"Liberty is too Dear a Price to Pay for Russian Economic Progress,"--Karpovich

"In my opinion, the political aspects of the present Soviet dictatorship of Russia are too often subordinated to the economic policies of the government," Michael Karpovich, of the department of Government, who served in the Kerensky provisional government after the revolution, stated in an interview with a CRIMSON reporter yesterday. "The present system may be better termed an experiment in political dictatorship than an essay into a new economic sphere," he continued.

"The so-called five-year plan, for example, is more significant politically, as a means of establishing complete state control over agriculture and eliminating individual freedom and initiative, than it is economically, as a means of industrializing the nation and introducing large-scale agriculture.

"The Soviet practice of forcing Russian executives and technical experts to work for the government is rather a communist political principle than a sound economic policy. It practically amounts to state serfdom, for the worker, although nominally free, is, in reality, a slave to the state. The ruthless suppression of the moderately successful peasants or kulaks and the persecution of the 'intellectuals' harboring so-called counter-revolutionary tendencies are, in the final analysis, political measures.

The kulaks were exiled or shot because their very status made them at least tacitly anti-communistic in sentiment. Intellectuals were disposed of for being moderately socialistic or expressing doubts regarding the wisdom of the extreme measures of the Soviets. So we see that communist methods are political in aim, in spirit, and in method.

"Too often economists are prone to discount political injustice and ascribe the apparent success of Soviet policies to the soundness of the ideas involved rather than the method used to enforce these ideas. The question remains open as to how much of the success is due to the plans, and how much to the shooting! Personally, I do not believe the communistic economic system can be used elsewhere with success, because it is fallacious on the political side. To my mind liberty is far to dear a price to pay for economic progress."

When asked what he thought of the future developments of the Soviet system in Russia. Karpovich replied that with the present lack of information, no one could tell. Official sources are unreliable and private investigation is impossible. The success of the experiment, he thought, would result in the permanent enslavement of the Russian people. The socialistic ideal of the Communists he considers impossible of attainment with the present system, for "no political force can continue an indefinite dictatorship, even if it is economically sound. Complete elimination of private freedom and initiative cannot exist for any very extended period."