The Meridian times. (Meridian, Idaho) 1909-1938, 1920-07-09
Shah 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, overIooks
Basic Fact In Nature.
Article XIV.
BY FRANK coMERFoRD.

1917, the bolshevik government aDoi-
ished private ownership of land, de-
claring all real estate the property OF
the state. On February 10, 1913, they
issued decree declaring all state
loans, internal and foreign, null and
void, confiscating all maritime enter
prises and all private banks to the
state, and Matchmaking foreign trade.
The constitution established the
communism of land in the following
words:
sFor the purpose Of attaining the so
cialization of land, all private prop
erty in land Is abolished and the en-
tire land is declared to be national
property, and is to be apportioned
among agriculturists without any COM
pensation to the former owners, in the
measure of each ones ability to till
It."
The peasants of Russia seized the
land. They willingly followed this
command of the new order, but they
did not take the land as community
property. They are not communists.
Their experience with communal land
owning had never satisfied them. I'm
der the old regime the peasants were
allotted land by the communal Mir.
The Mir held title to the land and d.
vided 1t by lot. The tenancy of farm
err on the land was uncertain under
| the Mir system. The average length of
' H. .i..4a
! Then came a new distribution of the
Mir land, new drawing. The peasant
was compelled to move to the new
strip of land allotted to him from the
drawing. This plan took from the
peasant all inducement to put his best
into the land. He had no motive for
improving the land; it was not his.
At the next drawing it would probably
go to another, and he in turn be shift
ed on piece of land which had been
neglected and allowed to deteriorate.
Experience fired the peasant with one
thought, one ambition, to own his own
land, to have permanent home,
something to work on and work for.
So at the outset of the program to
socialize the land we find the bolshe-
vik government attempting commun.
istic program completely antagonistic
to the wishes Of the peasants.
Led to General Disorder.
Between the villages in Russia are
the great landed estates, the propri-
etary land. These lands were the best
lands in the vicinity and were well
cared or. When the order to seize
the land was given, the peasants turn
ed toward the proprietary lands. The
Villages fought with each other for the
possession and division of these
tempting estates. This was the begin
ming of general disorder, small civil
war.
Inc bolshevik government attempt.
ed to force its program abolishing all
private ownership of land. They ms
tined the confiscation Of land. the
plan OF land communism, by saving
that the earth belonged to the people,
that private title to land was immoral
ana corrupt, that every man should
nave all the land he could actually
work, and not an acre more, They ar.
sueo that II man had more land
than he could work, one of two things
would happen; either he would allow
the tand to remain idle, which would
De waste, or he would hire someone
!, TO work it for him. They said the hired
|. man would be either a farm Lahore,
OF tenant; whichever relation he
, pore to the owner of the land. he
, would be compelled to turn over mar,
or MS labor to the landowner. In one
ease II would be called rent. whiIa =,
/, ne receives wages, the wages worIT
: represent something less than tbt
|. value Of the hired mans cron Th,,
would be the profit taken by the Iand
!. owner They called this exploiting N.
. worker. Instead of this condition The,
: reasoned that the farm hand shout
work this land and keep the fr,, nrod
uct Tor the state. In the n1an of AZ.
tribution the state, the ovvne,. nc u'S
ming, promised an equal distrihrt,on
me bolsheviks argued that their n,n,
WOULD make better citizen o,t =
the hired man and give him nm Ind,oo
a ment to work. He was not to wor1
!. for himself, but for the good of "o VI,
: It was fine bit of ideaIism hn. "t'
. srely contrary to human nature T
mad to be worked out by human -
I ngs, Two things happened One o,a IS
: Oh peasants worked the land ~,
enough to produce what thew ana a.. :,
families needed. They reasoned "yvb,
s su,, we work %,s after our needs ar
supphed This natural attitude :
mind reduced production. Tba ~.
. y, wh, zen, promised increased productIor
: In practice decreased productinn ''Oi
Refused to Share With s,,+.
II Another class of peasants went ort
, the land and worked hard on5 pn'
= duced much, but they refused - pr ~.
Il up the product of their labor - sly ~
= NtAta. ThAv rpasnnad A.. w III