The Daily Worker Newspaper, March 1, 1924, Page 11

TS a rearnrneneenemnenenememeeemnennenmmenntiamenemene teeeeeme™ camera errr OnE SET SSO Ss \ ‘nal, do you believe that Jesus Christ * unpardonable sin. and I sentence you Honest Government In Soviet Russia * «# soma who hold office for the usual reasonytouch with their constituency. I saw assumed that the official has no other (The author was with the Amer- ican Friends (Quakers) in Soviet Russia for nine and a half months during the famine.) * a * —what they can get out of it. It was. historically inevitable that with a complete inversion of society some of the dregs should have remained near the top for a time. It was in- evitable, too, that in the unsettled times of transfer from the old to the new, certain individuals should have taken advantagé of the chaos to settle old sores of hate and re- venge. It is either utopian or igno- rantly partisan to ignore these facts, There are certainly still such ex- amples of dishonesty and graft to be found. But to conclude from these cases that all Russia is a welter of bribery and theft is to follow the rea- soning of the blind man who felt on the tail of the elephant and assured his friends that the elephant was very like a rope. ‘No Corruption in Higher Places. There is, hawever, one curious as- pect of Communist Russian political corruption. While cases of petty thievery and graft are found in the minor positions, it is rare that such inStances are produced, even by the most meticulous search of ill wishers, in the ranks of the higher officials See any “graft and dishonesty in Russia today? Well, it de- pends on whom you ask. And if you had asked me a year ago, my an- swer would have depended on what day you asked the question. If it were the day that theft was discov- eped-in the warehouse, or the day. that Famine Committee President of Ivanovka was reliably reported to be dispensing special rations to his friends, I should probably have said, “All Russians are thieves and liars.” If I had just come from a conyersa- tion with Tovarish Rolff who works with much patience, long hours and little reward to bring enlightenment to the Communist youth of Sorochin- skoe; or if it had been the day I tied my clothes in a neat bundle, put them on my head and waded the river with the district school in- spector to visit a children’s home where there was a suspicion of graft —I should very probably have said with a Fecerares 7 “The Russians |where greater ‘temptations with are a fine, honest lot.” lar. ds f . In either case, I should have fallen Simatees iB tor -Giahonesty present into the great Nordic. Fallacy and have been guilty of that supreme error, a universal race or ‘class pidgeon-holeing. There are honest Russians and Russian crooks. There are devoted, self-sacrificing Com- munists in Russia and there are those, particularly in the villages, who have been swept into places of responsibility and power holding on to the skirts of the Revolution, I presented this phenomenon to a friend who returned from Russia only a/few days ago and asked for an explanation. He replied at once that the reason .was simple, the pros- pect of the nearest wall and a well- aimed rifle was a rather strong de- terrent. Undoubtedly this does play a part. During the time I was in Russia—ten months—I heard of twenty railway officials being execut- ed when found guilty of accepting bribes. A noticeable increase in railway efficiency followed all down the line. But the explanation lies infinitely deeper than that. First of all, the men who occupy the major positions of power and importance are men who have been tried for years in the fire of revolutionary activity, who have so long forgone the acquisition of personal wealth for their cause that they are above temptations of this lower order. Lenin, whatever other criticism may have been heaped upon him, was never accused of hav- ing ambitions for personal enrich- ment. The others at the top will bear the same close scrutiny. Importance of Communists. It is, of course, one of the sad things of the revolution that there are not enough of ‘that sort to go around for all the positions of trust and importance. An°American who was with the Red Afmy during the Revolution told me in Moscaw five years later that one of the great dis- appointments of his return was to find that such great numbers of the idealist youth of those early days were not to be found. naturally been the. first to offer them- selves in the battle against reaction nd had been killed in the hottest part of the fighting. War, contrary to Mr. Brisbane’s brilliant column, does not destroy the most bloodthirsty and The Infallible Decision In California when a radical is apprehended, if he is sus- pected of having harbored a thought, he is arrested for thinking it, tried for criminal syndicalism, and convicted for contempt of court. Shortly we may expect: Prosecuting Attorney (to an as- tronomer, charged with carrying mystic inscriptions in. the left hind pocket of a pair of union-made trous- ers) Is it not a fact that this is a code message in the unknown tongue; and that is was delivered to you by a flying dutchman, ten feet - under- ground? : : Astronomer: Those, Sir, are copies of ancient Babylonian inscriptions, recording an eclipse. : Prosecuting Attorney: Lair! where did you get them? Astronomer: I took the paper out of the waste basket in the observa- tory, and, as I was going for a walk, I brought it along. Nature is not always considerate of the time and place in making her demands. Judge: Any one uttering the word “Nature” in this hall of Justice is guilty of contempt of court. I sen-|hestial of the race first. tence you—” A second condition bringing about Prosecuting Attorney: Your Hon-|this honesty in high places is. the or! construction of the Soviet State, r Judge: What is it? , Prosecuting Attorney: Your Hon- or is well aware that the crime of contempt of court carries a light penalty. ; ae Your Honor, I just saw this crimi- nal bestow a vile look of disdain upon the Holy Bible that sanctifies yon witness stand. Judge: Proceed! * Prosecuting Atorney: Base crimi- which keeps the officials in closest was the son of God? Astronomer: No. Prosecuting Attorney: you bel-eve? Astronomer: (off his guard) I be- lieve he was a lucky lad who, by some happy chance, was led to think in- stead of imitate. Prosecuting _Attorney: Your Hon- or, the crime of blasphemy does not carry a sufficiently heavy penalty for this infidel. ; Judge: An insignificant detail, a technicality of no consequence—cul- prit, stand up while I make an ex- ample of you pring (Astronomer stands up with a_be- wildered expression on his face.) Judge: You are convicted of the What do This Photograph in Sepia Brown or Black, on Spe- cial Enamel Pa- per, 814x7\4. $2.00aYear SOVIET RUSSIA PICTORIAL NANG st “ait Street Novi. s vieeespeieeess to be hung in this world and to be burned for ever with hell-fire in the Next case! They had} , 82 South Wabash Ave., Chicago, Ill, ie ee ee ee eee eee eee eee seen an example of this in Moscow at a meeting of delegates of all the trade unions of the state or gubernia of Moscow. The meeting was held in the great Hall of the Nobles, now the Dom Soyuzov or House of the Unions. | (It was in this same hall that the body of Lenin lay in state just a few days ago.). By a special ticket from the president of the Moscow unions my friend and I were ad- mitted to the platform which. had been erected at the end of the great ball room with its magnificent chan- deliers. The floor of the room was filled with representatives from: the industries of the state, horny-handed workingmen and stalwart working- women straight from the bench and the machine. It was the custom in all such meet- ings that I attended to have as part of the program a presentation of the World Situation, as they termed it. The man selected to present this world view was always one of the best informed men they could find. On this. occasion it was none other than Kameney, one of the trium- virate nearest Lenin. He was re- ceived with applause upon his ap- pearance, but without ceremony, and went shortly to the speaker’s desk. He smoked a cigarette thru- out the talk which was more like a ‘class room lecture than a speech. And, here is the significant thing: thruout the talk‘ perfect snowstorm of questions written on bits of paper was showered on the platform from all parts of the audience. He knew, and his audience knew, that he was speaking to the backbone and sinews of the Revolution. Here was the significant and determinative consti- tuentcy of the government plying one of the chiefs with questions. It was the sort of thing that happens in America when a member of the cabi- net addresses a notable chamber of cotamerce. : "Ne Teapot Politics in Russia. Then there is still another reason. It would simply be impossible for an official in Russia to sell a -Teapot Dome and get away with such a con- venient little loan as our late seere-j} tary of the interior is reliably re- ported to have done. With private ownership of estates, stocks and bonds eliminated, it would be a matter of real practical diffi- culty for an official to take any large sum and remain in Russia to enjoy it. The salaries of all officials is well known, and it is also well known | that none of these salaries will per- mit luxurigus living. It can also be How Do You Know? A handboek of Evidence and Inference By ELLEN HAYES 228 pp. and index. $2.00 postpaid. Order from» Prof. E. Hayes, Wellesley, Mass. Sent with Each Yearly Subscrip- - tion or Renewal. Without Sub 25 Cents Each. $1.00 Six Months Bleck icc eeece ee TLRS livttips ern sD means of support, owns no ranches, clips no coupons, and draws no re- tainers’ fees. A rather certain sus- picion would attach to one of these officials if he were observed to be lliving unusually well. I have laid emphasis on the more or less mechanical deterrents. The real reason, in the end is the second jone I have pointed out. Lenin did not refrain from stealing for any of {these reasons, but simply because he |was not that kind of a man. There |has been no sensational corruption at the top in Soviet politics because the leadership has been in the hands of men who are honestly devoted to a cause into which they have put their lives and are actuated by no ulterior motives. And the system to which they are devoted will make increas- ingly less probable such conditions in every part of the Soviet Republic. . IMPEACH COOLIDGE! A Workers Corporation serving The Workers Ras of SOVIET RUSSIA wants you as A Shareholder t A practical way by which you CAN HELP RUSSIA —_ Comrade Lenin wrote to Pres. Sidney Hill- Py man of “RAIC”: “J am heartily thankful to you for the aid you have given us.” —— You Can Do as Lenin Advised: HELP BUILD THE NEW F RUSSIAN CLOTHING INDUSTRY $10 makes you a shareholder —May be paid in $1 instal- ments For further information address; RUISIAN-AMERICAN \ADUSTRIAL CORPORATION ANODE. 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