The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1929-11-18
The Soviet and the Thistle

The whirr Of modern farm machinery and the sharp
crack Of the rifled firing squad arise over twelve years Of
soviet Russia. Both arc kcynotes.
The sovic, republic celebrated another anniversary
November Z. 1t celebrated in the spirit of a great &C.
con,plshment, for that is tho appraisal Russia puts or
It's revolution, whatever the rest OF the world may corr
ciude.
Russia is trying 10 accomplish a great triumph, OF
socialism. Perhaps the experiment. in whole or III part
may tcacl, tho world something. A. any rate the soyicts
called III Tom Campbell OF Montana, the greatest farm
or III the United States. to give hts ideas on wide scale
wheat growing and thus learn, If not teach. It has
adopted his policy of USING machinery OH the farm and
Is proceeding to seed areas or l75. 900 acres as an expert.
mcnt destined 10 make Russia the wheat granary Of the
world The soviets think they can accomplish, j. on a
Campbell basis.
II rifle bullets can accomplish il. Russia ought TO sue
coed by tho simple process Of killing off all who dis
agree With th.- belief. Recently several scores OF kulaks
OF vel-to-do peasants, were sho, by firing squads to in
sure the success Of the policy The kulaks could not
sec their way clear 10 promoting tho governments farm
ing policy, as ii involved the surrender Of their own soil.
20 the soviet farming policy simply steam-rollcred them.
that Is lined them up before firing squads and sho. them
down as though they had been so many traitors-and
tina. was what they were in the view Of soviet principles
and practice.
m fact, this moving down Of rccalctrant peasant
farmers was the real observance Of Russias decade Of
revolutionary rule. Russia SO far has produced nothing
sufficiently conspicuous to compare with the policy Of
aasassira.ins opponents Of soviet rule as the major activ-
ity Of The comm,nistc republic. Every activity calculated
to advance and elevate soviet rule. whether in the form
OF communistic schools, conlnlunistic newspapers or COM
munist!c drama has but led to this a~potheoss Of shoot
ing down those who disagree on what the soyiets hold
salutary for the former empire OF the car.
A queer country with queer ideas of what is worthy to
celebrate. Compare it to the United States and its in
dependence day. III l53 years this country has been
able to celebrate its natal day Without calling out rifle
squads and executing somebody. This country passed
through a terrific Civil war. BIZ; it didn't line up JET
fcrson Davis or Robert E. Lee or Private John Alien
and shoot them. Sovietism smacks Of Mexico. where such
ways OF dealing with opponents is strictly di rigeur.
Whcrcupon an American noting the analogy is apt to
conclude that sovictisln is a failure even before it began.
The celebration Of the tenth anniversary was a well.
staged piece of drama. only in this instance it was
a wcll-playcd piece OF buncoanbc to impress the
rabblc of Russia with the puissancc Of the strong man
of the soviet regime, Joseph Stain, the power behind
Kalinin. the puppct president of the republic. as the all.
poten. obscurity Of secretary general Of the communist
party.
Stain had been nysteriously out Of sight a month
preceding the NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. day-perhaps dy-
ing or dead. Russia wanted to know. The audience at
the Imperial theatcr. Moscow, wanted to be informed
what was wrong. where he was, when they would see
him again. Kalinin made apologize answers. He talked
Of the amount Of wheat squeezed out Of the peasants.
had the audience sing revolutionary songs as though IN
an effort to make il forget.
Then Stain appeared in the old imperial box. The
rest was vaudeville. A troop Of revolutionary enter
tainers cavorted to the stage and sang songs. one Of
which, it was announced, met the favor OF the dictator.
It was a Georgian lovcsong. Stain is q native Of Georgia.
Next day brought q flamboyant announcement Of
soviet communistic aims from the dictator. Comrade
Stain wrote under his signature:
With giant strides VIC move toward Lenin's aims
industrialzation. identification and mechanization.
VIC arc attacking capitalism all along the line and
defeating il. Without foreign capital. We are accom-.
plisfing the unprecedented feat OF building up heavy in
dustry in a backward country. This year our capital
investment in industry will amount to $500, 900. 900 rublcs
oabout 81 750yO oO0 o0p.
When We have industrializcd the soviet union and set
the n:ljiks peasants, to driving tractors, let the honor
able capitalists with their civilization try to outstrip
us. Then we shall see which country can be called
backward and which the vanguard Of human progress"
Russia makes much trouble at home. Evidently It is
minded to SOW trouble for the whole world. The Russian
thistle has been an annoying weed. The Russian soviet
republic seems to be about as welcome . contribution
to the welfare Of the world.
There are no goose-stepping stones to greatness.
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