The people's voice. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1939-1969, 1940-03-13

| tAA1s LILO 'OASO o6A COo Vi QAo16A 006 v
letters will be published in this space
degree at least, effectively.
Dear Sir:
| Inasmuch as "The Peoples Voice
has been printing the Russian Boil
shevik viewpoint exclusively, OF the
Russian-Finnish conflict, l hope thai
the Voices avowed policy of justice
and fair play will permit you to pub
lish the following representation Of
the Finnish side.
A steel worker in Tammerfors, Fin
land, whose name is Kalle Santala
wrote an appeal to the Russian lab
orers. Here is a translation OF his
appeal, which was printed in Nor.
wegian in the DEBORAH Poster, Nor.
wegian-American paper:
RUSSIAN COMRADES!
1--WE Finnish laborers do not want
to lose the freedom we have won, nor
our country's independence. Since the
time when we fought along with you
against the suppression by the Gar,
we In this country have been able to
unite our people and attain higher
standard of living We take part in
the governing Of our country. We
have our representatives in all city
and county administrations. Among
the workers we ourselves have started
an educational program that has made
rapid progress. Then why do you
come to destroy us?
1--WE have no idols as leaders. We
have no mObs that are led blindly.
We are all wide awake citizens. We
can freely criticize everything, and ex-
press our opinion on all questions
We have freedom of speech to the
greatest extent. II you have not these
rights In your own land, you cannot
acquire them by destroying them for
US.
eve cannot recognize Kuusinen's
puppet government, because we have
not helped to elect it by common
suffrage. We have one government
that we have ourselves elected, and
it is our duty to fight for it as we
fight for our own families, our women
and our children.
NOW your army is thrown against
our country. I hope you will think
of the words of your teacher, Lenin,
when he said: we must make the
bayonets think. Then we will have
peace in all the world With US the
bayonets do think. Every soldier
knows what he is fighting for. You
know also that we ask for nothing
else than to be allowed to live and
be at peace. Can you say the same?
Can you in any way justify the attack
Of the Russian army on Finland? Mr.
Molotov's and Mr.. Kuusinen's declara-
tion that we are a menace to Lenin-
grad ia no good, and neither is the
statement that our laboring class must
be freed. We are free, and we are
working for yet greater freedom
through specific knowledge and gen.
eral information. We workers OF Fin
land and our soma have all left our
work and are fighting against the Boil
shevik army, for we know that sup
preston will be our lot If we lose
IiC 4l6At
Labor unions, farmers co-operatives
and fishermen In Denmark, Norway,
and especially in Sweden are sending
enormous amounts of money and all
sorts Of supplies to help Finland In
her fight against dictatorship, and
these same people in Scandinavia are
deeply grateful to those in this coun-
try who recognize the danger and
who express their sympathy with more
than words.
The veteran labor leader, social
democrat, and prime minister of Dem
mark, Thorvald Staining. made the
following statement in April. 1888, re-
garding the communist party: I'VE
know by experience enough about
methods We know their