The Arvada enterprise., 1920-07-08
Shall Chaos or Reconstruction In
Europe Follow the Great
World War;
CLASH OF FACT AND THEORY
oselallstle ldsa Of cendltisNs In Wsrld
Where All Men Ar sn IN Equality
Takes No Thought ovsrseess
oasie Fact In Mature.
Article XIV.
ey FRANK coMERFoRp.


Nix government was born. On Dec. TO-
1917, the bolshevik 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. confscating 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:
"For the purpose Of attaining the 30
cializntion Of land. all private prop
erty In land Is abolished and the en-.
tire land Is declared to he 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 Ind never satisfied them. Un-
der the old regime the peasants were
allotted land by the communal Mir.
The Mir held title to the land and d.
vided II by lot. The tenancy Of farm.
er on the land was uncertain under
the Mir system. The average length Of
the lease was about thirteen years.
Then came 4 new distribution Of the
Mir land. a 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: II was not his.
At the next drawing II would probably
90 to another. and he In turn be shift.
ed on q piece Of land which had been
neglected and allowed to deteriorate.
Experience nred the peasant with one
thought. one ambition. to own his own
land. to have permanent home.
| Wuhetutuk W WVEH WI "UV WVGA i1'
So at the outset of the program 10
soeinlize the land We fnd the bolshe.
viz government attempting q commun.
istic program completely antaGonistic
to the wishes of the peasants.
Led TO General Disorder.
Between the villages In Russia arc
the great landed estates. the propri-
etary land These lands were the hest
lands In tho 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.
The bolshevik government attempt.
ed to force it, program abolishing all
private ownership Of land. They JUS.
tilted the c0nnscation of land. the
plan Of land communism. by saying
that the earth belonged IN the people
that private title To land was immoral
and corrupt. that every man should
have all the land he could actually
work. and not an acre more. They ar.
gued that n . man had more land
than he could work. one Of two things
would happen; either he would allow
the land 10 remain idle. which would
be q waste. or he would hire someone
to work II for him. They said the hired
man would be either . farm iaborer
or q tenant: whichever relation hs
bore to the owner Of the land. hs
would he compelled 10 turn over par,
Of his labor to the landowner. In one
case II would ne called rent. while II
he receiver wages. the wages would
represent something iess than thu
vaius Of the hired mans crop. Thii
would he the proht taken BY the land
owner. They called this exploiting the
worker. Instead ~ this condition. they
rsssoned that the farm hand should
WORK this land and keep the full prod.
net for the state. In the plan of dis.
tFsbution the state. the owner Of every.
thing. pronissd On equal distribution.
The bolaheviks srKued thst their plan
would make . hotter citizen out Of
the hired man and give him an induce.
meat IN worh. He was mt "a work
for himself. but for the good NJ oil.
u was . hns BIT Of ideaiism. hut On.
ursly contrary ~ human nature. II
had 10 he worked out by human b.
ings. Two things happened One class
Of PEASANTS worked tho land nnIy
enough 10 produce what they and their
families needed. They rensnneti. "Why
should We work after our needs are
supplIedr" This natural attitude Of
mind reduced production. The theory
which promised increased production.
In practice decreased production.
Refused 70 share with State.
Another class NJ pensnnfs went onto
Inc land md workcd hard and pro.
duced much. but they refused to give
up the product NJ their labor to the
state. They reasoned TINT the result