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Show Crimes of the Bolsheviki. By A. J. Sack, director Russian information informa-tion bureau. Wool worth building, ) New York. The word "Bolsheviki" Js a new word for Americans. Unfortunately it is quite an old word for us Russians. We have known the "Bolsheviki" for the past fourteen four-teen years, and since they played the fatal role in our revolution of 1905, the majority of the Russian people recognize them as one of the most evil forces In our political and social life. Twelve years ago the Russian people, after the unfortunate war with Japan, made the first attack upon the old autocratic auto-cratic government. There were moments then when it seemed as if1 final victory would rest with the people. Such a moment mo-ment was that of October 30, 1905, when the czar, in a solemn manifesto, granted political freedom to the people and promised prom-ised that in future no law would be forced on Russia without the consent of the duma. The other moment occurred when the first duma. in May. 190(3, presented the cz:-ir with an address demanding liberal lib-eral reforms and the creation of a responsible re-sponsible cabinet. The old government tottered then, faring the people's representatives, repre-sentatives, and opened parleys with the leaders of the duma through General Trepoff. It is my sincere conviction that if the Mrst Russian revolution had been successful, success-ful, and Russia had become a free coun-trv coun-trv in 1905. then, nine years later, -in 1914. free Russia would have been so strong, and the union of free Russia with the democracies de-mocracies of Fiance and England would ha ve appeared so natural, crat the German Ger-man militaristic clique would have hesitated hesi-tated long before trying to -fight such a powerful combination. Cn fortunately two factors had destroyed de-stroyed the Russian revolution of 1905. First, the ruling classes, who did not understand un-derstand the signs of the time, did not understand the necessity of making slit-r-ere concessions to the people-. The second sec-ond factor, which destroyed the Russian revolution of 1 S05, was the Bolsheviki, and this was their first crime against tiie Russian democracy and against the world's democracy. l,onine then, as now, was Ihe leader of the Bolsheviki. "While the Russian revolution revo-lution of K'n5 could succeed only as a na-1 na-1 tional revolution, through the unity of all Russia's progressives forces. Ienine. In I r."'". did everything in bis power to de-strov de-strov tiie united front of the Russian democracy. de-mocracy. Under his influence the Socialist So-cialist factions boycotted the elections for the first duma. When the duma was convoked, con-voked, the Constitutional Democrats In control, the Bolsheviki did everything to discredit th duma as a "bourgeois" institution. in-stitution. It must be remembered that this was at the moment when the duma. ii the name of the people, had presented the czar's government with the demands for liberal reforms and a responsible cabinet. cab-inet. The old bureaucracy unt a great ileal of comfort from the Bois'oevlki's attacks at-tacks on the d tuna at this m-ii ical mo-nieni. mo-nieni. and secret order was then eriven bv the pnlii-o depart men t nnt to interfere inter-fere with Li ie -jnectiims of workiriKinen at whh-h the bourgeois" duma was criti-d. criti-d. . 1 .-in;; c extreme revolutionists, the i " , i-'ols'. ik;. in -.he Kv.ssia:- !wu:':t : -e tio urn v e: j T ru:z ; . , did not I le- lorrnaity u ! "he bolsheviki. but Ids u i --r ! i -; .i 1 uimd ; had ti"-:i a li'c-i - fonnuia t i the t h-or i of a per.-i.ai;em revokui m," a th.e.ry tvpieal of a iana::c. so con-.--nt rated on i!'is one aim thai he cannot sec ai'v.hii!.-; l t-s:-s it. I I I :se activities of ihe Ioh-O.eviki in t'.e I 1 P'.-riod or' li.e dark ivact :on. .-eiwo-n tho I ni'st and second rovoh: t ;,, wore w-vy j D'.uh alone thee same Ihi.-.v Aire tig the : moM prominent leaders :' ih- Holshvi i.i. iCunnsr tid period. w;i Mr. Mahno . a d-jpu;y of the- third duma. While t'mre was a steady endeavor com'-iue all ihe oppressive fo-Y-ts o" 11uia in the de- ; m.tnd for liberal reforms. Ma'dr.ovskv was unking one speech after aeou.er, ace us- j ins. :u tiie name of the proletariat, all tne liberal factions in iho duma. H:s late for the "bourcoism-.'' was such a passion rhat he found "iour-eo :sie" even :n the Social-1 'emocrat ic fa-, turn in the duma. which lie h-i. There wei e then imrteen Social-Democratic (.ci.utics in the duma. and Alalinovskv split this lit refaction re-faction in two, lead in a: the Bolshexiki tpart of it. seven in num'-vr. I The finale of this storv was most 0-neu!. Mr. Malinovskv. l no uncompromising uncom-promising lead,-.,- of tiie uroiotariat, it was ; later discovered, was a sc-ret auent ol I tiie czar's police department, ami all his speeches asainst the 'ijodrizeoisie" had hf-n prepared in the department of police po-lice by the former director of the department. de-partment. Mr. Eelfetzky. It is interesting to add, that Malinovskv was a personal ti-iend of I.eninp. who called him "the Russian Rebel" and proposed him as a member in the International Socialist bureau. Were it not for the discovery that Mallnovsky was a secret agent of the czar's government, this gentleman, through Denine's recommendation, -would have sat in the bureau with Juarez and undervelde. Posing as ultra-revolutionists, the Bolsheviki Bol-sheviki were hplpirisr. knowhmlv or unknowingly, un-knowingly, the Russian aiuoeraev in her right against the Russian demoeraov. Posm- now as ultra-pacifist, the Bolsheviki Bolshe-viki are helping de facto Ihe German militaristic mili-taristic clique, and, hv dest roving the Russian army and the country behind the Russian army, are prolonging the terrible struggle probably for another few years. This is the second crime of the Bolsheviki Bolshe-viki against the Russian and the world's democracy. y At the very beginning of the war. while the most prominent Russian revolutionary and Socialist leaders, Plechanov. Prince Kropotkin. Breshko-Breshkovskaia and Avksentleff, indorsed the war, on the side of the albes, as a just war for a great cause, and urged the Russian soldiers to do their duty bravelv -ven under the guidance of the old regime. Lenine took an opposite view and preached in bis paper. Social-Democrat, that Russia must be defeated for the sake of her own and the world's progress. While Lenine was preaching the necessity of Russia's defeat in Switzerland, his friend, Leon Trotzkv. was editing a paper. Nashe Slovo (Our Word), in Paris, and, sitting behind the French lines, preached that France, in this war, has nothing worthy of fighting for. These gentlemen, the evil force in Russia's Rus-sia's life for the past fourteen years, are now temporarily in power, and dare to speak In the name of the countrv, which Is so paralyzed by the misfortunes of the last years that she cannot speak for herself. her-self. Lenine. who openly preached the necessity of Russia's defeat, who came to Russia from Switzerland, through Germanythe Ger-manythe Germans were glad to land him in Russia immediately after the revolution, revo-lution, understanding that his presence is equal to a German army operating In Russia's midst this Lenine now poses as the "Premier of Russia!" Lenine and Trotzky, as the "Government of Russia," would be a good theme for a musical comedy, if only the "mania grandiosa" of these gentlemen would not cost Russia and her allies, probably, hundreds of thousands of additional live-:. Nicholas Lenine and his following is only a shadow of Nicholas Romanoffand his regime. The tyrannv re-established in Russia by the new Nicholas III is probably worse than the recent tyranny of Nicholas II. While proclaiming that they revolted against the "tyrannic regime" re-gime" of Kerensky, the Bolsheviki themselves them-selves have established a tvranny unknown un-known even under the czar's government. They have suppressed the liberal and, partially, the Socialist press. They have arrested the most prominent ond respected respect-ed liberal and revolutionary leaders among the latter such men as Bourtzev and Plechanov they have dissolved municipal mu-nicipal councils jn Petrograd. Moscow. Nisjni -Novgorod and other cities the municipal councils which were elected by the entire population of the cities, according ac-cording to the new law of universal suffrage. suf-frage. Even the czar's government respected re-spected the principle of parliamentary Immunity, and although many of the members of the first duma and the members mem-bers of the Social-Democratic faction of the second duma were arrested by the government, they were arrested after the dumas had been legitimately dissolved. When the czar's government dared to arrest ar-rest and try five Socialist members or the fourth duma, while the duma was still sitting, there was a cry of indignation in the country and hitter feeling against the government, even among the conservative con-servative elements. The Bolsheviki are free from any kind of "sentimental prejudice." They have adopted the German motto, "Might is right." They dare to declare, with unprecedented un-precedented cynicism, that the constituent constitu-ent assembly, the realization of the sacred hope- of generations of Russian revolutionists who have died for it in prison cells, in fortresses and in the tundras tun-dras of Siberia that the constituent assembly as-sembly will be illegal if the majority prove to be against the Bolsheviki. They know that the majority of the assembly will assuredly be against them, in spite of the fact that they have used, during the elections, every means to terrorize the Russian citizens and to falsify their will. They know that the unfortunate country, prostrated by the three and a half years of bleeding and by the terrible crimes committed against her. wiil never surrender sur-render to the Bolsheviki programme, and will light them through hpr legitimate representatives in the constituent assembly. assem-bly. Therefore, they prevent the meetings meet-ings of the assembly by armed force, and have already arrested such prominent members of the assembly as Prince Dol-gorukov, Dol-gorukov, F. Kokoshkin and A. Shin-gar Shin-gar ev. While I am dictating this statement a cable from Petrograd announces that in addition to the great movement against, the Bolsheviki which has already started in Ukraine, Siberia and the Cossack regions, re-gions, spreading throughout the region of the Volga in addition to this movement, there is" already an actual revolt against the Bolsheviki in their main stronghold, in Petrograd itself. This is the beginning of the end of the Bolsheviki tyranny. Bolshevik ism was the most dangerous disease of the Russian revolution, the disease dis-ease which brought the new-born Russian Rus-sian democracy almost to the verge of ruin. There is everv reason to believe that this disease will soon be over, and then, I am sure, the Russian democracy, with the constituent assembly convoked and with a stable democratic government govern-ment established, will begin a new page of her life, participating, as much as she can, together with the allies In the great struggle for -liberty and democracy. |