But you, the toiling Cossacks, do not you
suffer yourselves from poverty, oppression and lack of land? How many
Cossacks are there who have more than 4-5 _dessiatins_ per head? But
the landowners, who have thousands of _dessiatins_ of their own land,
wish besides to get into their hands the lands of the Cossack Army.
According to the new Soviet laws, the lands of Cossack landowners
must pass without compensation into the hands of the Cossack workers,
the poorer Cossacks. You are being told that the Soviets wish to take
away your lands from you. Who is frightening you? The rich Cossacks,
who know that the Soviet AUTHORITY WISHES TO transfer the landowners’
lands to you. Choose then, Cossacks, for whom will you stand: for the
Kornilovs and Kaledins, for the Generals and rich men, or for the
Soviets of Peasants’, Soldiers’, Workers’ and Cossacks’ Deputies.
“THE COUNCIL OF PEOPLE’s COMMISSARS elected by the All-Russian
Congress HAS PROPOSED TO ALL NATIONS AN IMMEDIATE ARMISTICE AND AN
HONOURABLE DEMOCRATIC PEACE WITHOUT LOSS OR DETRIMENT TO ANY NATION.
All the capitalists, landowners, Generals-Kornilovists have risen
against the peaceful policy of the Soviets. The war was bringing them
profits, power, distinctions. And to you, Cossack privates? You were
perishing without reason, without purpose, like your
brothers-soldiers and sailors. It will soon be three years and a half
that this accursed war has gone on, a war devised by the capitalists
and landowners of all countries for their own profit, their world
robberies.
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