The Farmington times. (Farmington, St. Francois County, Mo.) 1905-1926, 1920-06-18
Shall Chaos or Reconstruction In
Europe Follow the Great
World War;
BOLSHEvISM BUILT ON SAND
Movement Is Not Based on Equality,
and Without Equality There Can
Be No Freedom-Riaht Of
Might Unstable.
Article Xxx.
BY FRANK coMERFoRD.

the 'ltuSSlan SOCIALIST feueral SOVIET
Republic" They hung out a flag, a
red cloth, In the left corner of which
Con top, near the pole) are in golden
letters "R. S. F. S. r." The coat of
arms of the new Russian government
consists of scarlet background on
which a golden scythe and a hammer
are placed (crOsswise, handles down
ward) in sun rays and surrounded by
a wreath, inscribed: Russian Social.
list Federal Soviet Republic. Workers
of the World. Unite
The constitution of a country is Its
foundation. 1t must be solid and
strong If liberty is to be secure. The
whole superstructure depends upon
the foundation. Government Is q
house made of laws. You cannot have
peace, freedom and order without law.
The people who live in the house the
great national family, have u vital in
| tereSt In the house In which they live
| 1t is their shelter, their security. 1t Is
| the right of every free man to have
say in the kind of house he Is to
| live in, voice in the making of the
| laws he is called upon to obey and
maintain. The house Of Freedom Is
one citizens house as much as 1t Is
another's. Without equality Their"
cannot be freedom. Every Russian
had an equar right to determine the
kind of government that should pre-
vail In his land. The bolshevik gov
| eminent started off by denying the
| people the right to say in the form
| of government of their country. A
| minority, without consulting the people,
without giving them n chance to ex-
press their views, forced upon the
| people constitution. So the bOlshe.
vik government was built on the false
foundation of minority rule. The prin,
ciple that all governments derive their
just powers from the consent of the
governed was sent TO the scrap heap
Government by Soviets.
The Russian constitution provides
for a government of sOyiets. The word
soviet means c0lvlcil. The soviet is
body of political otiiccholders who
run the government. In our country,
instead Of calling these bodies soviets,
we call them township commissioners
village trustees, city councils OF
boards Of aldermen, state legislatures.
congress Under the hOlshevik conSti-
tuition all power is given to the so
VETS. This is and has been the rally
81.
The soviets have the power to maxi
laws MS we'll as the power TO enforce
obedience to the laws The Legislative
and executive power Is combined in
the soviet
The boishevik constitution divides
Russia into regions. provinces, coun-
ties, towns. villages, rural districts
and local rural districts. For the sake
of comparison We can liken Russia
to the United States, q province In
Russia to a state in our Union, and 81
on down through the list. We have no
political division corresponding to the
Russian region, a unit larger than an
American state.
The Russian citizens liberty Is
measured by the voice he is given In
selecting the men who are TO make
the laws he must obey. The constitu.
ton fixes his freedom. II says how
far he may 60 and no farther.
We have heard much about the
poor peasants" The constitution
makes them paupers In liberty. Down
at the bottom OF government the
farmer. the poor peasant" is given
the right to vote for delegates to the
local rural soviet This little body hi $
about the same power In shaping the
policy of Russia and making the laws
that affect life, liberty and property
as the township commissioners have
in the United States. Their authority
is confined to purely local matters
When the poor peasant" has cast this
one lonesome and meaningless vote
for q representative in the local rural
| soviet he is through so far ms any d.
rect say in who shall govern him, and
how.
Governed by offIceholders.
The poor peasant having cast his
vote for the local rural soviet, leaves
the tnsk Of government to the office.
holders. The deputies elected to the
local rural soviet meet and elect the
deputies to the next higher governing
unit. the rural soviet. Here we find
the first governing body for which the
''poor peasant" Is denied vote, but
not the last.
The next unit Of government In Rus
sia is the county. The people do not
have vote for the delegates to the
county sovlets. These county commits.
sioners are elected by the members OF
the city and village soviets and the
members of the rural soviets. Here
we have government one step removed
from the people Of the cities anu two
steps removed from the poor peas
ants"
The provincial soviets are elected
lhy the city soviets and the rural 20