Polk County news. [volume] (Benton, Tenn.) 191?-1983, 1920-07-08
Shall Chaos or Reconstruction in
Europe Follow the Great
World War?
CLASH OF FACT AND THEORY
Socialistic Idea OF Conditions in World
Where All Men Are on an Equality
Takes no Thought, OverIookc
Basic Fact in Natt->
Article XIV.
BY FRANK comERFoRp.

On November 10 1917, the bolshe
Wiz government was born. On Dec. 10
1917, the bolshevlk government abol-
ished private ownership of land, de-
claring all real estate the property of
the state. On February 10, 1918 they
issued a decree declaring all state
loans, internal and foreign, null and
void, conhscating all maritime enter
prises and all private banks to the
state, and nationalizing foreign trade.
The constitution established the
communism Of land in the following
words:
"For the purpose of attaining the So
ciaHzafion Of land, all private prop
ertr IN land Is abolished and the en-
tire land is declared to be national
property and is to be apportioned
anouT asriculturists without any com
pensatinn to the former owners, in the
measure Of each ones ability to till
1T"
Tire peasants Of Russia seized the
la4d. 'FFiee wilTingiy followed this
command of the new order, but they
did not fake tie land as Rommunity
W0nerty. They are not communists.
Their experience with communal land
avning had never satisfied them. I'm
der tha old regime The peasants were
allotel land by the communal Mir.
The Mir held title to the land and di-
vided If by lot The tenancy of farm
or o. the land was uncertain under
the zT'r system. The average length Of
thp lease was about thirteen years
Then came a new distribution Of the
Mir land q new drawing. The peasant
was compelled to move to the new
strip uf land allotted to him from the
drawing. This plan took from the
peasant all nduccmant to put his best
into tha land He had no motive for
inrrnvjn~ the land it was not his.
At the next drawing it-would probably
90 to another and he in turn he shift
ell on piece Of land which had been
neglected ami allowed to deterorate
Experience fired the peasant with one
thought, one ambition. to own his own
land to have permanent home,
1
So at the outset OF the program to
socia}ze the land we find the bolshe-
Nk government attempting a commune
istic program completely antagonistlc
to the wishes of the peasants
Led TO General Disorder. ,
Between the villages in Russia are
the great landed estates, the propri-
c'ary band These lands we're the best
lands in the vicinity and were well
cared W. When the order to seize
the land was given, the peasants turn
ed toward the proprietary lands. The
fought with ehch other for the
possession and division of these
estates. This was the begin
ming of general disorder, small civil
war.
The bolsheyk government attempt
I'd to force its program abollshing all
private ownership of land. They JUS
iifed the contiscation of land. the
)lan Of land communism by saying
hat the earth belonged to the people.
hat private title 10 land was immoral
tlN Nbl lNlitt ltibl tNtiA man Nilbulu
nave all the land he could actually
work, and not IN acre more. They ar
-ued that If a man Ind more land
han he could work one of two things
would happen; either he would allow
he land TO remain Idle. which would
q waste. or he would hire someone !
o work II for him. They said the hired T,
nan would be either farm laborer |
r tenant; whichever relation he /
ore to the owner of the land he
'ould be compelled TO turn over part
{ his labor 70 the landowner. In one ]
ase II would be called rent, while If
c receives wages, the wages would !
something less than the
alue OF the hired mans crop. This
'ould be the profit taken by the land !
wner. They called this exploiting the ].
'orker. Instead of this condition, they
easoned that the farm hand should !,
.ork this land and keep the full prod |.
CT for the state. In the plan of dis J =