Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1919-04-19
BOLSHEVISW IS
CZARISM INVERTED
Three Men Explain What Has
Huppened in Russia

If any American is in ignorance Of
the nature Of Bolshevism and of its re-
lation to international socialism it is
not for lack Of the efforts of the max
ers of books to inform him.
Robert Wilton, correspondent in
Russia for the London Times, has ex
pressed his view in ''Russia's Agony"
when he says that Bolshevism demands
immediate application of socialistic
ideals, that it recognizes no nationali-
ty, no society, no family. nothing but a
conglomeration of manual workers gov
erned by ''idealists" with the help
Of a Red army, and that it involves the
forcible subversion of all the laws and
covenants upon which human society
has been established. Mr.. Wilton re
minds us, however. that the Bolshevik
government is not representative of the
Russian people. He says that of the
3S4 Peoples Commissaries' in Of
flee a year ago two were negroes, thir-
teen were Russians, fifteen were Chi
nese, twenty two were Armcnians aud
Georgian, and more than 800 were
Jews, and of the last 26f had gone to
Russia from America after the revolu-
tion of March, 1917. Mr.. Wilton s
book is an admirable story of the rev =
olution sketched on the background of
Russian history. 1t is the fullest and
most complete story that has yet been
produced by any one not a propagan-
dist for socialism.
John Reeds book. "Tcn Days That
Shook the World" describing the sciz
ure of power in Pctrograd by the Boil
sheviki must be read with caution. for
Mr.. Reed is an ardent Socialist in sym
pathy with Bolshcvism. He was in
constant touch with the Bolshevist
leaders in Petrograd at the time, and
was in position to know what was
going on. so that his statement of
facts may be accepted. 1t is his infer =
ences that must be taken with some
skepticism by one who wishes to un-
derstand the situation.
John Spargo, one of the most reason
able and well equipped expounders of
international socialism. has devoted
a whole book to Bolshcvism. He has 10
use for it, for he charactcrizes it as
an inverted Czarism and the reverse OF
| thbI SDtldl utIuOtlutS lol NHltu nus
been fighting for years. Lennc himself
has admitted that the Bolshcviki, OF
whom there are about 200, 700, are rul :
ing Russia in the place of the 100. .00C
aristocrats who used to rule it. They
call themselves communists, and as
such Mr.. Spargo tells us that they have
parted company with the Socialists. II
one wishes to discover how abhorrent
Bolshevism is to an intellectual Social
list one cannot do better than to rcat
Mr.. Spargo.
And il one wishes to learn just what
social democracy is supposed to be h,
will find it clearly set forth in an.
other book by Mr.. Spargo called $50
cial Democracy Explained Mr.
Spargo, who separated himself from
the Socialist party some time ago be
cause he believed it had betrayed it.
principles, is convinced MARKHAM. Hi
book is an Interpretation of the latel
MARKHAM views and an application o
them to present conditions.
RUsSIA'S AGONY BY Robert wilton, cor
respondent Of the Times in Russia. New
TEN DAYS THAT SHOOK THE WORLD
BY, John Reed, New York: Boni Live
! BoLsHEXisM Ry John, spsrgo. New
SOCIAL DEMOCRACY EXPLAINED. By
John Spargo. New York: Harper Bros
$1.5o.