DEMOCRACY

Evening Post, Volume CXVIII, Issue 8, 10 July 1934, Page 3

DEMOCRACY

ITS ALTERNATIVES

MENACE TO CHRISTIANITY

Answering the question "Can Democracy survive?" Air. D. Riddiford, president of the Reform Club, iv an address before the Women's Auxiliary of the Wellington Reform League last night, after quoting many definitions of democracy, said it was to be noted that modern democracy rose to power through the fierce struggle of revolution followed by dictatorship through the last three centuries. Today people were asking whether there was not more veal equality in common work, irrespective' of social conditions, under dictatorial, government than in the chaos of party politcs. He felt confident that the dictatorships of the present day, Eussia, Germany, Austria, Italy, and even the United States, were following the traditional political course of centuries —revolution followed by a dictatorship* 'Democracy needed guarding. Throughout history it had appeared, disappeared, and reappeared. Two alternatives were Communism and Fascism, which '.appeared to challenge the ideals of democracy. Idealistically Communism made, an appeal, but its challenge was the most serious menace that had threatened the Christian faith for hundreds of years. The methods by which Lenin and others had sought to realise their ideals had little in common with Christianity. "The essence of the communistic method is," said .Mr. Riddiford, "on the one hand, a ruthless class dictatorship involving at a single stroke the abolition of private property; the persecution, indeed, in many eases;, the .extermination of the middle classes; tho suppression of individual rights before the law; tho sup- ( p.rcssiou. of freedom of speech and of ! tho Press; and the suppression of pub- ] lie meeting and political association. ; And, on the other hand, the conccntra- ' tion in^the.. hands of. the Communistic ] Party .of the schools, of tho universities, of tho Press and of the news agencies, ] and, indeed, of every instrument for | forming and guiding public opinion." ] . Mr. Riddiford quoted tho Archbishop 1 of York, who, admitting tho Russian 1 achievement as the greatest of this or < any age, a remarkable transformation ; in Russian society, mentioned tho. great ! industrial movement, and the suppres- * sion of irregular conduct amongst those ' in authority, aiot from any particular ! interest in morals, but because* that ! kind of life was regarded as ineompat- ] ible with devotion to any great cause. l The system, -was' in fact based on a Puritan, almost monastic, foundation. But the- 160,000,000 people of Eussia were swayed by tho Communist Party of only about 1,500,000 people. It was hoped that after, two or three generations the citizen mind would be so detached from selfish interests' that the Communist condition of society could come into being, lifo being conducted by a number of co-operating groups rendering appropriate service in har- . mony free from class distinction. j Human nature would not give up its ' selfishness, however, and behind all was i tho denial of God. Except for thai, ■ thero was no direct answer or real grounds for resistance to the Communistic philosophy. "Our aim must be, not the dictatorship by, but tho abolition of tho proletariat," "said Mr. Riddifovd. "It is going to bo extremely difficult, progress must be slow, but it is going to make all the difference in the world whether or not we have a goal in front of us. We are not going, in tho long run, to •be able to resist the: menace of Communism— terrible-'as.it is—if we remain content to justify our present order of society over against it. We must become critics of our own social order in the light of the ■ traditions which we have inherited."