The Daily Worker Newspaper, November 22, 1924, Page 12

The guns have stopped firing! “That is good,” says everyone. But is it good? We wonder. Hyeryone won- ders. Soon the soldiers will come. Af- ter a battle soldiers always come. Lucky that the armies met twenty versts away. Old Vassily remembers ——but what does it matter what he re- members? Anyway, he tells of vil- lages in which not a house was left standing. Or a woman unharmed, ‘Terrible stories. Perhaps they are only stories, The rich landowners have been cheerful these days. also, his paunch shakes when he laughs, like a bowl of warm Kasha. The poor peasants do not like these signs. They walk unsmilingly, re- signed to the future. In other villages when the “Whites” came — but per- haps they are only stories. Dust om the steppes. Music on the air. .The soldiers are far off. Five versts, perhaps six. What matters a verst more or less? Too far to dis- tinguish their uniforms. Or their martial tunes. From a distance armies look the same. It is when they come near—let us hope that they are but stories, tales told by idle women at the fish market. s ? . In the home of old Kulak the table is spread with good things to eat and drink. As fast as a plate is empty the servant brings something else. This is a fat land and has not been touched by armies. But today! We shall see. The steward, he who watched over the old baron’s estate these many years, is talking. About the civil war, of course. Now those “Reds” will be overthrown. The good times will come back. Perhaps the baron might éven come back—just for a visit. The firing has ceased. Yes, yes, of course, Kulak had heard it! Who had not? Soon there would be jovial offi- cers at his table. Perhaps one of them might take an interest in his daughter. His beautiful Olympiade. Daughter of heaven. So she was. An officer was the right husband for her. Those good looks shoaid be set off by a swagger uniform. An officer. Yes, a brigadier even. Of artillery—no, eavalry. This was a country for a horseman. The glasses were filled again and the wine was no more good to look upon than the mraiden’s blush- es. An officer! A brigadier, no less! * * *& The music came closer. What can they be playing? Surely that is not the “Hymn to the czar.” What else (Continued from page 1) who are not class conscious. MacDonald issued definite instruc- _ tions to the labor party carididates not to fight the election on the Campbell ease or the Russian. treaty, but to fight on “the record of good work done by the labor government.” Nev- ertheless the treaty and the Campbell case have been important issues in the election and have served to re- tain for labor the enthusiasm of ac- tive workers who would otherwise have treated the election as a sham fight between three completely capi- talist parties, — The only points worth noting in the election platforms are that labor did not mention the capital levy or the working class in its “appeal to the people” and that the tory party kept the issues of the Campbell case and Russia well to the front all the time. The liberal party, discovered during the election a new agricultural pro- gram on vaguely socialist lines and tried to revive the old fear of taxes on food. Both these efforts féll very flat, and the liberal party lost heavily in votes and seats. Liberals Smashed. With regard to the nomination of candidates which plays a considerable part in British election maneuvers, owing to the method of election, there has been either an open or tacit agrée- ment between the liberal and tory parties-with regard to most of the seats in which labor had_ hitherto The fat priest, THE BRITISH ELECTIONS KOMBRIG IVANOV - can it be? Surely not. . . Lat But it was. From fifty brass horns, and behind them a thousand lusty throats, the tune that inspires work- er and peasant to great things, the tune known as the battle song of the rebellious workers of all the ee “The International”! Gone is the gravity of the worker and peasant—a smile is on his honest open face. A smile from the young mother. A smile from the gray. beard- ed veteran with back bent with toil. A cheer from the young workers, who already vision themselves in the proud brown cloth of the Red Army. Gone is the smile from the well- nourished faces of the wealthy. farm- ers, the merchants, Gone are the de- bonaire prophecies.oef the steward and the priest. -Gone are rich old Kulak’s hopes for an officer for his’ daughter. Even a subaltern would do. Gone! But are they? eo 8 All is activity in the village. Or- ders are posted. Two soldiers shall be quartered in each house; they shall adhere strictly to the “political man- ual” which tells them that worker and peasant must be treated with love and respect. It is easy to love your fel- low worker. Sometimes it is easier. The horses, too, are warriors. They are well cared for. School and club- room ‘are opened for the soldiers. Chess and checkers are favorite pas- times, books and papers are passed from hand to hand. From town to town there rushes a wierd horseless wagon, an “automobile” it is called, the first ever seen in these villages. Hundreds of leaflets are tossed from this mpchine; they tell of the work- ers’ victory. it cannot * * @# The soldiers make themselves com- fortable. Workers welcome them with open arms. The old women are busy at the big stone stoves; daugh- ters primp excitedly in front of the cracked mirror. Make yourselves pret- ty, my maiden, a Red soldier is a good husband. Perhaps an officer even? Who knows? The soldiers tell of their exploits. They help with the threshing, the rain must not spoil the grain. They dance on the village green with the bright- eyed maidens. These are happy days in the village. The poor moujiks are happy. Has not the army said, “The land is his who works it.” They have worked it all their lives. You cannot argue with an army. * 6 * been faced by both of their oppon- ents. In such thrée-cornered contests labor has had the advantage of the fact that the capitalist vote is divided. Now in 127. such constituencies labor had to meet a solid capitalist vote, with the result that many of these seats showed an increased la- bor vote but a loss in representation. It is a sign of the weakness of the liberal party that they withdrew their candidates in 107 of. these 127 cases. “The final election maneuver was the “bombshell” note from the foreign of- fice to Russia enclosing an alleged letter from Zinoviev to the Commun- ist Party of Great Britain. This was termed by the London Daily Express, a capitalist newspaper which sup- ports trade with Russia, “the foreign office election manifesto.” The Zino- viev letter is an obvious forgery. MacDonald’s part in the matter is am- biguous. It is impossible to believe that this attempt by reactionary offi- cials to provide the capitalist parties with election material has actually changed many votes. MacDonald re- mained silent for three days after the: publication of this most unconvincing document, but from hundreds of la- bor platforms up and down the coun- try the “letter” was denounced as a forgery. If the work put in by the Commun- ists during the election has been as effective as it seems to us to have been, we are a good step forward to- wards a Communist mass party in Britain, ‘ At the home of old Kulak there are also two soldiers. Th biggest house must contain the prigade office. So here is Kombrig {vanov himself, with his chief aide. The old scoundrel’s face fell as the two soldiers entered. An officer, yes, but he had hoped for a different kind. Not so with the girl. After all, he was an officer, and a handsome one at that. A brigadier! Perhaps. .. It is easy to listen to a soldier. He talks so well. Especially to an ap- preciative audience. What wonders could Kombrig “Ivanov relate to the open-mouthed Olympiade. Marksman, orator, hero. And here was a gold watch to prove it, the general himself had come out to present this gift of the Moscow Soviet. So after all, she was to get her officer, and he was a brigadier. Ask not what wiles a woman can wield for @ man’s fancy. The maiden was interested and therefore, interest- ing. She listened to his’stories. ‘She even read what he read, tho it be “The A. B. C. of Communism.” She found it much more interesting than “Klyuchy Schastya”—especially when his arms were around her to help hold the book. 7. * #£ Days speed past like hours, nights like minutes. There came the day when her head was pillowed on his chest, her star-bright eyes looking up into his, and she gave him the answer he desired. But, alas, this was not the end of trouble; it was but the be- ginning. Enthusiastically she outlined her plans for a high church wedding in all its splendor, veenjetz on head and svetchka in hand as they made their vows before the bejewelled priest. But this did not suit Kombrig. He was a Bolshevik, and the civil re- gistration of marriage required by Soviet law was enough ceremony for him, In vain did he quote authority after authority out of the very books they had read together. She hurled them at his head, even Bucharin, Plechanov, Karl Marx, in hard bind- ings. Their dream was done. es * # But youth will be served. Day and night he thought of the fair Olympi- of her Kombrig. If he went to her it would be surrender. If she went to him, the same. It could not be. Yet they must meet. Kombrig soon found away. An announcement that the di- sion . of land would be stayed if any ‘ormer owner could give a good rea- son why he should. be permitted to retain it. Everybody came to that meeting. Poor and rich. Young and of@. Ku- lak* was there. Also, despite paren- tal commands, was his daughter. Kombrig was in his glory. His logic was unanswerable, his eloquence most inspiring. The girl drank in his words with her whole being.’ When-he fin- ished the chairman asked for oppon- ents. Very unwililngly, certain defeat facing him, old Kulak allowed him- self to be pushed to the platform by his small clique. But he could only stammer and stutter meaningless phrases about the holy czar and the “good old times.” The heart of the youth was with Kombrig, and the ; heart of the girl also, She waited for him after the meeting and told. him so by the banks of the moonlit river. Yet the last obstacle was not yet removed. Her parents would surely object. Well, let them. They would be told, not asked. It was harder than they anticipated. The old father was especially set on a church wedding. “No civil cere- mony will hold your fine Kombrig away from other women” he raged. “So?,” answered the girl, “And has the high-church wedding held you? Why not tell mother just where you Icat your hat?” Ah, that cursed hat! Old Kulak had a fondness for fishing, not neces- sarily in the stream, an orchard bench with a plump little applewoman by his side would do nicely. brig’s room. The old rake started an explanation ade. Day and night the maid dreamed |. One night the lovelorn Kombrig-has seen him go “fishing,” and that night Kulak had lost his hat: It was now in Kom- From the Russian by 1, YAROVSCHENKO to his wife that will take at least five years to finish, and we are not inter ested im that onicome, Neither were the young people. In five. minutes they were before the “Commissar of Vital Statistics,” had signed the mar- . tiage register, and accepted the lt- © cense under the benign smite of the big picture of Trotsky that hung on the wall, This is a romance, not a war story. So we will not pursue the tale of Kombrig and Olmptade any further. Some of the soldiers insist that the brigade has a new Commandant who, except for skirts, wears the regular uniform of the Army. Soon marching orders were received and Olympiade bravely broké with the life of her’past and took to the road with her soldier husband. She had her officer. She looked well in a uniform. She was happy, And in the village the poor peasants sang as they sowed their grain—this time the crop would be theirs. Note: This story, with very slight changes, is told in motion picture form by the new Russian feature film, “The Beauty and the Bolshevik,” which can be rented by working class organizations on very’ favorable terms. For particulars address, In- ternational Workers’ Aid, 19 §. Lin- coln St., Chicago, Ill. PATRONIZE OUR ADVERTISERS BOOKS FOR THINKERS SCIENCE, LITERATURE ECONOMICS, HISTORY, Any Book in Print at Once. Jimmie Higgins Book Shop 127 University Place NEW YORK CITY A Workers Party Book Shop The Walden Book Shop 307 Plymouth Court (Between State and Dearborn Just South of Jackson) CHICAGO LEARN ‘ESPERANTO The International Language The following Sponiets are received Esperanto for a grammar and vocabulary. Esperanto and its Critics, cee Prof. Collinson. St., Rockford, WORKERS: ESPERANTO. “ASSN., How to Be ose i ~~ use of medicine or a “operation. DR. TAFT 1555 West Roosevelt Road Daily 9 to 12 a.m.—2 to 5—6to8p. m. Sundays and Holidays 9 to 12 a.m. _ TELEPHONE CANAL 3459 the {ntact mphict giving ing,_outling “of Pshowin its s Eoperanto, ete., wont mags The Workers Ido Federation Room LF James St., N. S. unaH, PA.