The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1920-05-15
urea TO explain, excuse
this breach Of DrOIniSe.

this breach Of promise.
terpreted, all they have
Tense OF this abuse OF power,
lation of trust, is in substance: 1T
was necessary to dissolve the Consti-
tuent Assembly; ii might have inter
fered with our plans; it might have
jeopardiZed soviet government What
right did they have to think, act, and
decide for the people any more than
the czar had?
In speeches and writings Lenine and
TrOtzky have since in yelled way
suggested that the peasants elected
members of the middle class to
represent them instead Of peas
ants. What of it? If the peas
ants make mistakes they will learn
and profit by their mistakes. They
cannot become independent until they
get a chance to exercise independence.
No man can get muscle by letting an
other fellow use the dumbbells. The
RuSSians-peasantS, workers and
bourgeoise-ar all human beings, and
a government. to be democratic. must
be, as Lincoln put it, "of the people.
for the people and by the people. A
government that is afraid of the inf1u-
ence and power of three or four per
cent of the people isn't able to live.
and it doesn't deserve to.
Gladly obeyed Lenine.
Lenine issued his famous order,
Peasants, seize the land" This COM
mand was obeyed with great enthusi-
oil oh
and the constitutional convention.
They understood what land meant,
they had been taught that by being de-
MED it. They knew little about
political phrases and framework. The
order to seize the land tore from the
serfs their heaviest chains. Lenine
became their liberator-his was the
voice that said "seize the land"
| Probably the peasants would have
done it anyway. Disorder and unrest
had destroyed all respect for property
rights. Property rights had differ
| ent meaning in Russia than elsewhere;
| property rights meant the right TO
beat human beings, to buy and sell
serfs. Yet the fact that Lenine had
uttered the words made them reverence
and respect him, even as a man will
be thankful to one who has told him
| to be careful of a hole in the side
walk, notwithstanding the fact he has
already seen It. Bolshevism started
| with great popularity. This was the
| secret OF 1t.
OF course the order to seize the
land, all land, was based on the idea
1 - hnI6 hry
and through their own wrongful con-
| duct. God had made the ground and
sunshine, and those who had taken IT,
tie to it had only moved on and forced
| others off. This is the way the BOZ
sheviks reasoned, and from this point
of view they were consistent. From
the worlds point Of view 1t was con-
| fiscation. It was dishonest. Many
people believe that acquiring property
is frequently the result Of industry
and thrift; I'm some cases the title TO
property is based upon cunning. schem-
ing and force. All Of US know that
there are some who are without any
private property because they pre-
fer to squander their time, dissipate
their energy and live shiftless lives
After all, 1t is a matter Of opinion, and
from the point Of view Of the bolshe-
viks the order peasants, seize the
land" may have been justified.
But when the order was given, the
peasants seized 1t not for the com
munity but to own 1t privately. On
this point there can be no difference
of opinion among honest, impartial
fair-minded men, and when the peas
ants seized the land to hold, use and
own 1t as their private property they
were guilty OF taking title by the very
means others had taken the land, and
against whom they had complained
and cried Thief
The Russian people have the power
to think. They realize that they have
acquired property by the very method:
they have always condemned in 9th
erS. Their natural selishneSs may
constrain them to keep this property
The sufferings they have gone through
may mitigate the OffenSe, but one eff
J feet was inevitable, and that effec
the most serious that could happen Il
people on the threshold of a free flu
ture / refer to the weakening o.
their moral nature, the making Of {
precedent justifying dishonesty.
. have found the I'll effects of this &C
on the patient, Russia, in every sub
, sequent symptom.
(Copyright. 1890. Western Newspaper Union
Mems GENUINE Panama Hate