Polk County news. [volume] (Benton, Tenn.) 191?-1983, 1920-05-20
NOs

ernment authority belongs 10 the board
and chairmen OF these commissioners,
that is. to the peoples commissioners
and the right OF systematizing them
belongs TO the All-Russian Congress-
Of the Councils of Workmen's and
Peasants and Soldiers Delegates ana
its Central Executive Committee"
The government of the car was au-
tocratic, not because 1t was a bad gov
ernment and misgoverned the people.
1t was autocratic because the people
did not have a. voice In It, A good
government that denied the people q
voice would be equally as autocratic.
With the fall of the Kerensky regime
Lenine and Trotzky, and their bolshe-
yik followers, did not have time and
1t was not expedient or possible TO
canvass the wish and viii OF the peO-
| pie at once, so they issued the prom
| ise | have quoted above. The words
of promise are printed in capital let
tiers.
Il was their moral obligation to
keep this promise made to the people.
1t was necessary TO keep 1t, If there
was TO be a genuinely free Russia
Who could anticipate and. who would
dare write out and put into operation
the plan of government without giving
all of the people OF Russia chance
to pass upon the plan and help formu-
late 1t through their own chosen rep
iresentatiyes1
This was the first promise the bOl-
shevik leaders made to the Russians.
They broke 1t. 1t has never been full.
filled. In the constitution and decrees
.of the soviet government they have
tried to explain, excuse and condone
this breach of promise. Fairly In
lterpreted, all they have said in de-
fenSe of this abuse of power this yi0-
;lation of trust, Is in substance: 1T
was necessary to dissolve the consti-
tuent Assembly; it might have inter
fered with our plans; it might have
jeopardized soviet government" What
right did they have to think, act, and
decide for the people any more than
the czar had2
In speeches and wrisi B Lenine ana
Tmtzky have since In veiled way
suggested that the peasants elected
hAAmbers of the middle class "
represent them instead OF. peas.
ants What pf II? II the peas
usgs inas uit>4eke.l thcv Nlll leaer
md srofit by their mistakes. They
,annot become independent until they
get a chance to exercise Independence.
No man can get muscle by letting an
lther fellow use thS dumbbells. The
peasants, Orkers and
1ourgeoise-are all human beings and
| government. to be democratic, must
,e, as Lincoln put it, "of the people,
or the people and by the people" A
government that is afraid of the infiu-
nee and power of three or four per
ent of the people isn't able to live,
nd it doesn't deserve to.
Gladly obeyed Lenlne.
Lenine issued his famous order,
Peasants, seize the land" This COM
land was obeyed with great enthusi-
SIN. They forgot all about freedom
nd the constitutional convention.
hey understood what land meant,
ley had been taught that by being de-
led it. They knew little about
olitical phrases and framework. The
rder to seize the land tore from the
'rfS their heaviest chains. Lenine
acame their liberator-his was the
1ice that said "seize the land"
robably the peasants would have
me ii anyway. Disorder and unrest
Id destroyed all respect for property
ghts. Property rights had differ
It meaning in Russia than elsewhere;
'Operty rights meant the right to
at human beings, to buy and sell
rfs. Yet the fact that Lenine had
tered the words made them reverence
I'd respect him, even as a man will
thankful TO one who has told him
be careful Of hole in the side
ak, Notwithstanding the fact he has
ready seen it, Bolshevism started
tn great popularity. This was the
cret of 1t.
OF course the order to seize the
I'd, all land, was based on the idea
at the owners of land held title by
d through their own wrongful con-
ct. God had made the ground and
lshine, and those who had taken IT,
to il had only moved on and forced
lers off This is the way the boil
eviks reasoned and from this point
view they were consistent. From
worlds point of view 1t was con-
'ation. 1t was dishonest. Many
'ple believe that acquiring property
frequently the result of industry
| thrift; in some cases the title to-
perty.is based upon cunning, schem-
and force. All of us know that
re are some who are without any
vate property because they pre-
to squauder their time, dissipate
lr energy and live shlftless lives
er all, II Is a matter of opinion, and
N the point of view of the bolshe-
$ the. order Peasants seize the
4" may have been justified.
ut when the order was given, the