The toiler. [volume] (Cleveland, Ohio) 1919-1922, 1921-06-04
WHAT THE REVOLUTION IN RUSSIA
HAS ACCOMPLISHED.
An Answer to Those Critics Who Do Not Understand the
Vast Historical Significance of That Revolution.
By M OLGIN. Translated by s. SMITH.
(From the Jewish Daily Forwards, New York;

paratus for taking care Of the
economic life of the country. 1t has
proven that this u possible, in spite
of the contentious of the learned
and practical mem Of the times that
it is impossible. Vt has proven that
a people can take hnto its own hands
all the productive forces and use
them for its own good, ruling over
these forces according to its own
will.
No one says that the economic ap-
paratus Of Russia is working very
smoothly. None Of the Russian lead
ers is pleased with the economic ar
rangement of the soviets. There is
bureaucracy. There is too much red
tape and too LITTLE work done. Every
thing works slowly, where it should
work as a well-oiled machine. Here
and there the machine becomes al
together clogged up, and it takes
time to get it working again. Now
one part breaks down, then another.
There is cause for grief and may be
for anger.
But the leaders in this Herculean
struggle are not discouraged. They
know that it could not have been
otherwise. A new class has acquired
power. 1t lacks knowledge. 1t lacks
experience. The old intelligencia hay
sabotaged the new system and its
ideals. The new intelligencia is not
yet ready. The country was worn
out even before the revolution; the
economic body was debilitated long
before the working class took every
thing into its own hands.
It is almost seven years since the
beginning of, the war; During this
time there was no possibility OF
maintaining the nations means Of
production, no possibility of making
necessary repairs apd renewals. The
machines were I'D And worn out; the
locomotives damaged, the rolling
stock deteriorated; many of the
materials needed for repairs were
lacking altogether, and for many
materials substitutes of a much
lower grade and quality had to be
used. When we keep in mind that
the management of the factories IS
not of the best and that the work
| ers are not yet everywhere used to
the new order, how can we hope to
find everything running smoothly!
Yet it remains fact that the ap-
paratus is here, that it works, that
| it is constantly improving, that the
productivity of labor increases and
that the country can do very well
without private enterprise. Even the
most rabid opponents of the present
order, the Mensheviks and social re-
| volutionists, do not say that the fac
tories ought to be returned to their
previous owners. The Russian Revo-
/, luton has taught even them that the
country can do very well without
that celebrated "private initiative
(2) The Russian Revolution has
created tremendous apparatus OF
distribution. This is altogether new
| in the history of mankind. The state
took it upon itself to see to 1t
that every citizen is provided with
food, clothing, shelter and fuel. This
| is in order that some may not have
too much and others not enough. The
ias---..,- Of distribution takes from
the village the products of the soil
and from the city the products OF
the factories and divides these among
the people according to specific
plan. And the people consist of one
hundred and twenty million souls
The people everywhere, from Ar
changel to Odessa, from Minsk to
Iokutel turn To the apparatus OF