The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1937-12-09

ed themselves against an anti-ad-
ministration vote. Press, radio and
movies are under the governments
thumb and only one party-the Com
munist-is permitted. Hence any
organized opposition to Communist
candidates will die in it's youth.
Since minutes of community NOM
mating meetings must be signed by
town officials, no minor authorities
will endanger themselves by per-
hitting the selection of non-conform-
list candidates.
Religion Enters Politics.
Moreover, Moscow has avoided
religious interference in the election
by interpreting the Stalinist consti-
tuition as it saw fit. Article Sc of the
election law granted the nominal
ing right to all illegally registered
societies." Among these are $4,000
religious communities which recent
ly saw hope for their cause in NOM
mating and electing sympathetic
candidates. Just as their influence
became felt in prediction cam
paigning, Public Prosecutor Andrei
Vishinsky denied religious societies
the nominating right. cit is per-
fectly true that they are legally reg
istered societies." he explained,
'but they do not exist in the inter-
ests of the Soviet cause" Russia's
democratic" election is obviously
tempered to suit the governments
interests.
Despite the rejection of church
groups as nominating bodies, thou
sands of village priests will play
important roles on the day of election
The recent purge" which brought
new Soviet administrators to the
small towns is playing into the
hands of religious bodies. These
men are strangers. Not knowing
what local candidates are sympa-
thetic to the Communist cause, they
will ask the priests opinion, since
in most villages the priest is a
leading citizen Thus will the priest
gain administration support for the
nominee favoring his interests!
Why Hold an Election?
If religious societies are trampled
upon and all prediction propagan-
da favors the Communist party,
what is the sense of this mammoth
voting orgy? AS in Hitler's recent
German elections, there can be but
one outcome But it is not sheer
comedy, say the Soviet leaders. Vot-
ers may have no choice of political
parties or principles, but they have
free choice among men. Those they
believe the most honest and efficient
will be elected; incompetent and
corrupt officials will be ousted. How
Mongol peasant in Siberia is to
judge the qualifications of two can
didates in Vladivostok, a thousand
miles distant, is not explained.
But let no one scorn modern So
Wet Russia as a backward country.
Within Is years she may pass even
the United States in iteracy. Today
only Is per cent of her population
is unable to read and write. Her
program for youth is building a
physically-fit generation that will
probably outstrip all other nations.
There are so many amazing fea-
lures about this giant country that
the investigator goes away unable
to understand it. Russia has suf-
fered countless failures in the past
20 years, yet she has succeeded in a
surprising degree despite her fail
ure
Lenin's communism is probably
one of the failures, though the
Father" himself predicted his
Utopia would be reached only via
a zig-zag course, ''by three steps
forward and two steps back" Pos
sibly the present democratic" at
titude is merely temporary devia-
ton from the intended path, neces-
STATED by the entertainments of
fascism from all sides. In defense