Milford chronicle., 1951-10-26
HOW COMMUNISTS WORK

Those who are interested in how COM
munism operates once it comes to power
should read a vivid and hOrrifying article by
Peggy Durdin in the October 18th issue of
the Saturday Evenig Post, called They're
Ruling China by Mass Murder. Miss Durdln
obtained her information from refugees from
Red China who had fled to Hong Kong.
Miss Durdin begins her account with this
paragraph: 'The Chinese communists are
writing new chapter in the long history OF
brutality and oppression in China. Since last
fall they have arrested, executed or condemn
ed to hard labor more than 100000 people.
They are making ruthless, systematic effort
to exterminate every potential enemy OF their
regime and terrify the balance of the pOpula-
ton into passively accepting communist rule.
In order to accomplish these ends, trials
and executions are public spectacles. Every
technique of arOusing mass hysterla against
the accused is employed. The proceedings
are broadcast in luTid detail In some cases,
as in trials in the small villages, attendance
by local residents is compulsory. On occasion
the spectators are furnished typed sheets OF
slogans. They are led by cheereaders IN
laundering "ShoOt the beasts Kill, kill, kill!
AS Miss Durdin observes, life has always
been cheap in China. But, in the whole long
history of that country, there has never
been anything to compare to this. The kill
= ings are not the result of a simple, savage
blOOd-lust They are coldly planned by Mao
and his leaders, to make sure that no lOta OF
opposition to communism shall exist. The
noncOmmunists are terrified into cooperating
with the regime and following every order
faithfully. The accused, whether guilty OF
ANYTHING or noe, are rarely defended-and on
the occasions when they are, the defenders
are certain 20 be arrested
The Chinese communists, borrowing a
leaf from Stalin's book, encourage children
to inform on their parents for alleged anti
communist activity-Or, for that matter, an
ticOmmunist thinking The parents are exc
cuted, and the child is called hero of the
people. Says Miss Durdin, "It is fOOlhardy
nOncOmmunist parent who speaks frankly
and freely before his daughters and sons.
All this is done, of course, with the trap
pings of legality Last February, an amazing
law for the Punishment of COunterreVOlu
tiOnarieS was promulgated. 1t authorizes i'm
prisOnment and death not only for espionage
or sabotage, but for spreading rumOrS" anC
alternating and splitting the solidarity be
tween the government and the people. Al
if this wasn't enough, an article in the code
states that any cOunteTrevOlutiOnary activlt!
not specified can be similarly punished. Then
to can the climax, still another article make
the law retroactive.
Miss Durdin also points out that every
thing is done to arouse hatred for the Unite
States, as a prospective cOnQucrOr and Op
pressor of the Chinese people. On many OC
casions the people are told that the accuse
persons-and the accused are always fOun
guilty-were agents of the horrible Amer
can imperialists.
That, in brief. is how communism organ
ICES a nation. In Miss Durdin's phrase, 9Th
! communists have substituted control by fea
and force for rule by consent and persuasion
5000