The Taihape Daily Times AND WAIMARINO ADVOCATE. WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 1, 1920. DEMOCRACY v. SOVIETISM.

Taihape Daily Times, Volume XII, Issue 3567, 1 September 1920, Page 4

The Taihape Daily Times AND WAIMARINO ADVOCATE.

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 1, 1920. DEMOCRACY v. SOVIETISM.

With which is incorporated "The Taihape Post and Waimarino News "

The return of the British Labour Delegates who went to Russia to investigate Bolshevism in the very homes of the Bolsheviki, is the" oc-, casion taken by vsevdral democratic newspapers to illustrate, and to impress upon the Labour Party generally, the changed attitude of the Delegates towards that they had so coeksured'iy extolled and advocated as a means of saving the labour world while they only had" Lenin's word to base their acts upon. In one extremely democratic newspaper the returned delegation is represented by a man labelled "British Labour;" he is standing cm a British ship,, having I just removed a diver's headgear; his face is a picture of unmistakeable satisfaction at having come safely from the black, inky, turbulent depths I label'led "Russian Bolshevism," through which the British Labour ship is, with difficulty, steering, and there is no disguising <the fact that he is saying with all thankfulness and emphasis "Thank God for a breath of fresh air." The title given to this cartoon is "Out of the Depths," and from the attitude of Labour, after hearing the whole truth so far as the Labour Delegation was allowed to know it by Lenin, there is no doubt that it correctly illustrates the complete disillusionment about Bolshevism that British Labour has undergone. M. Kamenev, who with M. Krassin constitutes the Russian delegation to Britain, declared to the Manchester Guardian a most significant fact about freedom in Russia. Britishers can truly boast of a greater measure of freedom, equality and fra- | tornity throughout their Empire, than i any other-people under the sun; but the boast of Kamenev is something to marvel at; he stated that "There Was no such liberty anywhere as in Rus-' sia at the present day," and Britishers may thank their 'lucky star that a Labour Delegation went, to Russia, saw, Russian liberty, flraternity and; equality, and have found it to be a sham, a delusion and a veritable snare that British Labour will do well to give wide berth to. But, without the Labour Delegation's disillusionment,Kamenev himself said quite sufficient to the Manchester Guardian to have | rendered a visit to Russia unnecessary. Kamenev said "there was no such lib&rty anywhere as in Russia at the present day," and 'like the man in the cartoon, who has just come safely out of the black depths of Bolshevism we interpolate, ""Thank God that such liberty is not yet forced upon British, peoples. For Kamenev went 'on to say, "But this liberty applies only to the supporters of the Soviet system; there is no freedom of speech for others; we are at war," and Kamenev knew what he was saying for ho is the President of the Moscow Soviet. To further probe into the question of Russian liberty under the Lenin regime it is somewhat illuminating to read what Mclnicbansky, president of The Moscow Labour unions, had to say about the strike weapon and direct action. He stated in exact words. "That any. body of workers that would venture to walk out on strike would be considered as traitors to thoir socialist fatherland, and would doubtless be shot as such." Does- this not disclose' ample cause for wonder as to what Labour unions find to do at their meetings? It is no use discussing their unsatisfactory conditions of life, or their inadequacy of wages, for the penalty of withholding their labour as a means of securing improvement, the president of the

Moscow Union states is, undoubtedly, death by being shot. Now, it is the real position of Labour in Russia, under Sovietism, that the recently returned British Labour Delegation have seen for themselves, and they have told British workers that it is not the kind or quality of 'liberty, equality, and; fraternity tha-'t would suit, or satisfy the demand for improvement in social conditions! that British Labour desires and is striving for. Russian liberty is an anomalous thing; it is attained through the sacrifice of all pretensions to liberty; it; is an imaginary bliss secured only by offering up body and soul as an oblation to the messiah of Moscow: to Lenin, an illiterate, essentially brutish Mongol. Tom Shaw says that'Lenin the Dictator is incredibly ignorant about Britain and British people, as is obvious from his message to British workers. But, it is asked is

Lenin more incredibly ignorant about us than our champions of Bolshevism are about Russia? There are indications that New Zealand Bolshevism has recently undergone a tempering process more in the direction of real democracy. It may be that the fin clings of the British Labour Delegation to Russia have shaken the scales of ) ignorance about Sovietism in Russia from their eyes, and- they now see more clearly that the liberty, equality and fraternity as interpreted by Lenin and his Reds, the nature and quality of democracy that British Labour can be cozened and cajoled into having anything to do with, and they are relegatng Lenin and his cult to that obscurity it is Labour's greatest misfortune it ever emerged from We think that noted socialist, Robert ) Blatchford, has defined democracy more to the satisfaction of Labour than any (Other writer: contrasting it with the despotism and tyranny of I Lenin he writes: —"Democracy, by the nature of it is opposed to any form of to benevolent tyranny amongst the rest. Democracy tells us that no man or group of men shall enslave, or coerce, or dictate to t' rest of mankind; that the thing which a man believes he shall be free to speak, to preach, to write, or to teach; but that under rio circumstances nor .for any /excuse shaTl he bo permitted, to injure another man for refusing to accept his faith, nor to force his faith or policy upon other men by: threats or arms. Democracy says that all men shall be ,free to think, to speak and to believe; that in any case of faith each shall decide for himself; ' and that in any matter, of poHcy the decision shall be left to the majority. The spirit of Democracy is unqunechably hostile to dictation and to terrorism. The Lenin Manifesto is more obnoxious to a British democrat than the toryism of Jacobean days or the capitalism of the early states of the factory system. The idea that the British people are to wade through blood in order that they may be organised as slaves under some seagreen incorruptible tyrant with a bee in his bonnet will not appeal to our people." It is further suggested that it is only Lenin's incredible ignorance and incredible egotism which enable him ti suggest that Councils of Action shall urge our British'people to rise in armed revolt and sack the Foreign Office for the purpose of finding out whether any secret treaties are concoaled there. Such political foolishness British people have outgrown. "They fought for and established a Democracy as a safeguard against Leninism in all its forms, and we shall not be likely to barter our British subsfance for a Russian shadow."