South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1919-12-23

quaiutance with men OF offairs ia
France, gave him peculiar oppor-
tunities for summarizing condi-
tons there quickly.
Coming back here again 20 go
into fnterna tionaI business, capt.
lie Meitour felt that the Ameri-
cans have not understood what is
meant BY Bolshevism, nor how it
has been met i'm France AS a
matter OF fact. 10 was settled Dy
an expression Of the opinion Of
the hard headed bourgeois who
constitute so large q majority Of
the French population.
BY CAPT. JEAN B. LIE METTOUR.
Affew months ago, when + left
the United States for France. 7 real
Is feared that the approximations of
the Americans for my country were
well founded. and that having beat
an the boches, France was about 20
abandon herself helplessly 70 boil
shevists. that bolshevism would soon
rule the country.
Appearances at first seemed to
warrant the fear. the whole cOun-
try was I'm the midst OF strikes and
disorders brought on for the most
part by the high cost Of living, but
apparently also only rehearsals for
the great final blow which would
De a bolshevist revolution.
To the bolshevist newspapers there
was no shadow of doubt of the
success of the coming revolution;
they looked to the election of dep
uties set for Nov 10, as sure TO fur
uish an excellent opportunity Of
dem onstratiOn. and a sure conhrma-
tiOu Of their expectations
Lenine. I'm a letter given out for
said that the bolshe-
visits had made al! their arrange
ments. that the results were already
sure and that the bolshevist party
was TO have a hand in running the
business of France.
What Is Tt?
Tn the first place. what is boil.
shevism?
Our members OF the extreme lef.
wing, in France. are as enthusiast
tic for bolshevism as some Of our
Ieactionaries used TO be for car
ism. They believe, or pretend to
believe with Lenine, that this
method OF government viii triumph
because il corresponds TO the spirit
az today finds itself in some way an
expression OF this spirit, demon
Etration OF II IN practice.
our system Lenine said to Col.
Robbins. an American, sis founded
r on social economic control. in
time when the economic factor is
the dominating factor. We go back
To the sources OF production. and
there set up the control OF the state.
And the social economic control. as
worked out in the Russian revO-
luton Will destroy every system OF
Control based on a democratic ar
arrangement OF political machinery
now existent in the world"
This is the theory. Let us turn
TO the facts. In Russia. nationali-
cation has paralyzed industry and
commerce. The peasant has ceased
To SOW his grain, not being sure
whether he will have any right to
the harvest The enforced level
sing OF the population has killed in
dividualism and progress. The daily
printing of mountains of bank
notes with no guarantee bach Of
them and consequently with no
value IN them, has made the cost Of
Swing grotesquely high and led 10
definite bankruptcy.
WOrlmen Not at Work.
The Russian workman is not at
work. The working class i'm Soviet
Russia is leaving the cities for the
country and the Red army There
at least ones living Is assured for
time, and there piuage has become
a legitimate custom
The boIshevist regime has under
mined the base Of the working class
movement; instead Of establishing
"a dictatorship by the proletariat il
has established q dictatorship on the
proletariat. The government has de
ciarCd that I'm a state under SoCiar>
ist rule workers have no right TO
strike. 10 enforce this ruling. the
s0viets have ordered the condsca-
tion Of all strike funds thas have
been piled up by the labor unions
And finally very recently. having
put down eli revolt and an protest
from the workers by series OF
draconian measures. the bolshevist
government has decreed a 12-hour
working day on account OF the ne
cessities OF national dcfense-iu the
conditions in industry. caused prin-
. brought on.
Denial OF the Doctrine.
But now comes the denial az this
doctrine. the showing OF the terri-
lie error that has been committed
The soviet government has been
forced this year. 10 recall 20 the
factories and mills the old bourgeois
experts. without regard to their po-
litical views because Of the chaotic
conditions i'm industry. caused prin
cipauy by the great diminution OF
production
The same thing has happened I'M
The matter OF equal pay for all
men. u had 20 be abandoned; piece /
work has come back and bonus
systems are again Boz use. control
of individual industries by shop CONF
-snittees has gone Briefly the Rus
si,-n dictatorship has had TO re-