The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1919-07-31
SOCIALISM IN HUNGARY
PROVED CURSE TO PEOPLE
Bella Kun and His Government Have
Killed Thrift and Ambition and
Debauched the Nation

tried out in Hungary during the past
few months. Among the few intelli-
gent observers from outside the
country was Philip Marshall Brown
who went there with thes Amercan
commission to negotiate peace.
Mr.. Brown had special advantages
and opportunities and was inclined to
look rather favorably on Socialism
until he saw it work its horrors upon
an unfortunate people.
He did not remain long enough to
witness the slaughter OF hundreds OF
the best and most patriotic people of
Hungary by the thugs and ruffians
of the regime but he did stay long
enough to cure him of any Socialistic
leanings. Mr.. Brown writes as fol.
lows of the situation in Hungary:
Bolshevism is more to be feared
because of its ideals than because
of its crimes. To be successfully
combated its strength and virtues
must be measured as well as its de-
fects. 1t is not sufficient to denounce
al Bolsheviki as scoundrels; the
ideals and visions that impel them to
martyrdom and crimes must be sympa-
kthetically understood
Bolshevism is an insidious infection
lit cannot be extlrpated by violence
alone. To fight this social scourge
effectively we must study the disease
in all its symptoms and phases, Its
appearance in Hungary is of special
interest from the pathological point Of
view 1t is of perhaps more interest
than RUSSIA fresh infection may
disclose more than an original case
already suffering from variety of
| ills. Moreover, it must be remember
ed that the Hungarian Socialists were
early cautioned to avoid the mistakes
and excesses of the Russian com
rades."
The attempt of the Hungarian Social
lists, therefore, to establish a "Dicta-
torship of the Proletariat" is OF sin
gular significance; we can better an
alyze the aims and methods of these
twentiety century iconoclasts. We
can more clearly distinguish the
chief symptoms of the disease when
carried to another victim We can
better determine what prophylactic
measures to adopt to prevent its in
fecting our own body polite.
My purpose, therefore, will be to
state my Impressions and conclusions
concerning Bolshe1ism as saw 1t APP
piled in Hungary. | ought to make
clear at the outset that am not pre-.
JUDGED against socialism. On the
contrary, many of its aims seem to
me admirable. | have been willing
to see many socialistic experiments
tried out under proper conditions. II
has seemed to me great calamity
that socialism should be discredted
by its own adherents before it shall
have had a fair opportunity to demon
strate either the value or the harm
fulness of its principles. would also
add that in all my relations with the
Hungarian Socialists | always tried tC
give them the benefit CT every doubt
and to interpret faithfully their mo
tives.
1t is necessary, first of all to under
stand how it happened that Hungary
an agricultural community, SHOULD
have become infected with a disease
: that fiourishes best in Industrial cen
; ters. The truth is that the Entent,
was largely at fault There we're in
dustrial wrongs to be righted, Ger
tainly; but the mass of the Hungar
ians are not Bolshevist or even mod
crate Socialists at heart. 1t was tn,
mistaken policy of the Entente tina
drove. Hungary into the arms of thu
Bolshevili.
Count Michael Karolyi, who becam,
President of the Hungarian Republi,
last October at the time of the break
up of the Austro-H Hungarian Empir,
was the efirm friend of the Entente
! An exile in the United States ant
J France during the war, he was per
, mitted to return to Hungary, wher
he raised the standard CT revolt I'll
and his compatriots confidently rest
ed their country's case on Presiden
Wilson's Fourteen Points. The En-
tente, however, early embarked OH
policy of military occupation that IN
mistakably foretold the ultimate dis
membelment of Hungary. The Ri
manians. Serbs and Bohemians wer
permitted to occupy rich sections O
the country. Worse still, they wer
permitted to encroach repeatedly o.
the military line of demarkatio
agreed upon in the armistice be
tween Hungary and the Entente.
The limit OF endurance was reach
ed on March 10 when Colonel wi
Of the French Military Mission, re
presenting the Entente presente
the famous note requiring Hungary {
permit the further occupation by all
ed troops of so-called neutral ION
between the Rumanians and the Hun
garians in district inhabited almos
| exclusively by Magyars.
will not attempt to explain the rea
sons for this further encroachment
1t is enough to note merely that tn
effect of the Vix note was utterly I
destroy the already shattered pres
Itige of the Karolyi Government and Il
drive the Hungarians to desperation
They clearly saw that their countr,
was to be mutilated in such fashion
as to render its existence impossible
as an independent national organism
Count Karolyi, therefore, with a viii,
gesture of despair. relnquished tn
government into the hands of the Soc
ialists, some of whom 1t should be oh
served, were already members of hi
own Government. His appeal, fran
tic and agonizing, was addressed {,
the 'proletariat of the world" 1t wa
a terribly expedient, but it was tn
direct result of the misguided polio,
Of fhp Entpnfa