The Butte daily bulletin., 1920-02-20
SOVIET is DREAM OF AGES
OF HUMANITARIANS IN FACT

ton, discipline and so-called par
racks life. Even the reserve forces
are kept isolated, because capitalistif
governments are afraid lest the men,
artiflcially brought together into
tactical units, may be effected, by
undesirable Influences from the out
side. Such military restrictions,
makes of the army purely destruc-
tive force, useful only for military
work on the battle front.
Reserves of the second and third
Importance are very often kept IN
camps or barracks for months or
years where they endure a monoton-
GUS existence OF drills and parades
mourning habits Of idleness and
false ideals Of superiority based OH
nothing more real than their uni
forms; the cost is enormous and the
useful product nothing at all. !
"Russias Red army is free from
these expensive evils. Aside from
the men engaged in purely military
work on the battle line, and the tao,
tical reserves prepared for quick
action, the rest of the army engages
is useful work, according to the
callings Of its members. When the
reserves reach their assigned region
the units disband and the men offer
themselves for work on the farms or
in factories. They take their arms
with them. They cease to cost the
government anything for food and
lodging They are welcome where
ever they go because they take moth
ing from the inhabitants, but they
build roads, houses, clear forests,
| ploW the fields or erect bridges as
the people may direct.
| when the signal comes to report
for military duty these reserves re
port at headquarters with their arms,
bringing also from the villages their
own rations for as many days as the
regulations call for, thus relieving
the government of an enormous sup
| ply problem. In this manner the
front line troops and the reserve
are constantly exchanging places,
escaping from the unnatural armN
atm osphere, living and working with
the people and returning when neces-
sary to fight with fresh spirits for
cause they understand.
"And this invaluable, democratic
institution arose from within the
|
the soldiers that they be allowed to
work on farms or in factorie:s-to
produce and pay their own way i'll
stead Of degenerating in barracks
at the public expense.
Naturally, such military organ
ization can prevail only in a free re
public where the male population
can be fully armed and then trusted
to function voluntarily in the three
roles of useful worker, Jealous
propagandist and guardian Of the
public order. In their operation in
Russia the allies could not copy the
military organization OF the Red
army. In their capacity Of invaders
they were obliged to commandeer
supplies, which always makes a
population hostile in spite of all
promises and explanations
ITO conclude, the allied powers
cannot hope to match the Red army
until they have copied it's strategy
and tactics, And to do that they
must in turn create genuine peoples
armies, armies which cannot be
evolved simply by reorganizing their
existing capitalistic armies in a nor
NAL way. It can be done. l believe,
only when the allies have passed
through Russ:a's experience. Once
they have followed the complete
Russian example, the allies might
create a military force equal to that
Of the Red army in morale and in
other respects Superior because of
their greater technical resources.
"Dut when that NEW allied army
met the Russians the two forces
would not engage in battle. They
,, would shake hands
There is but one alternative. II
they wish to preserve their prese 1t
inlperialistic military establishments
they must make peace with Soviet
Russia, just as they finally made
peace with revolutionary France,
whose new social order they once
called unspeakable, or Bolshevilt
, Russia is pleading for peace; her
matchless Red army is only for de-
. tense.
premier Lloyd George confesseE
that no force can overthrow Soviet
Russia. Where military force has
failed there is still less chance fol
: trade to succeed. There can be NJ
t trade with Russia without the co
: operation of the Soviet government
Let the allies conclude peace as soor
f as possible and accept the unselfisl
a friendship OF the government a.