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Show CAN EUROPE BE SAVED? Just as a League of Nations is about to be proclaimed as a super-sovereignty for the world the European nations begin to crumble into the chaos of the socialistic "internationale" '"There is at least a possibility that within the next three months Bolshevism will overrun all Europe," says Frank H. Simonds, the war expert. What that will mean for Europe may be conveyed in Lenine's own words. The Russian dictator is said to have admitted that the workers throughout the world would be ruined if they should take up iBolahevism, but he added that he cared nothing for that. "There must be destruc-iton destruc-iton of the present systems of government govern-ment so that upon the ruins may be. built the new system some generations hense, for the benefit of those when then will be living," e is reported to have said. Here is idealism gone ' mad. Eor the sake of some generations hence Lenine would torture a world with his nostrums and the only assurance he can give that future generations will benefit is his own Word. All that he can promise his duped followers is that, they shall suffer in an earthly inferno and by their self sacrifice make the world a fit place for their grand childen or great grand children to live in. It is like inviting the world to join a Russian Rus-sian society of flagellants and thus, by doing penance, to win something for mankind man-kind in the twenty first century that man kind will not want Even if he did not use these words the very conditions existing in Russia.cry out the same warning. Lenine Len-ine has ruined the workers "f Russia and contents himself with holding out to them a remote Utopia. Meantime he proclaims the world wide revolution. He is confident that, whether wheth-er he shall be able to build upon the ruins "of the world, he will" be able to ruin the world. His doctrine makes an esjjecial appeal to those countries of Europe which are bankrupt, bu,t it appeals also to the unthinking everywhere. Most of Europe is bankrupt. Tlie only hope for France is an indemnity from Germany and the Germans are drifting into Bolshevism to " escape payment. We have indicated frequently the, natural nat-ural conflict between Bolshevism and our present civilization capitalism Lenine would call it. By its very nature Bolshevism Bolshev-ism cannot compromise except temporarily. temporar-ily. It seeks the overthrow of the old system throughout the world because it would not itself be safe from overthrow if it permitted civilization to remain powerful. pow-erful. Thus Europe's salvation is in doubt. There seems to Jae less and less inclination to engage in a new war to crush the Russian Rus-sian monster. And if Europe cannot make up itsmind to fight it must make up its mind to accept Bolshevism out of hand or compromise. But as we have suggested a compromise ultimately will mean surrender unless. Bolshevism wears itself out. A number of expedients to compromise with Bolshevism have been proposed. One school of statesmanship proposes that the Lenine government be recognized. That would entitle the Bolshevik government .to ambassadors in the various capitals. If the congress at Washington, in such a case should attempt to pass laws against Bolshevism the Russian envoy would protest. pro-test. From protest he would pass to threats and from threats to a rupture of relations. Our government would not be intimidated intim-idated by such an eventuality, for Bolshevism Bolshe-vism has little chance of success in a country coun-try which is far from bankrupt and where our industrial civilization has triumphed both in war and peace. At the worst it would simply be a contest to suppress a comparatively smalhnumber of fractious men preaching European radicalism. The chances are all ip favor of a gradual, sane reconstruction through the medium of the ballot box.. In Europe the situation is different how much different we can only conjecture conjec-ture at this time. We know that Europe is much less fit for the fight than is America. Am-erica. Enfeebled by war the European nations even the soundest of them arc not in a condition easily to throw off the deadly bacilli of Bolshevism. Anther proposal is to Hooverize Russia. Rus-sia. Relief is to be organized th.-oughja neutral nations which shall assume tlie responsibility of sending foodstuffs and raw materials into Russia andvdistribut-ing andvdistribut-ing them and thus feed and provide work for millions now starving and idle. It is said that Lenine has promised the peace council that if this policy is adopted and foreign troops are withdrawn he will stop hostilities. If he carries .out his part of the program it will be merely a suspension suspen-sion of hostilities, followed by a period of propanganda and finally by a recudes-cence recudes-cence of violence. Still another proposal is to withdrawal-lied, withdrawal-lied, troops from European Russia, draw n. military qordohfrom the Baltic to the Black sea through" Roland, Galicia" and Rumania and intensify the economic block ade "which is causing Lenine's government govern-ment such difficulties. But all these political .doctors shake their heads solemnly ' and acknowledge that the patient Europe is in a bad way. ' ' " , Amid this chaos only two white countries coun-tries remain sound to the core Great Britain and the United States. Is the League of Nations to become simply an Anglo-.Saxon alliance? Even should France, Italy, Spain and two or three other European countries escape Bolshevism the League of Nations 'would inevitably assume the Torm of an 'alliance offensive and defensive against the Bolshevik "internationale." Goodwin's Weekly. |
