Evening star., 1928-03-25
COMMUNISTS MAINTAIN SWAY
THROUGH TERROR. WRITER FINDS
People Fear to Express Differing Views.
Press Follows Writings of Moscow OFF,
cial Papers-Ruling Party Takes Best.

/ two papers which are the exemplars for
every other paper in Russia outside ana
1 inside Moscow.
What they say, and not only that
but the very way in which they say 1t.
! is repeated. vet as original news or
opinion, of course. And by all of these
other little papers throughout the en-
pire. So true is this that i'll TifiiS or
| TaShkent or Chita or Perm, wherever
YOU chance to be, you will read, and
/ that from one to three days after these
! two Moscow papers have printed them,
| facts or policies or government oecla-
/ rations or indeed anything that reflects
/ the mood or decision of the leaders.
And never with any deviation or any
/ original comment not trace.
| / took a particular interest in this
declaration of freedom for the press
and followed it up with many personal
| INQUIRIES and examinations. That is,
! I would have the same paper, quite
| often the same items, read TO me by
/ two different assistants at different
times and when they were not together
/ Moscow Shapes News.
| And at no time did find any news
| or criticism or opinion of any KIND
/ that was not safely held within the
| lines. and based on the opinions pre-
/ yiously expressed in one or other OF
/ these papers. And always with that
intellectual slant directed by the CEN
tral group III Moscow.
For. as / said, the government VIII
! not tolerate any unfavorable criticism,
/ not so much of itself as Of communism.
| Communism can do no wrong. Worse,
in order 10 control mentally and dI-
rect all thought and conclusions IN
Russia. and TO bias the same IN favor
of communism, no news either from
within or without Russia may appear
which does not tend to glorify the
PRINCIPLES of Marx and Lenin. and By
the same token to belittle all other
theories or principles which IN any
way conflict
Thus all news from outside Russia
must be either neutral and harmless,
having no facets of any kind which og
any chance could be looked upon as
a possible reflection upon communistic
ideals and their workings within the
borders of Russia, or the news must pe
of such facts or theories as tend 20
rlorjfy the principles of communism
or BY q reverse process tend 10 re-
feet unfavorabIy upon any other theory
Of government and its workings.
Thus all news from anywhere on
earth, must show that all other gov
ernments are really oppressive meehan-
iSms In the hands Of capitalists, and
so constantly being used TO betray ano
enslave labor: or that labor itself is
oppressed. restless, and constantly
seeking TO free itself from the shacklcs
Of capitalism. yet with the heel OF
capitalism upon Its neck.
Admit M Wrong.
Every little strike or labor decision,
favorable or unfavorable. or any stump
or rise In prices unfavorable TO the
mass or any fact in connection with
the extravagance or the waste OF the
rich anywhere. viii be played up as
of the greatest significance In every
Russian paper at the same time that
any fact in connection with the In
dustrial or social improvement OF the
workers in Russia viii be set forth at
length and with the greatest enthu-
siasm and applause.
But never anywhere a single COM
u1ent that anything is wrong: no COM
ulaint OF a lack or error unless the
same chances TO be generally known
By hearsay and is IN process OF being
remedfed. when, of course, 1t VIII be
the remedial process that win be en-
phasized. no tell the truth. after the
first week or ten days / found myself
either irritated or bored by this per-
sistent harping on the bright COM
munistic scene
From one point of view It was SEEM
ingly so puerile and petty. and from
another so extensively biased or dis
honest, thai found myself questioning
at times whether any considerable por-
ton Of the Russian population could
really be accepting all this as true
picture Of what was going on either
in Russia or not. 1t did not seem
quite possible
And yet when recalled the paper
OF any cult or ism anywhere, their
studied neutrality-suspicious. and too
often downright lies. and the urin-
formed nature Of their readers. espe-
cially in Russia, could not keep frUm
concluding that 10 great extent 1t
must be effective, one of the boldest
and yet quickest and safest ways Of
twisting a public TO your way Of think
ing that could be devised.
No arbitrary dogmastic or religion
list anywhere could want anything bet
ter for his PURPOSE.
fCopyrigbt 1928 in all countries nv North
American Newspaper Alliance