Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1919-11-14
AMONG The BOLSHEVIKI
Clover Man Recently Returned From
Red Russia.
CONDITIONS STRANGE and TERRIBLE
John Knox Brings First Hand lnfor-
nation About Dreadful Disease
Tells of Country Where Money Has

Battling with the Bolsheviki, seeing
them every day, breathing with them,
studying them all the while as best he
could and without allowing single
symptom of the deadly doctrine to en-
ter into himself, has been the expert
ence Of John Knox. we'll known young
man Of Glover, son of Mr.. Geo. w.
Knox Of that town, who has recently
received his discharge and returned to
the home of his father after serving
more than two years in the United
States navy, most Of the service since
May having been rendered on the third
class cruiser "Des Moines" at Arch
angel in far Russia. While engaged in
no actual conflicts with the Bolsheviki
himself, the young sailor has come in
contact with a number Of soldiers OF
q United States Infantry regiment
who had been in brushes with them
and he also came across soldiers OF
Great Britain and other Allied coun-
tries sent to. Archangel months ago to
aid in the fight against doctrine
and against propaganda that has
grown until it has torr Russia asunder
and has been responsible for the or
ganization Of an army OF more than
100000 Russians who, when the Des
Moines went away last September ap-
peared to have things its own way and
gaining recruits all the while. Young
Knox talked most interestingly We'd
nesday afternoon regarding his ex-
;perienees in bleak Russia and he paint
ed scenes in that stricken land that
were far from pleasant.
Meaning of Bolshevisn.
Although have been in and among
'em for quite a bit 1 must admit that
don't know as much about this Boil
sheyism and its scope as l would like
to know" he said. But I have read
everything about 'em that l could get
my hands on and I have gotten all the
first hand information that 1 could.
Bolshevism as l got it from Bolshe-
Wiki around Archangel means 'one for
all and all for one,' that Is, that every
thing belongs to everybody-to one
person as much as another. All the
lands belong to the people in common,
all the money, all property of every
kind-all property owners who do not
subscribe to the belief are enemies Of
the people and should be killed. And
there has been quite lot Of killing and
it is going on at rapid rate still.
.. Nucleus of Bolsheviki.
at the beginning the Bolshevists
were about the lowest down rats in
Russia-gamblers, thieves, murderers--
the lowest and the meanest and the
vilest in Russian civilization. Most OF
the leaders in the movement are Rus
slams who have lived in the United
States at one time or the other and
who having accumulated wealth in
this country returned to Russia to stir
up malice and venom and hate and
bloodshed. And they have and are
succeeding wonderfully. The soldiers
of the Bolsheviki army, the great ma
jority Of them are the poorest and most
ignorant men imaginable. They know
not what they are fighting for, they
have not the slightest conception Of
principle. They are simply poor, help
less humans who have listened to the
words of willy agitators thirsting for
power and who have roped them In
with promises of wealth and position.
Were other agitators able to get to
them they would soon desert the
ranks in which they now fight and
join any other army that might
cater to them. They fight because
fighting Is the most profitable busi-
ness in Russia just now and bids fair
to continue so for a long time to come.
They are being told that they have
been down trodden and oppressed for
hundreds and thousands of years
that all the land and all the wealth Is
rightfully theirs because they and
their fathers and forefathers have
worked and sweated and died for It
and that the only way to get 1t is to
commit robbery and murder and rapine
until the upper classes are wiped out
entirely and they are in position to
take it.
"They are being taught and they
believe" said young Knox, that there
is no God, that the Christian religion
is a false doctrine, that the church In
Russia is an institution which has
proved one of the most powerful
factors in keeping them in bondage
that all that is, is wrong.
Many Forced to Join.
And still they gain ground. There
is no question but what they were
gaining ground on September Is, when
left there. Ignorance reigns supreme
in Russia. They have gained recruits
and are gaining recruits among hun
dreds of people who do not for a
moment sympathize with their doctrine
and know that it is wrong and i'm
possible; but who being so unfortun-
ate as to reside in sections where the
BoIsheviki are the stronger, realize
that they must either join the move
ment or die and they prefer to live.
Why even in the city of Archangel,
city of 100000 inhabitants or more,
nf neOnlp either