The Western news. [volume] (Libby, Mont.) 1933-current, 1943-01-14
Would Be
Resented Here

An interesting article IS
one that appears IN the last
issue Of Life. 1t is written by
Walter Graebner, who has
lust returned from some time
spent in Russia. He was the
last American to leave Stall
ingrad before the battle for
that city stopped traffic on
the Volga river.
Graebner pays high trib- /
ute to the fighting ability
and patriotism of our Rus
sian allies. He tells OF acts
of heroism and sacrifices that
would appear to be almost
beyond human endurance.
After reading the article one
must pay high tribute to a
people who are willing to
throw everything they have
even life itself-into de-
Tense of their beloved land
and to destruction and de-
feat of the enemy who has
struck at them
But near the conclusion OF
the article there are a few
paragraphs that should be Of
more than usual interest to
Americans. It speaks Of the
complete control of the coun-
try by the Russian bureau
Gratis. The vast mass of the
people do just one thing
they obey what the man II
authority tells them to do
Because there has long beer
a tendency in America to i'm
pose more and more 0
bureaucracy on this nation
it is we'll to read what thi
correspondent says. W
quote
.'Russia's all-out. total war econ
omy was planned engineered am
carried out by big powerful bu
reaucracy whose long and senstiv
fingers reach from the Kremlin
the most miserable bread line
i ing is left to chance Nothin
IL left to the individual Everythin
that has even the renotcst bearin
on the war effort is tightly control
ed by the bureaucrats
They decide whether collectiV
farm is to grow peas or potatot
and where the products are to
shipped They tell factory manage
whether they are to make ball bea
ings or bombs and determine tt
hours and wages of all employe
They operate the railroads, dicta
the policies of newspapers, run II
entertainment in the parks The
decide whether a church should
u house Of worship or a laundr
When a Russian wishes to rent ;
apartment he must apply at ;
agency stated by bureaucratic.
he wants to travel he must first &
permit from bureaucrat. Ev
the opera and ballet receive instru
tons from the hureaucrats-som
times from Stain himself.
There are several million b
reauerats in Russia of greater
lesser Importance They comprise
social class which is every bit
distinct from the masses as the En-
lish nobility is from the cockne
And they enjoy many Of the sal
privileges as the upper classes
in other countries As in Amer
and England, those who have |
already achieved distinction in o
er fields, such as science or al
aspire to place in the bureaucra
"A successful bureaucrat in M
COW lives about as well as an Am
lean with a salary of $4,000 a We
though his actual income is pr
ably emily $$3y5 500 He may have
two or three-room apartment
the big modern Moscow Hotel n
the Kremlin, complete with mar
walls, grand piano and bathrot
His rent for such an estabishme
if ANYTHING at all, is nominal
his disposal day and night is
chauffeur-driven limousine, VIII
he retains SO long as he remains
office He has a special ration b.
which entities him (but not
family to eat in the restaur
connected with his work. The Fl
served in such places is super
to anything the masses get, thol
it is far below the general level
America or England. He has t
call talong with foreigners) on 81
to concerts and other forms of
fertainments, and he has easy