The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1920-05-20
PROBLEMS FACING
A STRICKEN WORLD
BY FRANK coMERFoRD.

stttudon. They named the new nation
the Russian Socialist Federal Soviet
Republic" They hung out a flag. a
red cloth, In the left corner of which
Con top, near the pole) are in golden
letters "R. S. T. s. R." The coat of
arms Of the new Russian government
consists Of q scarlet background on
which a golden scythe and a hammer
are placed (cFosswise, handles down
ward) In sun rays and surrounded by
a wreath, inscribed: Russian Social
list Federal Soviet Republic. Workers
Of the World, Unite"
The constitution Of a country Is it's
foundation. 1t must be solid and
strong IL liberty is to be secure. The
whole superstructure depends upon
the foundation. Government is
house made Of laws. You cannot have
peace, freedom and order without law.
The people who live in the house, the
great national family, have a vital in
terest In the house in which they live.
It Is their shelter, their security. It is
the right Of every free man to have
a say I'm the kind of house he Is to
live in, a voice in the making of the
laws he IL called upon to obey and
maintain. The house of Freedom is
one citizens house as much as 1t is
another's. Without equality there
cannot be freedom. Every Russian
had an equal right to determine the
kind Of government that should pre-
vail in his land. The bolshevik gov
eminent started off by denying the
people the right to a say in the form
OF government Of their country. A
minority, without consulting the people,
without giving them a chance to ex-
press their views, forced upon the
people a constitution. So the bolshe-
vtk government was built on the false
foundation Of minority rule. The prin-
ciple that all governments derive their
just powers from the consent Of the
governed was sent to the scrap heap.
Government by SoViets.
The Russian constitution provides
for a government of soviets. The word
soviet means council. The soviet is
q body Of political officeholders who
run the government. In our country,
instead Of calling these bodies soviets,
we call them township commissioners,
village trustees, city councils or
boards Of aldermen, state legislatures,
congress. Under the bolshevik consti-
tuition all power is given to the so
Yiets. This is and has been the rally
ing cry Of the members of the soviets.
The sovfetS have the power to make
laws as well as the power to enforce
obedience to- the laws. The legislative
and executive power Is combined in
the soviet.
The bolshevik constitution divides
Russia into regions, provinces, coun-
ties, towns, villages, rural districts
and local rural districts. For the sake
Of comparison we can liken Russia
to the United States, q province in
Russia to state in our Union, and so
on down through the list. We have no
political division corresponding to the
Russian region, unit larger than an
American state.
The Russian citizens liberty is
measured by the voice he is given in
the laws he must obey. The constitu-
tioa fixes his freedom. 1t says how
far he may go and no farther.
We have heard much about the
"poor peasants" The constitution
makes them paupers in liberty. Down
at the bottom of government the
farmer, the poor peasant" is given
the right to vote for delegates to the
local rural soviet This little body has
about the same power in shaping the
policy Of Russia and making the laws
that affect life, liberty and property
as the township commissioners have
in the United States. Their authority
Is confined to purely local matters
When the poor peasant" has cast this
one lonesome and meaningless vote
for q representative in the local rural
soviet he Is through so far as any di-
rect say In who shall govern him, and
how.
Governed by offieehoIders.
The poor peasant" having cast his
vote for the local rural soviet. leaves
the task OF government to the office
holders. The deputies elected to the
local rural soviet meet and elect the
deputies to the next higher governing
unit, the rural soviet Here we find
the first governing body for which the
"'poOr peasant" is denied a vote but
not the last.
The next unit OF government in Rus
STA is the county. The people do not
have a vote for the delegates TO the
county soviets. These county commits
sioners are elected by the members OF
the city and village sOviets and the
members of the rural sOviets. Here
we have government one step removed
from the people of the cities and Two
steps removed from the poor peas,
ants
The provincial soVietS are elected
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