The Columbia evening Missourian., 1920-11-17
FARMERSMU
FIGHT FAMINE
Ii,les Are Doomed in Coming
World Welter Says Eriser
Prophet.

Usse of me HioQ remarkable men n
.As generation. He has made his mar
IN the Eorid as political e-onomist poet
Panter' author, philosopher and mystic
una ns.s Is seen IN the role OF prophet
By GEORGE RussEL "a. e.
LONDON. Nov. I've are ente-in,
upon new era, an age of transition
humanity is like lake among hills wher,
some earthquake has split the rock anc
the wild waters foam out seeking ano,be,
resting place. The war has cracked the
granite OF the old social order. and hu
mainly today all over Europe, indeed ",
might almost saw all over the old world
Is surpne out wildly and uncertainty. and
until new social order has been created
We must expect commotions. social dis
order and every kind Of dislocation Of
services. We are not yet within sight Of
the new social order.
All over Europe there is perturbation.
Russia has cut itself off completely from
the old system Italy has half gone over.
and the struggle there is beginning. as in
Russia, between workers and capitalists.
and the government there is unable to
use the troops for the protection of the
vested interests. Austria is perisAin,
slowly OF starvation, at least in the cities
and over nearly all middle and eastern
Europe the only prosperity is in the
countryside. The countrymen are suf
fieient to themselves and can manage
without much aid from the mannfactur
ing districts. They can feed and cloihe
themselves and if necessary do with primi
tive instruments and without power ma
chinery. They are not compelled to ex
port TO the cities. They are anti-social
istic. And while the countryside be
comes more Conservative. the town work
ers, made desperate, brood on revolution.
ary policies and are only restrained from
wild action by that dampness Of spill
which comes from insufficient food
All this has made Europe a bad mar
ket for America and Great Britain. Its
half or wholly bankrupted nations cannot
afford to buy raw materials They have
no credit, and being unable to buy they
are unable to manufacture as before. and
because they have nothing to sell again
they cannot buy. The momentary pros
periiy which came after the war to Great
Britain while it was sill living on its
credit and while there we're ships which
must be built and wool which must be
manufactured and other leeway to be
made up, is beginning to fade. The /
trade slump is beginning. The Food
Controller in Great Britain. on the top |
oi this, announces an extra nine shillings |
and sixpence per week ON the food bill /
of the average worker. As employment |
falls, prices begin to rise. This rise is
certain to take place between now and |
Christmas quite apart from the possible |
effects Of the strike Of the miners.
Whether the trouble comes to a head |
now. or is by compromise postponed, / |
believe that the old social order is bound |
to crumble. 1t will be a long process,
and in the gradual decline and fall of |
the old order all kinds Of strikes for roii
fical ard economic purposes are bound
to take place. All war results in an
change Of characteristics, and this is
equally true Of social warfare as Of mill
fary warfare. The employees strike ant
the employers lock out. The workers OH
the Irish railways refuse to carry muni
tons or armed men, and the government
or the railway directors close down largt
sections Of the Irish RAILWAYS. About siS
Hundred miles of the Irish railroad
TEN are closed to passenger or other traf
fic. All these things are forcing on the
countryside the necessity Of being self
supporting, or at least the necessity Of be.
ing prepared for long periods in which
they will be cut off from the markets in
which they buy and sell
Necessity is the mother Of invention
and We believe that necessity will force
on the rural community Of ireland the
organization OF a motor transport system
under their own control. 1t is possible
Of course, that single cooperative socie
ties could not profiiably go to the ex
pense. but groups OF societies or new co
operating societies started for the pur-
pose could undertake the whole Business
for q number Of villages and cooperative
societies oi getting their produce to the
nearest port or to some section still run
ming Of the railways, and could bring
hack 10 societies and merchants the CON-
nodities which they require. In Great
Britain this motor traffic is developing
rapidly. We have heard that passengers