Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1936-09-10
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National Topics Interpreted "a Gs14A1G22
by William Bruckart 1T1HfTG1EX
ationaiP ressB Washington D. c. ASSn<173dIF

Press carried a dispatch from Mos
COW few days
in Russia more in it than
Just the an
nouncement that certain opposition
lists among the Soviet leaders were
to be executed. The dispatch re-
ported that 16 confessed conspira-
tors against the Soviet state were
sentenced to death by the firing
squad as the highest measure of
social defense" of government.
It reported a new stage in the so
called progress of Communism in
the Russian state. For the first
time since the Bolsheviks came into
power they ordered the death penal
ty for some of the leaders who
marched in the Revolution of Octo-
Der, 1917.
So we have clean sweep now Of
the men who sat next to the dicta-
tor, Lenin; the men who were his
closest advisors in council are out
of the way, and in their place re-
mains the extensively practical and
strong-willed executive, Stain, who
has in this instance declined to al
low theory to interfere with g condi-
ton.
Here is the picture. Leon Trotslxy
in exile and under sentence of death
if he returns into Russia. Zinoviev
shot to death. Kamenev also exc
cuted by firing squad Che will be
remembered as an outstanding pill
lar of Bolshevisrn). Tomsky, a sui
eide. Rykov, Bukahrin and Rodek
under investigation by the dreadful
Ogpu. A hated secret service is
looking into the records of Sokokni-
kov and Pyotakov. The latter two
have been important advisors to Stall
in. But what is all of this about?
The answer is simple. While these
men were charged with plotting the
murder of Stain, with conspiracy,
beneath it all lies the thirst of men
for power. Through all of this since
the fall of the Russian empire and
the execution of Car Nicholas,
the Communists have pushed for
ward. The strongest of them have
travelled. That is the why of Stain.
Yet as most always happens under
any circumstance where the will of
few men runs free, they have in
fiicted to the last degree the power
that they have gathered unto them
selves. In SO doing they have not
failed to reserve unto themselves
such considerations as they thought
necessary-a perfectly human trait
of character answerable only where
a whim becomes a will and there
is power to carry it out.
Between Stain, who was able to
enforce his will, and Trotsky, who
dwelt in the starry heavens of the
cries and dreams, there is only a
theoretical difference. Each want
ed Communism. Trotsky consid-
cred the problem in the terms of
world revolution; Stain thought of
it as the Russian state and recog-
nized his capacity to carry his plans
through in that jurisdiction. So the
Stalin-Trotsky feud. as it has turned
out to be, has become ferocious and
any one who has gone contrary
even entertained thoughts contrary
to the will of the mighty Stain
committed sin against the state.
And sin against the Russian state
under Stain means to disappear.
It seems to me there is an inn
portant lesson for, the American
rs people in that situ-
Lesson TOT alton. Stain,
Americans along with Hitler
and Mussolini, is
always right. It matters not what
the people may desire, what their
philosophy of life and living may be,
how they propose to encourage or
accept responsibility for self-gov-
eminent, the dictatorship continues.
Many times in these columns I
have criticized bureaucracy in the
federal government. There are so
many bureaucrats in Washington
now that some one has bitterly de-
scribed them as locusts. It may
seem quite jump from bureauc-
racy to dictatorship but the differ
ence actually is very small. When
the people of the United States con-
cede to the federal government such
rights as the federal government
attempted to exercise in NRA and
even to greater extent in the AAA,
they are taking the first step to
grant to centralized government
the authority that leads to absolute
control of the person and every
thing that person does.
There are conditions undoubtedly
that need to be remedied before our
form of government is anything like
perfect. There is always to be con-
sidered changing conditions and
the changing whims of people them
selves. But I entertain the con-
viction that so long as the Ameri-
can people are unwilling to accord
increasing powers to the federal
government, the nation as a whole
will go forward, civilization will
progress and we will enjoy having
q government.
The transfer of William C. Bullitt
from his recent post as ambassador
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