Page:Lars Henning Söderhjelm - The Red Insurrection in Finland in 1918 - tr. Annie Ingebord Fausbøll (1920).djvu/130

 is decided that all offices in the administration and the courts of justice can only be held for five years at the outside.

The proposal is undoubtedly democratic. From a psychological point of view, it denotes suspicion systematised. It is taken for granted that anyone in power yearns to abuse his power. Therefore, he is to be under the intensified control of the "people."

The agreement between the "Council of the People's Commissioners in the Federative Republic of Russia" and the "People's Commission in the Socialistic Labour Republic of Finland" need not here be communicated in detail. It is an apparently highly advantageous agreement, in the twenty paragraphs of which there are, however, many pitfalls concealed. The agreement was to be a beautiful proof of the patriotic disposition of the Red, but in reality, it gave Russia wide possibilities of interfering in the affairs of Finland. It particularly gave to the Labour Party the possibility of always asserting its majority in the parliament, as the Russian working-men residing in Finland would get full political rights. It would be so easy to secure a lively importation of Bolsheviks before each election.

The chief features of the positive work of the Red have been indicated above. Very much they did not accomplish, partly, of course, because their attention was directed most towards the war operations, partly on account of the strong opposition of the bourgeoisie, but chiefly because they themselves lacked a well-defined programme. The only thing they had yearned for was to get into power, but when the power was in their hands they did not know what to use if for. What they were most interested in was to fill all offices with their own men. During the three months their rule lasted they managed to create a bureaucracy as ignorant, as inefficient, as