BOLSHEVISM AT A DISCOUNT.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLVIII, Issue 30501, 22 June 1926, Page 4

BOLSHEVISM AT A DISCOUNT.

A SOCIALIST’S CONDEMNATION. The Communists, and those Socialists who have Communist leanings, are naturally full of indignation at the remarkable indictment of Soviet Russia by M. Abramovitch, a member of the Social Democratic Labour Party of Russia, in an article in a) weekly Socialist journal. Mr. Abramovitch is one of those Socialists who had to flee from Russia to escape* the fate, either of death or of banishment to the frozen wastes of Siberia, which was the lot of most of his comrades. He tells us little that we did not know before, but as he is a Socialist of European reputation and is acknowledged to be a man of high purpose and honesty, his critics, though! they accuse him of prejudice, and question the accuracy of bis figures, do not dare to dispute bis main assertions. Of Russia’s economic position he says: “The recent economic recovery of Russia,” he says, “was possible only because the Bolsheviks were compelled to abandon the Utopian schemes which for three years they pushed forward with super-human energy and recklessness, through bloodshed and violence. If, therefore, we are to draw political conclusions from Russia’s present economic successes which, be it said, can bo claimed only as relative successes, they do not speak for the theories of Bolshevism, but against them.” FREEDOM OF SPEECH. The Labour Party, who protested against the prosecution o| the Communist, leaders as an infringement of the rights of free speech, may be interested to know that: “There is in Russia no kind of liberty of speech, of the Press, ol assembly, or of organisation. No citizen may, without the permission of the Communist authorities, publish a book or pet iodical or issue a manifesto; nor may he summon or hold a meeting, nor organise any party or society—even though it be for scientific or educational purposes —without that permission. All elections for the Soviet, for Work’s Councils, Trade Unions and Co-operative Committees are conducted by a show of hands before the, very eyes of the dictators. And the dictators are not- the proletariat. The “dictatorship of the proletariat” is merely a name for “the Terrorist tyranny of tho Communist Party over the whole nation.” This dictatorship is maintained by the Communist rulers with every device of political terror and political oppression. There is a wellorganised net work of secret police with unlimited powers, disposing of enormous sums of money, and employing tens of thousands of spies. As a result of this rigorous rule, “the Soviets have withered, and are summoned only occasionally by the Bolsheviks merely for the purposes of agitation and decorative effect.” WHAT OF EDUCATION ? That the Soviet rulers are masters of decorative effect we know from the experience of the British trade union delegation. “There are grandiose educational schemes,” says' M. Abramovitch,” but in practice education has fallen below the standard reached bj progressive Semstvos in Lzaiist days. It is significant that only 4 per cent, of budgetary expenditure is devoted to education, as against 10 per cent, for military purposes. There are exempt ai \ laws for the protection of children, and foreign visitors are shown excellent childen’s homes and schools on modern lines; but the rest of the homes arc wretchedly organised, their number is few, and hundreds of thousands of destitute children are wandering in the streets, hastening to physical and moral_ ruin, growing up as drug-addicts, drunkards, prostitutes and thieves. Such conditions arc to be found in no ’other civilised countries. Yet: nothing is done.” PLEAS OF EXTENUATION. The Editor of the “New Leader” admits the truth of most of this tremendous indictment, but sets against it the positive gains of the revolution. It has failed to’give the people liberty, but it has given “a new and stimulating sense of social freedom.” They may not be able to elect or control their representatives or leaders, their freedom oi action may be limited but “they have lost the sense of being dominated by a master class.” But what outweighs every other drawback and disadvantage of the Revolution according to this writer, is that it has abolished the love of money. And vet M. Abramovitch tolls us that there is an epidemic of embezzlement amongst Trade Union and Cooperative secretaries, and that everywhere there is corruption among high officials, judges, c nc s of poficc, even Prisidents and Secretaries of Soviets. (Contributed 'by the New Zealand Welfare League).