The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1919-03-27
SOCIALISM AN D FARMING

enacted by the Bolsheviks and now in
force in Russia. Those farmers of our
county who are flirting with the airy
schemes of socialist agitators for
State Marketing, State Packing
Houses, State Agricultural Machine
Factories and other things in that
line, ought to be interested in know
ing where that sort of legislation leads
to. Let them ponder these extracts.
LAND LAWS.
Article l. All property rights in
land, treasures of the earth, waters,
forests and fundamental natural re-
sources within the borders of the Rus
sian Soviet Republic are abolished
(In other words all lands and every
appurtenance thereto are contiscated)
Art. 2. The land passes over to the
use of the entire laboring population
without any compensation, open or
secret, to the owners.
Art. 3. The right to use the land be-
longs to those who till it by their own
labor, with the exception of special
cases covered by this decree.
Art. 6. All private live stock and
linventoried property of nonlaboring
lhomesteads pass over, without indem-
nitication, to the disposition lin ac-
cordance with their character) of the
land departments of the county, pro-
vincial, regional and Federal Soviets.
Art. Z. All homesteads construc-
tions mentioned in Article 6, as we'll
as all agricultural appurtenances, pass
over to the disposition lin accordance
with their character) of the county,
provincial, regional and Federal So
viets, without indemnification
Art. II. The land departments of the
local and central Soviets are intrusted
with the equitable apportionment Of
the land among the working agricul-
tural population;
They also have the following duties:
(b) creating a SURF lus fund of lands
of agricultural value.
(d) Accelerating the transition from
the old unproductiye system of field
cultivation to the new productive one
(under various climates) by a proper
distribution of the laboring popula-
ton in various parts of the country.
(e) Developing collective home
steads in -agrieultge lin preference. to
individual homesteads) as the most
profitable system of saving labor and
material, with a view of passing on to,
Socialism.
Art. II. Surplus profits obtained on
account of the natural fertility of the
land or on account of it's location near
markets are to be turned over for the
benefit of social. needs to the organs of
the Soviet power
Art. IS. The trade in agricultural
machinery and in seeds is monopol-
lied by the organs of the Soviet power.
Art. 10. The grain trade, internal as
we'll as export, is to be a state mon
opoly.
Farmers should read and consider
the program Socialism has marked out
for them. Victor Berger in his Chicago
speech delivered a short time before
he was convicted of disloyalty, curtly
said, Every Socialist is a Bolshevik
and every Bolshevik is a Socialist" He
is absolutely right and this Russian
law is the same law that is sought to
be applied here. Under Article every
right to own a farm is swept away
Article 2 provides that it is to be
taken without compensation of any
kind. Article 6 deprives farmers of
their live stock and personal property
also without indemnity. The only right
that is left to them is conferred by
Article III which permits them to work
on a piece of land which some soviet
assigns them perhaps piece Of their
own, perhaps otherwise, One large farm
was owned by a wealthy widow lady.
1t was cut up into one acre tracts. She
was given one acre and her son an
other and they were ordered to grub a
living out of that.
Then, too, the Soviet authorities
have the power to send farmers to
work wherever they please by making
"a proper distribution of the laboring
population in different parts of the
country"
Should any Of these workers on land
be fortunate enough by reason of "the
natural fertility of the land" or "loca-
ton near markets" to accumulate a
small surplus, it must at once be
turned over to the soviet power for So
cial use.
But the most vicious provision Of all
is the established policy of developing
collective homesteads" Barracks" In
preference to individual homesteads"
thus aiming at the total destruction of
the family life.
Are American farmers ready to be
stripped of their farms, their stock,
their homes, without compensation?