The Farmington times. (Farmington, St. Francois County, Mo.) 1905-1926, 1920-07-02
Shall Chaos or Reconstruction in
Europe Follow the Great
World War;
RUSSIANS MlSLED BY LEVINE
Claim That EoIshevik Government Es-
tabllshes Equality PalpabIy false--
Despotic Power Put In Office
holders Hands.
Article XXI.
Rv FRANK coMEREoRp.

reminded the Russians of suffering.
The soviet government, through the
peoples cOmmlSsars, issued the follow
Ing decree:
"All designations, such as merchant.
nobleman, burgher, peasant; titles,
such as prince. count, etc, and distinc-
tons of civil ranks, prlvy, state and
other councillors, are abolished and
one designation is established for all
the population Of Russia-cltizea OF
the Russian Republic.
Article 4 of the constitution makes
bare the insincerity of the decree. II
does more. 1t gives evidence of the
| great felony committed against the
| freedom of the Russian people by Le-
| nine.
These three classes shall have the
right to hold Office and to vote. They
are made citizens of Russia by the
constitution:
First. All Russians that are eighteen
years of age and who have acquired
! the means of living, through labor that
is productive and useful to society,
and also persons engaged in house
| keeping for the former.
Second. Soldiers of the army and
| navy.
Third. Members of the former two
| classes, when incapacitated.
But the constitution goes further !;
| ,Lnl
| shall not vote:
First. Persons who employ hired la
Dor In order TO obtain profit.
Second. Persons who have an In
come, such as interest In capital, rents,
receipts from property, etc.
Third. Private merchants, trade and
| commercial brokers.
Fourth. Monks and clergy Of all
denominations.
Fifth. Employees and agents OF the
former police, the gendarmery, and
the cars secret service: also mem-
bcrs of the former reigning dynasty.
Sixth. The demented or mentally de.
| fcient.
| Seventh. Persons who have been de-
/ prived by soviet of their rights of
citizenship, because of seifishness, or
| dIshonorabIe offenses, for the period
| fixed by the sentence.
Makes officehoIders Despots.
Section affords great opportunity
for construction; the sOviets are given
power to disfrauchse citizens, because
of "selfishness or dishonorable Of
lenses" Who is to say what shall con-
stitute these offenses? The courts? No.
The people? No. The political Office
| holders2 Yes. When we remember that
the first thing that the bOlsheviks did
drive from the soviets every one who
disagreed with the holshevik plan Of
| communism, at once and by force, 1t
is easy to understand the terrible pow
er given In this phrase and the tyran-
meal use that may be made of 1t. Every
difference Of opinion with their meth
| DDS or plans would be selfish and
| dishonOrabie 0ffense sn the eyes Of the
boishevik rulers, and the foolhardy dis
senter could be stripped of his citizen
| ship, and, no doubt, would be. This
| section writes the death warrant Of
freedom of opinion: II gives to the So
yiets bludgeon with which to beat
a man out of citizenship who ventures
| an opinion at variance with the i'm
posed order. 1t makes the citizen the
servant. the officeholder the master |;
| 1t Is government upside down.
In note to Section GA of Article. 4
fof the constitution. we learn the local
soviets may. with the consent of the
peoples commissars flower the age
qualification for voters"
| What splendid opportunity this
joker in the constitution offers for
political jockeying. II the central pow
er discovers 1t is about to lose con-
troll Of village or rural soviet. 1t has
the power to nip the uprising in the
bud. The peoples comnlissars can ar
range with the minority In the soviet
In question to reduce the age limit and
give the vote to young boys and girls.
When 1t is remembered that the con.
stitutIon directs the peoples commits.
sar of education to introduce In all
schools and educational institutions of
Russia the study and explanation and
| justification of the boishevik cOnstitu-
ton. II Is not hard to understand that
young people into whose minds have
been driven and drilled q reverence
for .bolshevism and its methods, could
be expected to vote for and support
the bolshevik program.
Best Citizens DISTINGUISHED.
Three groups Of people classified by
their occupations are permitted citi-
zenship. They are the members of the
army and navy, the working men and
women, and the peasants who do not
hire labor. Every one else is made an
outcast. The mah who has saved a
little money, earned in the sweat Of
his face. and invested 1t. is not per-
paitted to become citizen; the gan