The Farmington times. (Farmington, St. Francois County, Mo.) 1905-1926, 1920-08-27
Shall Chaos or Reconstruction in
Europe Follow the Great
World War;
ERROR IN MEETING MENACE
Allied Governments Can Not Be Said
to Have Combated the BoIshevik
Movement In a Wise or
Prudent Manner.
Article xxx.
sy FRANK coMERFoRD.

since the signing Of the armistice-
the attitude of the allies toward the
soviet government, and the attitude
Of the conservative press and the EN-
ployers of the world toward the work
ing class.
President Wilson summed the stu
alton up In a statement made In the
Office of NJ. Pichon at the Quai
D'Orsay, Paris on January 16, 1919.
The conference was called for pre-
limlnary discussion regarding the sit
uation In Russia. The notes Of the
conversations of the conference par
ticipated In by Mr.. Lloyd George, MIR.
Balfour, Mr.. Pichon and Baron Son
ninio give the substance of the presl-
dents position In the following words:
"He (the presdcAD did not believe
that there would be sympathy any
where with the brpta aspect of boil
shevism, If It were not for the fact of
the domination OF large vested inter
ests in the political and economic
world. While It might be true that
this evil was in process of discussion
and slow reform. it must he admitted
that the general body of men has
grown impatient Mt the failure to
bring about the necessary reform. He
stated that there were many men who
represented large vested interests in
the United States who saw the neces-
sity for these reforms and desired
something which should he worked
out at the peace conference, namely,
the establishment Of some machinery
10 provide for the opportunity Of in
dividuals, greater than the world has
ever known. Capital and labor in the
United States are not friends. Still.
they are not enemies In the sense that
they are thinking Of resorting to phys
ical force to settle their differences.
But they ARE distrustful, each of the
other. Society cannot go on on that
plane. On the one hand. there is a
minority possessing capital and
brains; on the other, majority con-
sisting of the great bodies Of workers
who are essential to the minority, but
do not trust the minority, and feel
that the minority will never render
them their rights. way must I've
found to put trust and cooperation
:. between these two.
president Wilson pointed out that
n the whole world was disturbed by this
O question before the bolsheviks came
d Into power Seeds need soil. and the
0 b0lshsvik seeds found the soil already
o prepared for them"
Unrest and Its Causes.
!. There was unrest before the war
IS 1t was due to the fact that the few
II had more than they could use, while
e the many had less than they needed.
II The complaint against conditions was
5 taking form. Unrest was tending to-
ward action. There was class con-
- sciousness. 1t was more than I'M
o friendllness. 1t was growing into pos
: tive hate. The war depression crys-
e talliZed II, and the war shock from
n which the world suffered qulckened
n the eagerness for action. The desire
q for a change was more than agitation
a It had grown into determination and
resolution. Once the people had
doubts about their ability to get free,
n decent lives through political action.
After the war suspicion Of the work
,s ing class that the powerful interests
II would and could defeat them on the
s. political field became positive convic-
IS ton.
= The great mass Of toilers OF the
~ world coming out Of the war in this
=. frame of mind looked with sympathy
h upon the Russian experiment with
RI boishevism. II was the kind of sym.
It pathy one has for the under-dog in a
fight, and Russia had been an under.
- dog in the struggle for life and lib.
erty through all the ages.
Definite Policy Lacking.
Unfortunately for the world today
the Allied Governments of the world
have been without definite policy to-
II ward the soviet government In Russia
| Their attitude has been one of uncer.
| tainty; purposeless antagonism OF
| b0lshevism. From the beginning the
| Allies have opposed the soviet pro
. gram and the boshevik methods, but
their opposition has taken no con
> structive form; It has led to nothing
II has amounted to disorderly
scheme of interference. a general plar
Of annoyance. At first the people OF
the world were told that the Allie.
would Intervene and save the Rus
SLAMS from the rule Of violence i'm
posed by the RED" army under the
command OF Lenine and Trotzky. The
Allies did not intervene; 1t was wei
that they did not but they did what
was worse, they intermeddled. Wors
of all. the Allied governments f,Eet
to keep the public fully. freely ant
frankly advised as to what the hol
shevik plan was. and the methods
being used to. govern the grea
Russian people. The world, In 1t,
ignorance Of the real plan. the mean
$500 ->S~na