYl

(By William l.. Chenery)
Some glimpse of democracy can be-
had from nearly every place occupied
by man. What is seen. however, de-
pends on the observer. No where ia
this more spectacularly true at this
moment than in Russia. A manu-
facturer from Moscow, an English.
man, was passing through Chicago.
He left his establishment a few weeks
ago. The Germans were coming too
close for comfort. But during the
last few months and years he has
learned something of the way men
stumble toward self-government.
twenty-five hundred operators we're
employed in his factory. A little
while ago he and his associates de-
cided that the factory should be shut
down. To operate it under the exist
ing disorderly conditions was un-
profitable. The workmen were In
formed of this decision.
.You cannot shut down; we must
have work." was the workers re-
sponse.
But we are losing money by run
ming the plant" said the manufac-
turer"
1--WE would lose money if you clos
ed it," replied the workers. I'VE
must eat. How else can we get money
for food? 1t you close the factory we
will open it,
The factory was kept open.
Under any other rule than that of
the Bolshevik the owners of this es-
tablishment you'd have closed it at
once. Common commercial prudence
would have demanded it. Sound
business management rightly insisted
upon retrenchment.
OF course the workmen were cor.
rect in saying that they must have
jobs in order to live. But under
ordinary circumstances their neces-
sities are disregarded. Often the
workman must be turned loose If the
concern is to avoid bankruptcy.
Still it is possible to understand
the point of view of the Russian cot
ton mill operators. They thought
first of themselves. Are there no
precedents for such sin?
asked the Moscow manufacturer
how he first felt the effects Of the Boil
shevik rule.
Iue wvr.-~--~-.-----..-4.a
ey." was his unhesitating answer.
asked him how much. his en-
ployes bad been getting. He said
that quarter day would be the
American equivalent of the pre.war
wages of the apprentice boys-the
lowest paid.
"The new get S4.75 or nineteen
times that sum-" he added, not with
out bitterness.
Russian money, however, is worth
only from one-ffth to one. tenth Of
its pre- war value. The real wage in
crease of the apprentices is accord
inely equal only to a sum between
so cents and dollar day. Possibly
this is not an extravagant advance.
The truly bad experiences of this
gentleman from Russia arose from
the ignorance of some of the Boil
sheviki in command. A peasant
scarcely able to sign his own name
was thus in charge of the financial
ad ,ninistration of Moscow. He d.
rected all the banks.
The public school teachers and
other civil servants were, moreover,
lstriking They refused to work for
the Bolsheviki because nntutored Of
icials were placed over them. Thus
q school porter was put in charge Of
education. A similar rule prevailed
elsewhere.
Ofcourse the old regime is respon-
sible for the general lack of educa-
tion. The Bolsheyiki probably had
made the most of their advantages.
They we're denied training and en-
liightenment by an absolute ruler who
hoped thus to keep them in subiec-
tion.
| The second complaint, that peas
ants were governing their intellectual
betters, is also significant. The trav-
eler thought it terrible that, for
example, q Russian general should
be acting as a night watchman In q
large building in Moscow. The recol-
lection that colonel and two lieu
tenants cleaned the snow in front,0f
his residence last winter also gave
him pain.
| The world hesaw was topsy.turyy.
| The great we're in the dust and the.
humble we're on high. Yet the dis-s
agreeable work Of society must be
done. LIS any grave harm accom-
plished when the upper class learns
how the lower class feels about the
tiresome taskp Or is 9 better demo-
cracy thereby advanced? II