, 1922-05-29
appealing TO Capitalism

COMMUNISM has utterly failed Look at Russia
v She started upon the way to governmental per-
lection following the abolition of her autocratis form
OF rule, certain that her future was along the flower
bordered pathway. She abolished the c~apitalistic sys-
tenn for the outworn and exploded theory of COM
niunism. Today she lies prone. IN utter failure.
She comes with outstretched HAMS asking a billion
dollars to restore herself to the semblance of a bust
ness nation. This after the millions that have been
already expended to keep her people in food and
clothing, while the communistic experims nt was being
tried out. If communism comes to capitalism for re-
lief where is the excuse for the existence of COM
munism?
It will be said. of course, that Russia's condition is
due to the war, but the fact is that her desperate con-
dition today is chiefly due to the cessation of pro-
duction naturally incident to the overthrow of all the
fundamental principles of hberty-assurance of per-
sonal liberty and the rights of property. No one in
Russia is producing materially more than he needs for
the support of himself and family, for he knows that
the surplus would certainly be confiscated by the
Lenin regime, which boasts that it has "nationalized'
property.
Russia has latent natural resources approximately
equal to if not in excess of those of the United States.
Its people, as a rule, are hard working and thrifty.
Undoubtedly they were oppressed under the monarchy.
but their plight in the former period was never so bad
as it is today. The people have no greater voice in
their government than they had under the car, they
have less encouragement to work and save.
This is not saying that Russia should go back to
the monarchcal form of government, but, rather, that
there can be no hope under a continuation of the
communistic regime. What Russia's form of govern
ment shall be is for the Russian people alone to say.
1t is incredible that they have given their willing ap-
proval to tie present administration However that
may be, the right of the people of Russia to determine
their own form of government and its principles is no
stronger than the right of the people of other govern
ments to determine what dealings they shall have
with Russia.
The comfort and happiness of a nation, like the
comfort and happiness of an Individual must always
depend in part upon production of a surplus which
affords a guarantee against suffering in a period of
misfortune. There must also be an accumulation of
savings which can be invested in larger means of pro-
duction, including not only machinery, buildings, live
stock, and mine development, but transportation. in
surance; banking service, etc. Accumulated savings
constitute capital, and communism is antagonistic to
capital. Communism has abolished capital in Russia,
but, in the hour of her need Russia turns to capital
istic peoples with a demand for a loan of their savings
"a loan to a nation that boasts of its readiness to
~confiscate private property.
The utter inconsistency of the position of the soviet
government and the utter hopelessrc ss of the plea for
a loan where responsibility is denied ought to be evil
dent to any communist in the United States.