Plentywood herald. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1908-current, 1932-02-04
Two Revolutions

Two Revolutions
Almost fifteen years ago the revol-
ution took place in Russia. 1t was a
just revolution, the outcome of cen
turtles of oppression by weak rulers.
This revolution was accomplished by
the people, headed by the intelligent
STA, just such men as all of us. A
provisional government was set up
under Kerensky based on the same
democratic pricniples as our own.
1t is interesting to note that the In
tied States was the first country to
recognize the new republic.
Eight months later, this govern
ment was %overthrown by the bolshe-
visits, the communists, the small
handful of radicals under Lenin and
Trotsky. | bring this out TO show
that the communists had nothing to
do with the bringing about Of this
absolutely just revolution. They sim
ply seized the power at an opoprtune
moment and have eve since been
bringing Russia under a despotism
more terrible than even before.
Russia Today-Ruled by Few
I thought that Russia was being
governed by the people, by Soviets
which are simply advisory groups;
that each village had its local SOW
let, which sent members to the dis
trict soviet, which in turn sent men,
bers to the national soviet in Mos
COW. That these members were cleo
ted from among the people BY the
people. Well, that is the theory of it
but / found that it is only theory.
Russia is being ruled today by Stall
in, who is aided and abetted by a
small group of bolshevists called the
Politbureau. OF course, Stain chn
easily deny this as his name does not
appear rs a member of the Soviet
government. He is simply the general
secretary of the Central Committee
Of the communistic party.
A soviet election was a revelation
TO me. We, as foreign specialists,
were invited to attend the election of
the Sdhachtostroy members to the
| Kharkov soviet. We were invited to
vote. We were even invited TO be can
didates for election to the Kharkov
soviet. We declined to vote or to be
candidates but accepted the invita-
ton to attend the election provided
we didn't have to march in the grand
parade to the printers club where the
election was to be held. The commu-
nists, of course, took charge of the
meeting. The 500 employees Of
Schachtostroy marched through the
mud with red flags flying and bands
playing the mile and a half from the
office to the printers club. Arriving
at the club they Immediately went
into session. They had nominated
some 95 members as candidates for
the 5 places allotted to Schachtostroy.
Problems, platforms, etc, were dis
cussed for some three hours. Finally
the time for voting arrived. The
chairman arose and said" Comrades
it grows late. Do you wish to spend
several hours yet in voting on the 81
candidates you have selected or woulr
you rather elect these five members
comrades Lensky, ETC., whom tht
party has approved? All in favor
raise their hands (all hands wer<
raised IS all are afraid not toy all op-
posed mot a handy splendid, we hav,
unanimously elected these five ar
dent communists and the meeting il
adjourned" And thus / began t.
see how the communists do it. Ant
the American professor, economist.
and tourist comes j~oyfully home witt
the good news hat the Russian PEG
pie are free at last TO work out thei
own salvation.
Our Life
And how do people live in the So
Wet Union today? Well, it depend
on who you are. I'll briefly recoun
to you the manner in which we lv
ed-we, the foreign specialists. Du
to the inability of the Soviet author
tiles to visualize or anticipate the re
quirements of housing Is America
engineers and their families, we wer
some time in. getting really located
This caused more or less confusion
For a few weeks some of us ha'
rooms in a hotel, inhabited also b
numerous large rats, but as We wer
not charged extra for III room
mates, the situation was manager
Finally we were lodged in q new az
artment building owned by the trus
for which we were working and oe
cupied only by engineers, American
German, and Russian, with their ia
miles. After a few months OF scran
bling for u food with the rest q
the crowd and dining for the mos
part on potatoes, cabbage, cucnn
beers and black bread (uell filled wit
sticks and s~tones) a little meat,
you wish to call 1t that, sometime
- 49,. x.Aru 1000 1891 ~,