The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1919-01-24
RUSSIAN BOlSHEVISM
GOVERNMENT 10 OwN
AND LEASE ALL TERRITORY
ACCORDING TO INDIVIDUAL
NEEDS.
NEEDS.

Sioux Falls, Jan. 24.-Land is
a basis of the Bolsheviki in
Russia, says Prot. N. E. Hansen,
of the State college At Bookings.
Prof. Hansen, who is secretary of the
south Dakota state Horticultural So
ciety, is here for the convention.
That he has an intimate idea of
Russia is understood with the state
ment that he made ave trips there
and spent three years travelling
around the country. the last time in
1913, bringing back some Siberian
wheats and alfalfa that have proved
so successful In South Dakota.
Anyone who has visited Russia in
the past few years and made any
honest effort to study the country
and its people," said Prot. Hansen,
was able to foresee that a revolu-
ton was coming, r 1t did not come
from the cities, but from the peasants
and students. What they sought was
a new basis Of Gland ownership.
When l was there hundreds of mir
lions OF acres OF land were owned by.
"a comparatively few people and the
situation was something like Mexico,
The rise of the Bolsheviki movement
has been gradual and represents in
large measure land hunger. ~
tsBolshe means majority and that
;o urbat tha movaaauf 10 II Ia tha
majority of the Russian people whose
slogan is Russia for the Russians
Their ideal is government ownership
OF all the land with a leasing system
fitted to each individuals needs.
They believe that no man, rich or
poor, high OF low. should own the
land. The bloodshed and anarchy
are as incidental to this movement as
they were to the French revolution.
IN the cities they havea cooper
atlve plan. they o net limit all men
to the same wage andrecognize that
men of ability or peculiar fitness
must be paid according to the de-
gree In which they are able to serve
the people.
They have a system Of what they
call 'artels,' similar to the old Eng
lish guilds. on the cooperative plan,
| recall that they absolutely refused
to receive tips in restaurants be-
cause they believe that each man is
a part owner in the business in which
he works and therefore the straight
sale of his product is sufficient rec
ompense. 19ITejtRd ~.
Mind you, 1 am not advocating,
but explaining Bolshevism. am
merely telling you the facts about it
as PERSONALLY it among
the peasants. You cannot gain the
true perspective in the cities, but
must get out among the peasants to
see what rs behfnd TINS whole move
nient and you win find it IS d form
OF thought that relieves m the gov
ernment owning and leasing land n
Russia viii need vast quantities
OF American and other foreign ma
chfnery. In my trips about the coun-
try n found > great deal Of American
machinery for the farms, bearing the
label OF the international Harvester
and other well known companies.
England has already recognized this
fact BY -Agreeingeto withdraw her
troops, as. il is said she expects to sell
her machinery to the bolshevist govr
ernment and does not wish to antag-
onize 1t If IL wins out. obn
The peasants quote passages from
the Old Testament in support Of their
land leasing theory. The Lord
spake unto Moses-The land shall
not be sold forever; b eland-is mine.
saith the Lord
"How the idea will turn out. and
whether it will spread owe the world
are questions that can be only be
~coniectured and the future will an