The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-08-03
Russell on BOshevism, as Spargo Sees Him

ter of the production of 1S47, as Lenine
does to-day. TIE very fact that he in
sists that the manifesto which was writ
ten in the closing years of the first half
of the nineteenth century applies to the
wholly different world Of the present in
dicates a serious limitation of Lenine's
intellect which alone sufices to deny him
the great eminence claimed for him.
Take, too, the dogma Of the dictator
ship Of the proletariat," which Marx de-
veloped in the manifesto, though it was
not original with him. When Marx wrote
there was not country in Europe, includ-
ing Great Britain, in which the wage
worker possessed the franchise. The
workers were not citizens. This condition
of political inferiority and subservienee,
not less than the absence of property, was
included In Marks use Of the term "pro-
letariat." A whole cycle of change has
occurred: in every European country the
workers have not only gained tie fran
chise, but their representatives have en-
tered the parliaments. Yet, for Lenine,
these changes are without significance.
There must be no change of policy: no
new thinking must be considered or even
permitted. Could there be weightier dem
onstration of intellectual stagnation7
".
l wish that every legislator and every
judicial official in the United States could
be compelled to read Mr. RusselPs book
and some means devised to make them
understand its most significant pages. In
particular, it would be a very wholesome
thing if the various investigating bodies
created to examine this "red terror" could
be restricted In their membership to men
and women II have as yet noted no in
stance where woman has place in any
such eommittee) known to have read this
book with understanding. We should then
be saved from the folly, and worse than
folly, of relying upon drastic changes in
the penal code to rid rs of the menace of
Bolshevism. Such brutal repression as we
find advocated almost every day (hysteri-
cal abandonment of democratic liberties)
will increase the Bolshevist menace not
diminish it.
Bolshevism is the product. mainly, of
ignorance, political and economic injus-
tice and oppression and the despair which
these produce. The dictatorship of the
plutocrat inevitably brings to life the
threat Of dictatorship of the proletariat.
The one is as bad as the other. Mr.. Rus
sell cites the terrible dictatorship of plu-
tocracy at Ludlow, Col, as an illuminat-
ing demonstration of this. The remedy is
democracy, not only in the political Or
ganization Of the nation, but in its in
dustry and in its culture.
There is abroad In the world-not only
in Russia, but in England and here in
America profound and growing scep-
ticism of democracy. The reason is not
far to seek; it was promised that democ-
raey would prove 10 be the solvent for all
ills, but the ills remain. OF what use,
then, is democracyi men are asking.
Must we not confess that we have not
tried democracy very earnestly yeti We
have kept it out of the most important
spheres of life, especially of industry and
commerce. Here plutocracy rules, safe
guarded by our nominally democratic po-
litical instrumentalities. Even in politics
we have insisted that the structural forms
must not be changed, DESPITE changing
conditions and greatly changed and en-
larged electorate. t.ft!
Mr.. Russell does not pretend to offer
which will eradicate Bolshey-.
ism He does, however, indicate the broad
principles which must be made the basis
Of such programme That is one of the
many merits Of most admirable book.