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<br />2031 <br /> <br />. In its attitude toward labor, the Soviet Union seema to have something on <br />the ball. Russia continually adjures its workers to J:Ut forth their best efforts <br />in order to improve their status; which llll.kes sense. The slow and inei'ficient <br />are encouraged to emulate the more capable. American labor unions, to a consider- <br />able degree, cajole their members into doing less and less, that they may receive <br />more and more; which makes nonsense, We slow the pace to that attaina.ble by the <br />dullest laggard, Russia accepts the theorem that men should be paid according to <br />their accomplishment, and that their advancemmt should be based pr;imarily upon <br />ability and industry. America still stresses payment by the hour and is lIIElti- <br />culous about matters of seniority. <br /> <br />In addressing an allll-ience of engineers in ourc!lpitol city, I should point <br />out the fact that in the United States there are about. as' many lawyers as there <br />are engineers, In Russia, there is only one lawyer to five engineers. Could I <br />say more? <br /> <br />Question: What do you find in Russia to criticize? <br /> <br />Answer: The first entry on the debit side of the ledger, in my opinion, may be . <br />broadly stated as a lack of freedoms and a lack of rights. Most fundamental is <br />the li!llitation of personal freedom, as evidenced in lack of habeas corpus. proceed- <br />ings and trial by jury, and the existence of concentration camps, slave labor, and <br />tile system of hostages within a family, 'one for another. Curtailment of civil . <br />liberties includes restrictions on property ownership and the inferior position of . . <br />tile individual in matters rela ting to search and seizure, . Further limitations . <br />refer to freedom of speech, freedom of the press, freedom of radio, and the cenl/oi-- <br />sllip of the news. Absence of the right to strike and repression of the right to . <br />travel abroad are serious curtailments of liberty. These Illany restrictions are <br />well known, quite evident, and hardly susceptible of denial. .To an American who <br />cherishes individual liberty, they do and should constitute a grave indictment of <br />the Russian system. <br /> <br />A second serious shortcoming in Russia is the deti ciency of political <br />democracy. It is true that democracy is proclaimed and implemented by a consti- <br />tution and a secret ballot. It may be true that Russia is inept in political <br />organization and is aot ripe for democracy, and that the present dictatorship is <br />adapted to her current needs. But the finite fact remains that the Politbureau, <br />which is purely a communist party entity, is the real governing body of the country, <br />There is no adequate separation of legislative,. executive and judicial functions; <br />there is an absence of checks and balances such as serve to safeguard our freedom; <br />there is a single party system; the press and radio are government-controlled; <br />and there are decided limitations on political opposition. In effect, the power <br />resides in the state. Limited license is accorded to the citizen. Government is <br />not "by consent of the governed", as we know it. No, the Soviet Union has not <br />displayed the ability to develop political democracy. It has not demonstrated that <br />Statism and Democracy are compatible; in fact, the evidence is preponderant that <br />they are incompatible. <br /> <br />;'7"- <br /> <br />, <br />