Show STATUS BETTER FOR PEASANTS UNDER SOVIETS DAVIS FINDS Farm Falm Population Critical Of Communist Administration Admin istra LANDLORD LA LORD IS GONE Women y No Longer Longcr Sub Sub- Submit Submit Submit mit Meekly To Being Beaten Bea t en By fly JEROME fE DAVIS DA IS Member of the Faculty Yale University University sity city D School I Written Especially for The Standard- Standard Examiner and NEA NE Service MOSCOW Oct 24 I 1 I have ha seen nearly all the outstanding communists Including Trotsky Chicherin in Kalinin and Stalin It would be easy to summarize these Interviews views but they would not adequately portray Russia Sweep Steep S away all the communists communists and there still remains one hun hun- hundred hundred dred million peasants who will eventually eventually eventually ally make or mar the new Russia It Is more Important to understand what the peasants arc thinking than any other group With this In mind I went into village after village in Russia living and eating with the peasant and trying to understand his attitude He lIe still lives In poverty and filth and flies are every every- where In self protection I usually slept on the hay In the barn I found the peasant critical lIe He did not hesitate to say what he thought about the government the Soviets so and the communists In fact he often orten condemned them unsparingly to him Prices are very ery high we cant can't buy what we need Taxes are arc terrible We cant can't sell our grain for what It Is really worth The government is bad corrupt Look at atan Ivan an the head of our soviet for example It is the city workers not us peasants who have gained from the revolution They get vacations with pay pa They only work wok eight hours and make big money They arc are the new tsars sans What have we gained from Irom the Before BeCore we had and now we have ha officials Before we had taxes and now we have taxes Before we ve starved and now we are starving Its It's all the same SAD HAD USE BECAUSE lIES HE'S HONEST EST From this the superficial observer could make snake out a terrific indictment against the revolution re Their criticisms critiCiSms dIms are in some measure true but consider them in the face of further questioning Take the matter of f bad government The peasants insist that under no circumstances do they want wanti i guard guard- generals What is the difference between your present bad chairman and a good goodone gOOdone goodon one on I asked Well ell you OU see re replied re- re replied replied plied a peasant we vie had a good chair chair- chairman chairman chairman man who was clever and reported only part of 01 our grain so taxes were low 10 The present old fool is honest and re reports re- re reports reports ports all our grain and we hate hae to pay high nigh In other words Ivan I the tIe head of 01 our soviet so is bad because he i Is b honest bon tl If It one stops to appraise the gains of oC the revolution for the peasant one ont Is amazed to find that there Is almost no unfavorable factor present which did not exist under the tsar except high prices On the other hand there are genuine advantages today STATE INSURANCE CE In the place the peasant de despite de- de despite despite spite poverty po and filth Is living better than ever er before lie He no longer pays the landlord and makes sure of his own needs first The government go steps step in at countless countiess points to aid him There is state insurance which pro pro- protects protects him from fire lire and hail hall He lie can cm Insure a horse against death for a year and a n cow for 40 cents Today a group of oC peasants even en if they only have 25 cents cent apiece can band together and start a operative co with money furnished by the govern govern- government government ment merit They can secure credits for tractors Thousands of are available but Russia Is now manufacturing manufacturing turing her own machines although they cost more It Is also true that taxes are arc lower than ever er before They are arc actually only quarter one-quarter of what that they were under the tsar For 27 1926 they were only per capita and 60 per cent for local needs schools hospitals li li- li libraries bridges and roads roods Probably the greatest advantage which the peasant now has is his changed status While the worker is the backbone of oC communism the communists know that the peasant Is La 13 f the e backbone g of Russia Consequent Consequent- Consequently e ly eg government g tO leaders c aha have their ear close to the ground as far as the peas peas- peasant peasant peasant ant is concerned DEMANDS GRANTED In fact Stalin has Trotsky by Insisting that as much should sho be done clone for tor the peasants as for the work work- ers era What the peasants persistently work work-I demand they get set When the belshe- belshe vita viks took the power they legalized the peasants' peasants seizure of all the landlords' landlords property although this was against their own theories They wanted the land run communally The peasant has a changed legal status No matter how bad his crops he will wili not lose his land There can be no foreclosures as In America The poor peasants everywhere are tax free There are poor peasant committees in every county soviet let which can pro pro- provide provide proVide vide money for the purchase of seeds PROTECTING G WOMEN Q IEN The position of 01 the peasant woman Is Ls also changed In the old days it was customary for the husband to 1 beat their wives Now as one peas peas- peasant peasant ant woman said The soviet law is I kinder to a woman than her own hus hus- husband band The fact Is that a woman to to- to today today day has every right that her husband has hils She can call leave him whenever er the she wishes The Soviets are arc also trying to improve medical conditions A certain tain tam number of peasants are arc sent every Cry year ear to some iome of the new v health resorts retorts for free treatment 7 r. r 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