New-York tribune., 1919-05-16
Ne1O York Tribune

kkVF THERE is one idea that must be
drummed at all costs into the heads
of those peoples who have not yet
succumbed to the virus of Bolshevsm,"
says the special corresp spondent of "The Lon
don Times" in Budapest, at is that, so far
from being either truly democratic or So
caistic, the dictatorship of the proletariat'
Is absolutely and directly opposed to the
first principles of freedom
The "Times" correspondent, who has been
three weeks in Budapest observing condi-
tions there, says, political freedom is alb
solutely non-existent to-day in Hungary"
and continues:
"That this should be so in the case of the
aristocracy and bourgeosie goes without
saying and is, indeed, expressly inherent in
the Decree No. 26, published on April 2,
whereby the soviet government granted the
active and passive franchise only to the
working people, further defined with con-
venient vagueness as all those of either sex
who have completed their eighteenth year
and live from work useful to society
"The bourgeois and the arstocrat are ipso
facto pariahs, for whom no consideration
whatever is to be shown, and into whose
faces the proletariat should, in the graceful
language of the Peoples Commissary.
Szamuely, publicly spit For the time being
they are not even allowed to leave the
country in peace, since they might carry
away money, jewelry and other valuables
with them, and these possessions of theirs,
which are being confscated with ruthless
and rapid severity, are in point Of fact prac-
tlcally the only readily realizable assets now
left in this unhappy and bankrupt country.
Bela Kun and His aids
"But it is not only the aristocracy and
bourgeoisie who have been deprived of all
rights by the handful of Jewish agitators
who constitute the tyrannical misgoverning
ollgarchy. In marked contradistinction to
the method followed in Germany-where.
during the period that elapsed between the
revolution and the elections for the Ma
tional Assembly, the Central Council exer-
clsed dictatorship tempered bv public
meetings and debates, newspaper criticism
and street demonstrations-th Hungarian
Nproletarat has been absolutely bound and
gagged.
1T might reasonably be supposed that so
unmlhgated tyranny as this could be pos
slble only when welded by men of out
standing capabilities. Such, however, is not
the case.s With the possible exception of
Szamuely there is no really first class
brain in the whole government Bella Kun.
who is easily the most powerful member. is
by no means a strong thinker, but he has
plenty of courage and character and a
superhuman capacity for hard work. Pogany
has probably more abstract intellect, is a
very ambitious man and is probably sim
cerer patriot than most of his COLLEAGUES.
Boehm is not without brains, but is too
mild tempered a man to make real leader
of revolutionaries.
"The best educated two of the leaders
are Agoston, professor of international
law, and Kunfi, a former school teacher and
journalist. Both these men have real cult
ure and ability, but-perhaps for this rea-
son-have not commanding influence in the
country. OF the others, such as Garbai
(the president). Lander, Szekely, Varga,
Hamburger and Erdelyi, it is enough to say
that, like those above mentioned, they are
all Jews with the single exception Of
Garbia and have consequently q certain
amount of Intelligence.
Arms Control
without, then, any brilliantly intellect
ual or original minds to lead it, the govern
ment is holding its place simply because it
disposes of the only arms in the country.
Count Karolyi's policy of dissolving the old
Hungarian army, and thus depriving the
country of any steady nucleus such as has
stood Germany in such good stead in her
struggle with the Spartacsts the dsband-
ing of the police and their junction with the
Red Army, the disarming of the bourgeoise
under penalties of ten years imprisonment
and $4,000 kronen fine, and the building up
of a Red Army which, am speaking now
only Of its troops which l saw in Budapest
is certainly quite valueless for military
purposes, but perhaps on that account
would be the more skilful at any dirty
work, have made the government momen-