The news scimitar. (Memphis, Tenn.) 1907-1926, 1920-02-10
sovietism On the Stand

| Ludwig {. A. X. Martens, representa-
| tive in this country of the Russian Boil
sheyist government, is being drilled by
a senate committee. This, thinks the
Buffalo. Courier Dem), is a strange,
| perplexing performance" since it gives
Martens IAN opportunity to carry on
his Bolshevist propaganda, having his
| utterances printed at the expense Of
try"
The point which Senator Moses and
his committee are most anxious to clear
up is whether Martens is here as a
propa gandist Of world revolution" or
merely, as he says, as a business
| representative" To this question he
answers that the soviet republic does
not care what kind Of government other
people have" having engaged in world
revolution propaganda only when it
was on the defensive" and that now,
when the soviets are "strong enough to
hight the world" such defensive prop
uganda is unnecessary.
1t all seems very innocent" says
the indianapolis News 0nd), but
Americans have very good reason to
think that Bolshevism is a militant
force and they will be slow to believe
that missionary efforts have been who'll
ly abandoned" The Baltimore Sun
Ind. Dem.) thinks IAN overnight con-
version on this point requires convinC-
ing proof" especially since the Boil
sheVlsts teach that pledges given to
the bourgeoisie are not binding" The
pittsburgh Chronicle Telegraph (Rep.)
also thinks that Martens will >have to
do a good deal Of explaining to con-
vince any sensible person that the
BOlshevik have any other purpose than
the ultimate domination of the world
by their cruel tyranny" and the Seattle
Times Qnd) regards the Martens tes-
tlmOnV olyy1n 1ador ant
that Bolshevism as an economic system
is dead in Russia" Martens himself,
the Dayton News Dem.) reminds us,
had been marked for deportation
why isn't something definitely done
about this matter?" and the Albany
Journal (Rep) suggests that "to secure
all necessary evidence against Mar
tens to justify his deportation, let him
continue to talk"
"A significant feature of Martens
testimony" remarks the Cincinnati
Times Star ,(Rep), was his reference
in gold which the soviet government
took from the czarist government and
from individual Russians" Continu-
ing, this authority says:
This half billion in gold is the bait
which the soviet authorities have been
otferlng to business interests in the
United States, in England and in other
countries. The bait apparently has
caught the eye Of few so-called big
business men in New York.
THE same sort of people, 10 years
ago, wanted unlimited immigration in
order that they might have cheap labor
and big profits. They are after the
dollar which appears Immediately be-
fore their eyes, and they either don't
care what happens to the country or
they have not intelligence enough to
see the direction in which their short
sighted greed is leading them"
But But those who picture the Bolshevist
disillusioned by the Washington cor
respondent of the New York Evening
Post (lnd) who tells us that the most
striking thing about his blond per-
sonality is his dspassionate attitude.
The hearing had all the atmosphere of
field Republican qnd), thinks his
testimony Is worth emphasizing because
IT gives the state department a chance
to Tecede gracefully from the uncom-
promising attitude of nOnintercourse
which 1t unfortunately supported by an
elaborate argument just as the allies
were getting ready to take down the
bars The Republican adds:
When "A revolution has reached a
certain point its leaders cease to de-
sire new revolutions and want peace
and quiet for the consolidation of their
power and the building up of a stable
and orderly government So amazing
has been the spread of the soviet sys-
TEN in Russia that this point may al
ready have been reached"
ut may be- thinks the Houston
Post Dem.), that Lenne has come to
the place where he believes it is more
eXpedient to attempt to set up peace
full relations with the so-called capital
istic government than to seek to un-
dermine them by terrorist methods. If
he has determined on this course, it
marks him as less of a fool than he has
mtngham Age Herald Dem.) thinks
Martens talked like a man who had
nothing to conceal, and his evident
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES is given additional
weight by some facts we have recently
learned about Soviet Russia" We are
News Qnd), that "sovietism is not
merely a political system, but is pretty
nearly religion among it's adherents,"
and that, moreover:
THE Russian Is naturally COM
munist and only understands that and
monarchy, outside Of the imperial and
great private estates, Russian land has
been handled largely through the local
cOmmunes. Russia is an agricultural
country and these communes are about
all the political education in self-goV-
eminent the Russian has. He does not
klIO" Wudl you mean ny ItpuDhC III
our sense. He does not know what you
mean by individual opportunity be-
cause he never had any. In addition,
through the association of the other
powers with Russians who he thinks are
reactionaries, he believes that the dem
ocratic system means the end of what
he thinks to be his political and indus
trial freedom. NAnd in addition, We have
just sent over another shipload Of mis-
sionaries to tell him what a rotten place
a democracy is, in their opinion"
Whatever comes out of Russia will
for the time being be communlstic in
nature the News continues, and the
one way of disproving its economic
soundness is to put it in competition
with the industry Of other countries
whose industrial systems have been
evolved by experience"
The Johnstown Democrat Dem)
complains that while Britain and
France and Italy may trade with Rus
STA if they please" and have been do
ing so for some time. Britain particu-
larly," yet American manufacturers
are told they must sit on the fence and
watch their rivals across the sea COB
BILE up whatever Russia has to Offer