The Elk Mountain pilot., 1920-03-18
Shall Chaos or Reconstruction
in Europe Follow the Great
World War;
BoLsHEvIKs FETTER LIBERTY
Theories Leaders Of the Movement
Lay Down and Put Into, Practice,
Fly In the Face Of All Hu-
man Experience.
Article XIII.
BY FRANK coMERFoRp.

Mhu tue IIneS. we Sill cllnS TO tne
old superstition that the people
should be the sovereigns, that public
ofhcials are public servants, that the
safest plan of government Is that
form Of government which is nearest
to the people. In the United States
each citizen has one vote. He has a
vote for the men who make the local
laws, the city or village ordinances;
q vote for the man who enforces the
ordinances. the mayor; a vote for the
representatives In the state legislature,
where the laws are made: for the
governor. who enforces the state laws;
a vote for the congressman and SEN
atOrs. who enact the national laws and
formulate the national policies; a vote
for the president, who carries out the
supreme law Of the land. While 1t is
true that In the case Of the president.
we vote for electors who elect the
president, there has not been 4 single
case wherein an elector has voted
other than he was instructed by the
people. We come together in political
parties. present platforms, and every
citizen has chance to register his
opinion of men and measures. The
citizen has right to vote at primary
elections and register his choice for
the party candidates and for the dele
gates to the conventions which formu-
late the party platforms.
Bolshevik Argument unsound.
The bolsheviks point out that politi-.
cal parties do not live up to their
platforms; that candidates for office
are elected; that representative de
mocracy is frequently not representa-
tive of and responsive to the people.
We know that there Is some truth In
this criticism. but We know that 1t is
our fault. We have the power to ex-
press our wants, to record our will.
We also have the power to punish our
betrayal. We can recall from ONCE
recreant public servants; we can add
to our legislation and take over the
power to initiate laws. and compel the
reference Of legislation hack to the
people before 1t ,can become operative
a. law. Our public ofacials are only
eur agents: we hire them. We pay
them we can IRE them. dis&racs them
and punish them II they fail to obey
our instructions. Such II our power.
II we do not use the power intelli-
gently and effectively 1t II our fault
II We are indinerent to the rights We
possess and fall to use them, the fault
u with N. Therefore. We Dc not CON
dean . system Of rspseeeatative gov
esnment because soma, Of the sindivid-
uals who make mp the government are
unnt and unworthy Of the rights they
enjoy. s ~.
The bolsheviks appear to favor u
change In the method Of governing
the people. The plan they have adopt
ed Is based on the theory that the
people must not be trusted. but that
government from the top down. rather
than from the bottom up. They seem
to 60 on the theory that power dele
gated through many hands will loss
its corruption just as running water
does. This political theory files In the
face Of all human experience.
Do,shsvist "Jsksr.~
In our numbers we have agure
which for many years has enjoyed .
peculiar reputation: 1t is the Jester"
Of numbers. It Is the number '..23."
1t Is known In American slang as
"skiddoo." The bolsheviks inserted in
the constitution Joker. and oddly
enough they gave 1t the "skiddOo"
number, '.23" 1t Is found In Article 2
Of the constitution:
Being guided by the interest of the
working class as Whole, the Rus
sian Socialist Federal Soviet Repub-
lie deprives lll individuals and groups
of all rights which could be utilized
by them to the detrimen. of the So
cialist revolution
Here is the big beware sign in the
constitution. What does 1t mean !;
what fears must come into the minds
of men and women In Russia when
they read this paragraph? The con-
stitution deprives every one, individ-
ualIy and collectively. of exercising
any rights he or they may have which
are opposed to bolshevism. Did tyr
amy ever impose a more arbitrary,
autocratic uknse? The paragraph con-
cedes that individuals and groups have
rights, and then commands the people
not to dare use those rights, II their
exercise might be detrimental to the
Lenine-Trotsky government. The right
to voice thoughts is sentenced to ST.
lence. Freedom Of opinion is crushed.
Who is to determine what rights, II
exercised, might be detrimental to a
socialist revolution3 The meaning is
as plain as the command Is stern. Fall
in line with bolshevism or perish. Is
the order II you disagree with our
plans and methods. ''be seen but NOT
heard"