The Butler County press. [volume] (Hamilton, Ohio) 1900-1946, 1919-04-25

BY CHARLES EDWARD RUSSELL
Written Especially for the American
Alliance for Labor and Democracy
Number 5.
Very little was said about the crisis
that came SO near TO overturning Hol-
land, but all the men in Europe that
watch things were amazed and startl-
ed by it.
Particularly because it revealed all
Of sudden the extent to which the
Bolshevist organization had been car
ried secretly.
But, about the end of January came
out from Bolshevist headquarters in
Russia the call for the first interna-
tional Bolshevist congress and dis
closed Bolshevist organizations in
twenty-eight different countries.
Many of these of course were more
or less immature, but the fact that
they existed at all was the staggering
thing.
Before March, 1917, Bolshevism had
hardly follower in the world, and it
now suddenly appeared with millions
in chain of organizations that
stretched around the globe.
In some of the countries the organ
ization was very far from immature,
as far as it had been shown to be in
Holland in a way so lurid and sur
prising.
Bolshevism in Italy.
In Italy, for instance, the entire
Socialist party was counted as Boil
shevist.
If this were literally true there
would be occasion enough for concern,
since the Socialist party of Italy is
powerful enough to elect more than
one hundred members of the lower
house of the national parliament to
hold the balance of power and to
threaten any administration with des-
truction.
A minority of The Italian Socialist
party, small but comprising the most
intelligent and best known members,
has taken strong position against
Bolshevism. The rest, being the great
majority, is all for Lenine
With these go the bulk of the
Italian Anarchists and Anarchism is
proportionately stronger in Italy than
in any other country.
| Allied with these also is a certain
small element of labor not hitherto
counted as either Socialists or Anar-
chist. Also a group of intellectual
sympathizers.
| Ripe for Trouble.
| 1t will be seen. therefore, that con-
ditions are ripe for trouble. And the
trouble is already on hand.
| For three winters Italy has suffered
terrific privations and bitter distress.
Fuel has been growing always scarcer
so that people in Northern Italy and
the mountainous regions have some
times frozen Food has been SO
scarce, particularly in the rural dis
tricts, that famine has been reduc-
ing the physical stamina of the pop
ulation
/ Three preceding winters the suffer
| ings had been borne with some sto-
icism as part of the war. This
winter, according TO popular estima-
tion, the war is over They cannot see
why their hardships should increase
and not lessen I'D every day these
hardships become more irksome.
In ordinary times Italy gets the
bulk of its coal supply from England
1t is getting almost no coal from
England now. The war is over; why
doesn't England send coal? There is
grain enough in the world Why
should Italy have to live on biscuit
a day?
1t is the imperialistie governments
of these countries that is to blame
says the Bolshevist propagandist
Look at what is going on in Paris
While you are starving and freezing
your governments are wasting time
in debating about the trade advan.
tages capitalists are to get by annex
ing these islands or that strip of ter
1 ritory Get rid of the capitalistie