The Wanganui Herald (Published Daily.) THURSDAY, AUGUST 19, 1920. THE BOLSHEVIK MENACE.

Wanganui Herald, Volume LIII, Issue 160732, 19 August 1920, Page 4

The Wanganui Herald (Published Daily.) THURSDAY, AUGUST 19, 1920. THE BOLSHEVIK MENACE.

The Russo-Polish situation more than ever emphasises—if emphasis is needed —the paucity of ideas among Allied statesmen as regards any effective action for the killing of the Bolshevik menace." They seem quite unable to realise that they have to deal really with two such menaces-—that of Russia, and that at home. So far as the Bolsheviks of Russia are concerned, Britain’s decision is to leave them alone, which certainly will not prevent their activities, while France appears to favour armed conflict with them, which may or may not be successful. But neither of these courses of action are of any use against Bolshevism at home. And that the latter may yet become something to be reckoned with recent events have proved. British Labour has forced its Government (though the latter will probably pretend otherwise) to abandon any idea of an armed enterprise against Russia. French Labour, though its Government has recognised General Wrangel and wants little inducement to send an army to his aid, has also delivered its ultimatum; it has declined to handle munitions or stores for Poland, and has already, in several instances, held up their transport, That these acts on the part of British and French Labour are prompted by sympathy with the Bolsheviks there can be no manner of doubt. They may profess to have no desire to see Bolshevism in their own countries, and in saying so may be speaking the strict truth, for people often sympathise with others even though not sharing their opinions. But, from mere sympathy with people to ultimate adoption of their opinions' is sometimes not a very lengthy step, and this is a fact that Allied statesmen, in their public acts, if not in their private views, seem persistently to ignore. Whether by continual denunciation of the Russian Bolsheviks they hope to arrest the growth of Bolshevism in Britain and France they themselves know best. But, if that be their motive, they might as well cry for the moon. THE OFFICIAL ATTITUDE. The whole attitude of the Allied leaders towards Bolshevism is that of the ostrich with its head in the sand. Consequently, they haviq

earned, not only the scorn of Bolshevik sympathisers, but, by misleading their own supporters, will ultimately earn the latters’ scorn as well. How many times and for how long have we been assured that Bolshevism is doomed and on the verge of collapse? Times without number, and for four years past. Yet the Bolsheviks are still going as strong as ever. How often have we been told that Bolshevism was confined to but a small portion of the Russians? Yet this does not explain how this small portion keeps a round hundred million funder its thumb. How often have we been told that Bolshevism could never spread beyond Russia? Yet the Bolsheviks are at the gates of Warsaw, and appear to be strengthening their footing in Persia as well as spreading propaganda in other countries. How often have our statesmen and their newspapers had to make excuses and explanations for their own failures, and for repeated Bolshevik successes, both military and diplomatic? And ho'tf pitiful it is to read the repeated “squeals” of statesmen and newspaper correspondents anent Bolshevik trickery and unfair play, when they really ought to be remedying their own blunders and general incompetence! Misleading information, and excuses, and explanations, and “squealing” are not going to arrest Bolshevism. Far better to admit the hard facts, instead of continually leading the public to believe in a false state of affairs, and inducing it to live in a fool’s paradise. The position has become dangerous, and may become desperate. The Bolsheviks, by doing, and not by talking, have proved themselves to be far stronger than we supposed. Yet even now we are assured that they keep in power only by trickery and terrorism. They are flushed with military success. Yet we are even now listening to predictions that they will go to pieces before they are much older. They are beating us at every point of the game, and our statesmen do nothing but “squeal” about Bolshevik trickery. It is time we quit talking and did something. CAUSE OF BOLSHEVISM. This, however, has nothing to do with the menace of Bolshevism within our own gates, except insofar as the parallel of the ostrich is applicable thereto also. The root cause of Bolshevism everywhere is dissatisfaction with the conditions of life. It' does not matter whether those conditions are better or worse in any one country than in any other. So long as they breed dissatisfaction, and so long as rulers refuse or neglect to remedy them, they will sooner or later breed some “ism,” call it Bolshevism, I.WAV.-ism, Red Fed-ism, or what you will. The inherent depravity of man is not the cause; it is the conditions which bring out and foster that depravity. The people of Russia had conditions of life that would cause anyone to feel dissatisfaction; they broke out and adopted the “ism” of Bolshevism, and having formerly been treated as dogs they quite naturally behaved like dogs. The people of Germany have conditions that dissatisfy them. They have developed the “ism” of Spanicism, the same old thing under another name. But either their treatment has not been so bad as that of the Russians, or they are more long-suffering, for so far Sparticism has not prevailed. But. if German conditions of life remain bad enough for long enough, Sparticism will prevail. In Britain and France the workers are seething with dissatisfaction at the conditions of life, and not all the talk about the working man’s follies, and naughtinesses, and loafing, and grasping—a good deal of which may be admitted—alters the fact that they have solid reason for discontent. Government extravagance, favouritism, and misrule, ground landlords, land monopoly and mining royalties, extravagant wealth on the one hand and grinding poverty on the other, slums, bad housing, adulterated food, increased cost of living, and a thousand other causes all contribute to this discontent. The workers of Britain have not yet adopted any “ism” tending to bind them together in one solid mass. But all the conditions tending to that end are in operation. They are very patient under their conditions, and their generally law-abiding nature is another restraining influence. But the conditions referred to are had enough, and very bad at that. And they have only to go on long enough to breed much the same kind of “ism” as is making headway in Germany, and as has already swept Russia. THE REMEDY. The obvious remedy is to alter the conditions. What is more, they cannot be altered too swiftly. Neglect or refusal to do so is only making a rod for our own backs. But, strangely enough, our rulers can’t, or won’t, see it. They are quick enough to grasp the idea of a military expedition to suppress the Bolshevik abroad but they are extraordinarily blind to the necessity of taking such steps as will prevent his manufacture at home. It is not the least use their saying that this or that country is better than some other. Bach country has its own problems, each people its own griev-

ances, and where there is general discontent there grow the seeds of revolution. If our statesmen would only go to the root of things, if they were only hold enough to sweep away the thousand and one abuses which cause discontent, they would leave no room for the growth of any “ism” whatever, for the latter is a plant which cannot grow in soil compounded of content and happiness. The only way to avert the danger of Bolshevism at home is to remove the causes which breed it. But that is what our ostrich-like statesmen refuse to recognise. Come soon, or come late, however, they will have to pay the reckoning unless they bestir themselves.