The Chattanooga news. [volume] (Chattanooga, Tenn.) 1891-1939, 1919-06-18
A NEW VIEW ON RUSSIA

of or sieelight on the operation o.
bolsheyism is brought 10 our atten
ton. One OF the latest and mos,
cogent stories is from Isaac Dor
Levine, special correspondent Of tn,
Chicago News. Boishevism, nc.
cording to this writer. IL almost the
exact antithesis to what we in thi,
country have been toid that It is. Sc
far from anarchy IL It that Mr.. Lie.
vine says II has destroyed liberty
but created order" Further along
he says. there il no freedom OF
the press. no freedom OF speech and
no freedom of assembly In soviet Rus
STA, but there 10 fear OF the law"
Strangely enough, the creation of a
situation similar to that Just de-
scribed Is being recommended by
some persons in this country for the
Suppression Of bolshevism! In other
words. II 10 proposed that we fight
bolshevim by adopting bolshevisml
Mr.. Levine IL for liberty and
against bolshevisrn, whether such
bolshevism emanates from a can't
talist or a proletarian Dictatorship.
He declares that every true Amer
lean pricing the ideals proclaimed in
our Declaration OF Independence
should oppose bolshevism or any
other dictatorship for the United
States. held this view when en-
tering soviet Russia, and my three
weeks stay there strengthened Il.
Excepting this fundamental truth
the mass Of the information sup
piled to the American public con-
corning present day Russia Ia IN
adulterated falsehood fabricated by
skillful propagandists." Czarism and
bolshevism are synonymous as die
tatorships denying the basic iiber-
ties Of democracy, Mr.. Levine de-
clares q little later, but here the SIM
ilarity ends. In every other respect
he hnds the polshevik regime SUI
perior To the hutocracy of the car.
According to this correspondent,
the destructive stage OF bolshevism
is long since past. There is at pres
erit no reign Of terror except fear Of
the law. Executions pre- not at all
numerous and are apparently well
justified. 1t is further declared that
the soviet government is endeavor-
ing to build a new state founded
upon brains. faith and super human
courage" 1t is fostering instead OF
suppressing education. The letter
declares that ''in the worlds history
there is nothing comparable with |
the educational and cultural work
done in the course of the past school
season in soviet Russia. The number
Of schools opened equals the number |
founded during the preceding twenty |
years of the cars government.
Lenine is described as being So
bered by experience. The national
lzation of private property has been
and radical economic
have been distinctly
checked. Control with private own
ership" is described as the present
goal of the communists. Private in
tiative is being encouraged, and
.rade with foreign countries, espe-
,ially America, sought. Concessions
ire offered along with guarantees of
rood profits to the foreign investor,
Whereas czarism was said to have
lad the support of few bureaucrats
Ind landlords, communism, as the
,ase now stands, has the support of
II least SO per cent. of the Russian
electorate. Progress Is being pro-
noted. but law and order are being
preserved with an iron hand.
We feel. very much like Mr.. lLe-
'ine. We prefer American liberty
o anybody's despotism, let 1t be Of
he proletariat or of the autocracy.
We would not invoke bolshevism to
reyent bolshevism. Liberty Is
weeter than all. We would not de-
troy liberty to spite few crack
bomb throwing fools who I
hink 1t has already been destroyed.
We would cultivate freedom and de-
locracy to the uttermost, but we
,ould always draw the line at those
Tho take the law into their own !
ands or undertake to overthrow the
NV by violence. We prefer the de- {
of Levine to the bolshevism
Lenine.
America is a perpetual experiment !
/ government. 1t should place no /
upon those who have !
1eories, be they socialists or what :
OF. Its every institution should s
tand upon its own merits. 1t should q
telcome every attack, with the sin !
lie proviso that the ballot be the t
-eapon of assault. But it should q
lake short work of those that ap- =
cal to. the bomb or the torch. Those n
no plot or attempt the death of t
lie government by violent means
Mould die at its hands. But the lib -
-ty of the innocent should not be h
bridged C