The sun., 1905-09-07
THE UNHAPPY CAUCASUS.
Racial ana Religious Conflict and Labor
Grievances the sIise OF Trouble at Daku

To THE EDITOR or THE SUN-Sir: Some
details from Baku In Q letter dated Aug. o
throw light on what Ia now going on In that
part OF the Caucasus.
The oil industry at Baku Is carried on by
companies OF different natlonallties, which
as rule employ mostly their own people.
Thus. at the Nobel works the employees are
Swedes and Germans: at the Mantnchen
establishment. Armenlans at the Roths-
childs'. Jews. and at the Baku company s
works, Russians. These are In the work.
shops. renneries and Offices. while the un-
skilled labor is almost entirely Tatar. Nus
SulmAn and Persian.
Since the month OF February last there
have been few labor troubles. because the
Armenians. who were abandoned by tho
others when they we're being massacred by
the Tatars. refused TO take any part In the
strikes organized by the Russians and Jews.
On July 20, however, strikes took place at
the Mantacheff and Rothschild works ana
two others. and II was expected that the men
In the Nobel and Baku companies employ
would go out. An understanding was said 70
have been come to between the Armenlans and
the workmen OF the other nationalities. and
.t was said that the strike would cover the
whole oil field. But In the end. owing TO some
disagreement. the Armenians at the Manta-
chef plant all resumed work on Aug. |. while
there matters were 30 threatening that blood
shed was feared at the date Of the letter.
At the Rothschild works 1t was the artisans
Of the different trades. mostly Jews. who
struck FIRST. and. contrary TO expectation and
their habit the unskilled Tatar laborers
made common cause with them. The rea-
son was that Tatar eHpone. an old work
man. put himself at their head. The name
Of this man. who was o good speaker, both
in Tat RI inn aa
having made the pilgrimage to Mecca he had
acquired the title and reputation OF Hadii.
Mustafa organized a meeting OF all the
Tatars in the Rothschilds' employ and per-
suaded them to stand by the Jewish work.
men. His arguments had nothing to do
with religion. but on the contrary he declared
that the time had come for the Tatars no
longer to be the tools Of the Russian anthori-
ties, who melted to race and religious hatred.
and to understand that the workmen Of all
races and religions had a common interest
and should unite. The Tatars. carried away
by his persuasive eloquencc, abandoned
work and went on strike.
The Rothschild manager. seeing the gravity
of the situation. then resorted to stratagen.
He sent for Mustafa and other leaders Of the
Tatars and persuaded them to go through
the works of the other companies and or
ganlze a general strike Of the Tatar work
men. Mustafa agreed and started out on
the propaganda. Two days later 1t was
known that Mustafa had disappeared, and
all attempts to find him failed. The Tatar
leaders then went to the Rothschild manager
and told him they would have nothing more
to do with him 20 long as Mustafa was not
found, while the crowd that accompanied
them kept shouting for Mustafa and threat
sned 30 xii! him and destroy oil the works.
UP to the date of the letter Mustafa had not
been found. and it was currently rumored
that he had been arrested and killed.
As among the Tatars at Baku there are
good many Persian subjects, the Persian
Consul took a hand in the affair and tried to
get the Tatars to submit. warning them that
otherwise they would all be sent back to
Persia, where means would be found to
bring them to reason. They therefore re-
piled that the Consul would do better to look
to his own safety and not NEEDLE with affairs
that did not concern him. and it is said that
the Consul followed the advice.
These details may help to explain the re-
ports coming from the Caucasus. which are
good deal confused the only thing clear be-
ing that the labor troubles are becoming
also revolutionary. PERA.
NEW YORK. Sept. o.