Abbeville progress. (Abbeville, Vermilion Parish, La.) 1913-1944, 1920-07-10

LOUISIANA
VINO has a little shop-It moy renre-
sent the sacrifices and savings OF his
"hole life-COmes under the ban. lac
- uhht FOR free citizenship in hoIshe-
viz Russia; the farmer who hires
"''P. ana almost every farmer IS com
p''''" {" employ help In tho harvest
'''"'' IS criminal cAplultcr and he
Is denied III" right to vote or hold
nm Office.
The man who devotes his life 10
religion, who comforts the Door. visits
the Sick. IA" servant Of God. Is driven
from III" political house: be- is denied
w" right to vote. II is dangerous to
give Ia" thrifty. the Industrious. the
N"'"- In" fnCt that they were born
III Russia, that their parents and
grandparents were natives to the soil
TOR centuries. means nothing. These
dlSir"rchis"d ones speak the Russian
IahguHEc; IL Is their only tongue.
Their blood has had n part in Russian
SUFFERING. The holShcvik constitution
"KlIeS them. They are natives without
country; aud why7 Because by hon
'Sty ana industry they have saved a
niue; h'caUe" they have tried to get
ON. Lcnin" says such people are filled
with dangerous ambition; thoy nre
climbing the ladder of capitalism;
th'y are dangerous to the prolctarnt
The soldier is not an employer of
labor; l." cannot Ice; he is given
vote. The sailor is not nm employer Of
labor; he cannot bc, he is given
vote
tn" constitutional provision defining
citizenship puts premium on indo-
lcnce, penalty ON industry; IT encour-
ages waste; It Furnishes economy; It
makes the successful an outcast; II
makes of the nc'er do well n citizen;
frugality. thrift and industry are
crimes; those who possess these quail
tiles are branded rs uudcsivables;
they are denied citizenship.
No Possible Justification.
Ienine tries TO Justify all of this
by saying that In the transition from
capitalism TO socialism It is necessary
To rule with an iron hand. Capitalism
must be destroyed. The system must
he uprooted. Even so. what right has
Lcnine. without the consent OF the
majority. TO take citizenship from ma
tive Russians? What Is his excuse for
it? Where Is the force of his argI-
ment? Even admitting, for the sake Of
argument, that communism, bOlshe-
vism, Is a panacea for all the ills OF
the human race what right has Lenine
and his minority to force II on the
people of Russian COnCedlng his creed
Is for the common good, Is It not his
first duty to make the people see and
understand It's virtues, and then, by
and with the majority consent put the
creed to the test7 To assert that his
program Is economic does not change
the fact that his methods are not dem
Ocratic. The Lenine system Of dis
franchising the people Is bound to de-
morallze them.
How can a people be free without
learning self-reliance, without trying
selfgovernment? Proclaiming people
free does not make them free. Free
dom is action. II is thinking. 1t is the
ability to govern ones self. 1t comes
from experience and exercise In gov
erning ones self. The definition Of
freedom Il en-determination. and the
word "self" is an important part of
the definition. Admitting for the mo
ment that Lenine Is trying to govern
the people for their benefit, although
he is not giving them thinking part
in the government, does It not follow
that his methods incapacitate the
people for self government? How can
a child learn to walk except by try
ing. and even though the child STUN
bles and falls, is bruised and hurt,
these experiences are part of the edu-
cation in walking.
Real Test of Freedom.
The right to vote is the test of free
dom. Rob a free man of his voting
right and you make Of him something
less than a free man. 1t does not mat
ter whether you treat him well or not,
If you rule him without giving him a
say in his own government, you de-
stroy his independence. Suppose the
constitution of debating society, n
lodge, farmers grange, labor
union, declared that some members
could hold Office and vote. while others
were not eligible for Office and could
not vote. What would be the position
in the body Of those who were denied
all right of participation in It's affairs?
They would be compelled to obey the
rules, do the bidding and bow to the
wish of those who had the right to
vote. What would be the effect upon
the voteless ones? They would be de-
mOraliZed they would become non
entities. Those possessing the voting
power would grow arrogant, arbitrary
and autocratic. The war of the ages,
the struggle of all history, has been
the fight of men for equality In gov
eminent. The right TO vote Is the test.
Copyright. 1920. Western Newspaper Union)
World in Danger From Plague.
Danger from plague-infected ports