The Elk Mountain pilot., 1920-03-11


States we estimate that there is one
voter in every five of the population.
This calculation is based upon male
suffrage alone, with the voting age
fixed at twenty-one years. In Russia
both men and women have the suf-
frage. and the age qualifying one to
vote is eighteen years. 1. therefore,
figure that there would be one vster
for every two In population. There is
no question about the discrimination
against the "poor peasant" and the IA
a question of how much.
Machine Politics.
Lenine may be the idealist some peo-
pie say he is, but this section of the
constitution proves him to be c prac-
tical machine politician in his meth
Ods. The provision was written to
meet situation. 1t has a purpose.
Lenine has frequently written and
spoken about the poor peasants" He
can be forgiven for overw0rking the
phrase. The poor peasants" make
up the great bulk of the population Of
Russia. 1t is not bad politics, al
though 1t smacks of demagogy. to
speak often and sympathetically of
the suffering poor" particularly when
the poor peasants" make up the ma
jority of ones constituency. Many
successful politicians owe their
offices to this appeal. In Russia
over 80 per cent Of the people live on
the land-over four-fifths of all the
Rt,cc TO ho
fifth of the population live in the
towns and cities. Measured by his
words, Lenine is the friend of the
poor peasants;" by the constitution,
their enemy.
As we have seen, the constitution
specifically declares that the supreme
power of the government is vested in
the All-Russian congress. OF course
this is true only in theory. for We have
read how the All-Russian congress
turns the supreme power over to the
central executive committee. which in
turn surrenders the power to the II
peoples commissars.
The discrimination against the poor
peasant" runs all through the consti-
tuition the bolsheviks are at least con-
sistent. Paragraph "B" of section SO
Of the constitution furnishes addition
al evidence of the conspiracy against
the peasants. 1t reads:
1.-THE provincial soviets are COM
posed Of representatives Of the city
soviets and the rural sOviets, one rep
resentative for 10000 Inhabitants of
the rural districts, and one represent
alive for 2.Oc0 voters in the city"
In the regional congresses 1t is the
same, one representative for 25.OOO
inhabitants Of the country. and one rep
resentative for 5000 voters Of the city.
Aim at DIsfranehisIns Peasants.
The governments of the nation, of
the regions, of the provinces, are based
on the disfranchisement Of the poor
peasants" 1 am wondering If there
Is any significance In the fact that the
people Of the city have one represent
ative for a certain number Of votes.
and the people Of the country have
one representative for just I'VE times
the number. You will note the ratio
il always the same: For congressman
It il 25.00O in the city, As against
125.OO0 in the country; in the regional
congress it is 5000 voters Of the city
A. against 25.OOO Inhabitants Of the
country. In the provincial congresses 1t
Is one representative for 1000 voters
in the city. one representative for
10000 Inhabitants from the rural dis
tricts. Why this nve to onef am
wondering how Lenine hit upon the
ratio Of nve to one; Is there any con-
nection between this hve-to-one dis
crimination against the poor peas
ants" and the ratio of population in
Russia between city dwellers and
''poor peasants" which Is about five
to one? 1t is not difficult to guess the
reason for this action. Any American
ward politician could furnish the ex-
PLANTATION in a minute. All political
experience proves that a political ma
chine is best controlled, easiest or
ganized in the cities. Political ma
chimes have never been popular in the
country districts. The soviet form Of
government is a political machine. The
control of the machine ia insured By
disfranchising the poor peasants.' N
The men who designed the bolshevik
constitution knew one thing about
practical politics, and knew that one
thing thoroughly. and that is that cit
les are accessible to political control
amenable to political influence. ideal
for the political machine.
The soldiers and sailors are gen
orally stationed in cities. This gives
them the power Of city voters. They
are not discriminating against. they
are favored. Soldiers and sailors are
not free agents in the sense the civil
fans usually are. Civilians have a
freedom Of thought and action that
the military do not enjoy. The sol
dier's occupation prevents it. First, he