d complete social and
economic ruin."

In the early part of the year 1919, the report reached America that the
Bolshevist authorities were nationalizing women. The Socialists of our
own country, who are far from being noted for their reliability and
truthfulness, have, of course, denied the charge, in order that the
Lenine regime, which they support and wish to see extended to our own
land, might not have its already terribly sullied name dishonored still
more. The Bolshevists are far from being saints, and a "few" of their
"shortcomings" have been pointed out in this chapter.

Certainly the Lenine Government is absolutely lax in matters
appertaining to sex relations. It has fully legalized free love, as we
learn from the No. 2 issue of the radical Los Angeles magazine, "More
Truth About Russia." This magazine, of course, defends the Bolshevists,
and on page 6 of the above-mentioned issue quotes several of the decrees
of the Lenine Government on the matter of marriage and divorce. Among
the decrees we read:

"Marriage is annulled by the petition of both parties or even one of
them." All that is necessary to annul a marriage is the expressed desire
of either party. The party is, of course, then free to marry again and
remain married till another partner is desired. Hence free love is
legalized. A government that legalizes free love may be expected to
nationalize those women who do not wish to marry or who are unable to
secure partners by the time they have reached a certain age.

"The Call," New York, April 2, 1919, on its editorial page reprinted an
apology of the English publication, "New Europe," which in a previous
issue had given as the authority for its charge of the nationalization
of women in Russia an article in the Soviet paper "Izvestija:"

"I have made particular inquiries among friends recently arrived from
Russia," says Dr. Harold Williams, "New Europe's" collaborator, "as to
the alleged nationalization of women, and they have all assured me
positively that they have never heard or read of such a decree."

Those "friends," whoever they were, were possibly Bolsheviki themselves,
and are not said to have denied that the women were nationalized, but
merely that they had never heard or read of the "decree." Lots of things
are enforced by authorities without decrees. The Bolshevist authorities
may have had no decrees for the murder of the many thousands of innocent
citizens whom they tortured and put