Medford mail tribune., August 30, 1917, Page 3, Image 3

BEDFORD; '! '
MEDFORD MAIL .TRIBUNE.
OREGON". TTIURRDAY. AITiURT "0, 1917.
PXQE TltllEF!
FIT
BY CHARACTER
Country Democratic Long Before
' Romanoff Tyranny, While Village
Organizations Have Kept Spirit of
1 Democracy Alive Under Autocracy
Self Control During Revolution
This is another of the scries of
articles by Charles Edward Rus
sell, who has just returned from Rus
sia, where he spent three months as
a member of the official United
States couimission to the new Rus
sian (ovemment.
(By Chftrlea Edward Russell.)
(CopyrlKht 3917 by the Newspaper En
terprise Association.)
One of the (food strong reasons why
we can expect the best from Russia
is t lie Russian character.
After all, character tells the story
for men or for nations.
Strong charactered people, like the
French, for instunce, once they get
hold upon democracy can never aft
crwiird be pried loose from it.
It is the same way about the Rus
sians. Wo all hnve n habit of thinking
that the Russians have been plunged
suddenly and without preparation
into democracy, and don't know what
to do with it.
We also have a notion that Russia
has never known anything but auto
cracy. and the very worst of that.
Ilnckground Democratic.
We are wrong about both. The
background of Russia is democratic;
before Hie rise of old Michael, the
tough old founder of the Romunoft'
house, there was as much democracy
yin Russia as there was at that in any
other country of northern Europe.
In modern times the mlr, or vil
lage organization of Rjussia, Ikept
the spirit of democracy alive and
gave it plenty of exercise under "the
very heel of the most vicious unto
'crncy 'in the world.
It is a queer thing to think of,
that while the tyrannical government
and the marvelous police ' ami spy
Systems were hunting out democracy
high and low, the daily life of every
village was fostering it and prepar
ing the abilitv and skill that in the
end pushed the old throne over and
ny w ' conduct the national govern
'Went; ' ' '
' 1 should think that this ought to
be enough to convice even the Cave
Men that democracy is ordained and
inevitable.
The big things in a national char
acter for democracy are a capacity
for self-restraint and a capacity to
work together.
Two Achievements Cited.
I will now point out two achieve
ments of the Russians in self- re
straint that I think arc in their way
unequalled in human affairs:
First The old government of Rus
sia was a horrible and beastly thing.
It has never been painted as it really
was, because there are some things
you can't paint. It was cruel, blood
thirsty and savage. Every intelli
gent Russian outside of its circle hat
cd it with fierce and reasonable
hatred.
The time came when it fell and the
people it had so terribly wronged
'stood over it, lying there helpless.
They could have done then to the
former oppressors anything they
pleased. They could have exacted a
memorable revenge nnd history would
have called it no more thnn .justice
Tliev could have adorned every
lamp post on the Nevsky with the
body of some agent or member of
the old machine, red with innocent
blood.
v Thev could have confiscated prop
erty; with perfect reason they could
have tried for treason '.20 men, high
in the czar's confidence, nnd let the
Juw lake its course upon thein.
The very' least yon could expect
was exile for the mm that had looted
Russia and sent so many thousands
to the living death of Siberia.
The Russian people did none of
these things. They limited their re
venue lo the burning of police sta
tions as n sign of protest against
the hated police. When the lulled
police censed to fight against the cit
izens and soldiers, their lives were
spared.
A few of the first traitors were
cast into prison. Nobody was put
to death.
The rinr. whose detestnble char
acter and appetite for cruelty hud
been responsible for Woody Monday
and other horrors, was put under a
truurd but not harmed.
Men whose brothers and sisters had
mttcd in the underground cells ol
Siberia nnd men whosp mother anil
"fiMcM and wives had been shot down
on Woody Monday refused tot seek
RUSSIANS
FORDEMOCRACY
and thev 'never lost their bearings.
Thev said: It is the system that we
make war upon, not the individual.
Therefore they achieved their place
in history with the least bloody and
least cruel revolution ever known,
and started democracy by abolishing
the death penalty, establishing uni
versal suffrage and standing for a
practically universal umnesty.
I submit that the people capable of
such things are perfectly capable of
leering and maintaining their dem
ocracy, if they are allowed to have a
fuir chance lit it. , ' ;
People Keep Good Ordor.
Second When the revolution broke
the entire existing system of police
nnd public order (so-called) slid into
the discard. It just blew up, van
ished and censed to be, the whole
thing, police, -agents, spies', . 'police
courts, prosecutors, perjurers and
the rest. ' !
Well, imagine any great American
city 24 hours without a police force
or any other sign of government !
What do you think would hnppent
New York, for instance; or Chicago.
Suppose every policeman should be
removed from Red Hook, or Corcor-
nn's roost, nnd it should become
known that there were no more police
courts and no police department?
You would not cure to promenade
around those regions at night, would
yout Nor in tho day time, either.
But you could promenade around
Potrograd or Moscow at , any hour
of the day or night, not n yro'ieeman
in sight or within call, andlie in oer-
feet safety. -.' . f s .... -, ft
Tho people went about their busi
ness with perfect order and compos
ure. Atithout any compulsion' they
respected one another s rights. With
out police supervision they supervised
themselves.
On Sunday, July 1, 1 saw in Pctro
rad 500,000 men nnd women "dem
onstrating" in the streets, which
means they marched with bunds and
banners and held meetings und heard
oratory.
''no moling or num.
Reactionaries bad predicted that
when all these low, common people
should be turned loose, riot, raving
and ruin would be inevitable. There
wasn't enough disturbance anywhere
to disturb your grandmother's nup.
The low, common people proved to
be exceedingly' intelligent, well be-
bayed, quiet nnd orderly, nnd their
meetings produced oratory of which
any nation might be proud. You will
not find such scakers in the Amer
ican congress nor the British parlia
ment. No. .tlieworld. uced .not fear that
these people do not know what to do
with their liberty. They know well
enough. The only question is whelh
er they are to have any liberty.
And that depends in n large mchs
urc upon bow soon the United States
can get ready with its mightiest wal
lop.
OF
SAVED FROM
WASHINGTON, Aug. 30. More
that a million dollars' worth ot crops
were saved from ground squirrels lit
North Dakota this year as a result of
a campaign conducted by the Depart
ment of Agriculture In co-operation
with state authorities.
The squirrels on seven million
acres In North Dakota were killed by
means of poison at a cost of about 5
cents an acre. Nearly twenty thou
sand farmers assisted in the work. ,
Similar work has been started In
Montana, Idaho and Oregon, and In
terest is being developed lit Nevada
and California In organizing like cam
pulgns of extermination.
- '
A Call to
Your Grocer
will bring a
package of
Grape-Nuts
A delicious,
healthful food
and a pleas
ing lesson in
economy.
'There's a Reason"
' ' , I ' taste is the result of our' "N ?r ::?f:P
fi'f-'' f I I combining rich Turkish -"'''v?:
F" II tobaccos with just enough ricXJ ' - v -; . -
f l I 'of other rare tobaccos JFjmi . '
I' I famous for their "sparkle" "JA 1
' . and "life." V? AT j : O
i 9
" ; : : ; ' jf : .
I -ZZI , 1;
FRED ALTON HAIGHT
Teacher of Piano and Harmony. Composer and Ar
ranger of Music, announces season of 1917-18. ,
THE HAIGHT MUSIC STUDIO
401 Oarnett-Coroy Building
: Phone 72 . Mcdford, Oregon
Don't Break
Your Back
Pulling
Beans
When you can buy a
Bean Puller for
$69
We carry in stock small
Bean Threshers and Bean Pullers
Hubbard Bros.
.00
August Outdoors in Oregon
Oregon outdoors beckons the vacationist to seashore, to moun
. tain . glade, to rushing trout streams, to trackless wilderness.
'Nature sniiles and the elements are favorable in August:
Newport by the Sea
A very pleasant place to go for
a vucntion. Situutcd, as it in,
on the shore of tho Pacific
and Yaquinn May, one can en
joy beach bathing and boating.
Newport offers many Summer
attractions, ample and varied
accommodations.
Low Round-Trip Fares.
Crater Lake " ' "' '
Nature created but one Crater
Lake. It stands by itself,
unique among the natural
world wonders. Tho Crater
Lake season is open. Ample
accommodations at Crater
Lake Lodge on the rim of tho
lake.
Low Kound-Trip Summer Ex
cursion Fares.
BreitenliUHh Hot Springs
Tucked away In the heart of
the Cascade Mountains, a de
lightful place to spend a vaca
tion. Good hunting and fish
ing. Low Round-Trip Fares.
Ahk
SOUTHERN PACIFIC LINES
Josephine County Caves
lo callM thi Mnrhl. Hnlls of Or
'1'hcHe miirvplniM nuluriil t-uvei
bro 37 milt-, front Onintn I'ltss. fltltu
flfully located, tti'-y offer unuiiudl
ill vc-rMlott. .
I.otT Huunil-Trlp l-arra
Free Hooks
doflrrltilnir th mDHtltollnous ntlrp.c
tlonH uf UHttru urr-Kon, itiuy lie ho
cured from ntiy niti-n! of thin entn
liiiny or will l.n nmllf'l on applica
tion to thu undcrelKiied.
Your Loral A Kent for Further InformuHon.
John M. Scott, General Pustienger Ay out
j " '
1
Tillamook County Beaches
For more than 10 miles along
tho seashore inviting resorts
dot the shore line of Tillamook
County. Here you will find
just what you want for a Sum
mer vacation. Hotels, cot
tages and camps offer a va
riety of accommodations. Ex
cellent bathing and all the
delights of the beach.
Low Round-Trip Fares.
Lukes of Coos Bay Line
Along the new Coos Bay Una
are severnl large and beautiful
lakes. These Inkes and adja
cent streams are a veritable
paradise for fishermen, camp
ers and vacationists. Several
resorts afford accommodations.
Low Round-Trip Fares.
Mt. Jefferson Country
This is a wonderfully acenio
region for camping, hunting
and fishing. I
Low Round-Trip fare to
Detroit, i '
Ilshinp; Bulletin
If you enjoy a week-end fish
ing trip, our weekly Fishing
Bulletin will give you latest
information on where to look
for good fishing. Ask for th
Bulletin. It's free.
the least revenge.
They were wise, they were humane,