New-York tribune., 1919-05-15
The Soviet Madness

llcly deplored our final declaration of
hostilities, has come out for the soviet
as the latest salvation of mankind.
Among other remarks, he praised the ad-
mirable soviet of Munich, whose leaders
executed old men and women as part of
their programme for introducing the
Lenine Utopia upon earth. The sooner
we introduce the soviet system in Amer
ica the better, was his central thought
There has been considerable of this
bosh about the soviet among$our high
browed radicals. They will stand up and
prove most eloquently how much more
democratic this newly improy lsed inven-
tion of illiterate Russia is than our
American representative system, con-
structed laboriously by the slow evolu-
tion of centuries. In Russia Lenne sees
the soviet system quite frankly as the
shortcut to communism, to the abolition
OF private property and the happy days
OF palaces for all. Over here it's advo-
Gates proceed more cautiously, with
more patter concerning the theory of
government and less touching the ele-
mental business of grab. They talk like
Mr.. Willard, pointing out the defects of
our present system and arguing how
easily we could substitute this pretty
new device in its place and be happy
ever afterward.
AS matter of fact, the soviet in Rus
sia is exactly what it would be any
where else. 1t would produce exactly
the same kind of life and the same kind
of government in America as it does in
Russia or Budapest or Munch-if the
American people were primitive enough
and silly enough and sufficiently igno-
rant and unframed in democratic gov
ernment to stand for it. It was used by
the new czars of Russia because it was
certain to produce exactly the result
they were after, government of class,
for the class, by self-perpetuating
tyrants.
The handworkers of America are in
tremendous majority, and they could to-
morrow, if they wished, take charge of
the government and run it for their own
selfish class ends. They do not because
they are intelligent Americans, not illit-
crate Russians, and they know that that
way lie madness and self-destructon.
The soviet system is an ingenious device
for spreading and encouraging precisely
this form of madness. In essence it pro-
vides that representatives shall be cho-
sen by occupation, by shops, by facto-
ries, instead of by communities. The OBJ
ject and the natural result are to make
every one intensely class conscious and
wholly selfish in his attitude toward his
government. So the people vote and so
the representative naturally acts
By slow evolution we in America,
thanks to our high degree of education
and long experience in government,
have developed our larger and nobler al
legiance, the obligation Of the voter to
look primarily to the whole community,
to the whole nation, in casting his ballot
We often fall short of our ideal in vot-
Ing, our representatives are often not
what they should be. Our system does
not work. perfectly. No system involv-
ing human beings can work perfectly.
But our system has developed the high
est degree of human liberty and human
happiness ever achieved upon the face
OF the earth. 1t has done so, funda-
mentally, by teaching men and women
to be Americans first and individuals
and classes second
The soviet system would exactly re-
verse this process. We do not have to
guess. We can see It in operation in
Russia, in Hungary; until lately in
Munich. 1t is the same in all. Under a
pretence of democracy it foists upon a
nation the most diabolical of tyrannies.
IT .annihilates the freedom Of the press.
1t kills or ham Is the best brains of
the nation in sgernment, in shop, in
commerce. Oniy the proletarat is per-
mitted to vote. Various excuses are
made for this condition; but it is the
conceded fact. The simple explanation
seems to be that the soviet system is or
ganized selfishness gone mad and that
tho proletariat under it will not hear Of
either capitalists or bourgcoisie partici-
pating in the government.
Nor is this all. Democratic govern
ment under the soviet system is a farce.
!. for It naturally and Inevitably produces
boss rule. The reason for this is clear.
Tho soviet system necessarily involves
the greatest indirection ever proposed In
I supposedly popular government. Direct
elections have been the increasing de-
n'and Of our experienced, liberal democ~
raefes. In Russia the peasant or tho
4 Stop worker votes for just ono delegate.