The Bottineau courant. (Bottineau, Bottineau County, N.D.) 1895-1929, 1920-01-29
AUTOCRACY IS
"RED' BREEDER
Loss of Old F freedom and Growth
of Intolerance Causes Most
of Our Unrest.

In a letter to the st. Paul Daily
News, which appeared in the issue of
January Z, VIM. F. Markoe sets forth
some wei known facts In such start
ling array as to be well worth the
attention of every true American. The
letter IS as follows:
Autocracy Mother of Monstrosities.
"The startling stories carried by the
daily press just now recording such
items as thousands nabbed in great
est U. S. raid on reds Many suspects
seized,' Prisoners held without
CHARGE ETC., reid exactly like those
we used to hear some 40 years ago
from Russia, whose penal colonies in
fr;gid Siberia were always crowded
days we regarded socialism, anarch-
ism and bolshevism as the legitimate
progeny Of Imperialism, czarism and
dcspotism. We considered autocracy
as the fruitful mother of such mon
strosities. How, then, explain the fact
that similar spawn is being Matched in
democratic America? Has the law
that like causes produce like effects
ceased to function accurately? Or has
%autocracy secretly stolen into America
under the guise of democracy?
Our Rights 20 Years Ago.
"Now, universal unrest and discon-
tent are unfail,ng evidences Of some
thing radically wrong somewhere, and
great changes have taken place in
America in 40 years. Forty years ago
we had no trusts, no combines, no
's~oulless' corporations, no monopolies
of the necessaries of life, no profiteers,
no multimilliOnaires, no refrigerator
cars and no cold storage to strangle
the natural law of supply and demand,
no big business no stupendous en-
terests,' and no espionage laws to try
mems souls. we, the people were
still sovereign We were not COM
PEELED to prove u loyalty to our own
rulers by constant kotowing and
salamming to the powers that be- at
every tack and turn. If our public
servants failed to perform the duties
to which we had elected them, it was
still ours to openly criticize their con-
duct without fear of being arrested for
'lese maieste'-a crime not found on
u statute books at that time. We
exercised the same right from presi-
dent down to village postmaster.
Free Speech Prevents Abuses.
Free speech, free press and liberty
of conscience proved much more faith
full and efficient guardians of our
lights than policemen armed with
clubs. We still held these truths to
be self-ev:dent, that all men are Great
ed equal, that they are endowed by the
Creator with certain inalienable rights
that to secure these rights govern
ments were instituted among men, de-
irving their Just powers from the con
sent Of the governed and (dare we
say itD that when any form of gov
eminent becomes destructive of these
ends, it is the right of the people to
alter or abolish it. How could ali this
be accomplished without criticism, dis
cussion, argument, controversy and
free expression of the views of all par
ties on all phases of the question?
How prevent abuses and 'usurpations'
Of power and authority if all these
rights are muZzled?
Answer the Arguments!
"Years ago when Chicago anarchists
committed a specific crime in Hay
market square, they were promptly
convicted and hanged like any other
criminals, and the lesson proved SUI:
fcient for many years. But, today, a
new crime seems to have been invent
ed though never clearly defined. 1t ia
called Red and a popularity is that
n does not need to be Red but only
to be called Red to forfeit all his
rights under the Constitution! Have
these new apostles been preaching po-
litical heresy? If so, why not correct
them and show them the error of Their
ways? Has the pen lost it's power?
Are their arguments unanswerable?
If so, what is wrong with our boosted
educational system? Must we needs
revive the Spanish inquis.tion in
America to supplement the teaching Of
u schools? Good Lord, deliver US 4!
Treat Profiteers the Same.
Heretofore the law has been that
everyone should he presumed innocent
until proved guilty. In the case Of a
Red exactly the reverse seems to he
the rule! But 1t is a poor rule that
will not work both ways If the same
drastic measures were applied to
stamp out crime IN high places. to raid
monop0listic 'plotters' against the peo-
pie, and fmprison or deport heartless
'profiteers,' things would not be so
bad, for then all men would again be
reduced to that Equality before the
law in which the Creator placed them /!
"But such spectacular raids serve to
divert public attention momentarily
from the Fl. G. L., the paramount
crime Of the century, though they also
make It difficult for some minds to
distinguish between true democracy
and unadulterated a~utocracy."
l. IL y q Z. - - 80 IAUH~5