The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1906-11-02
BY Frank G.. Carpenter.l

building throughout the wheat belt.
They are largely employed on the
Grand Trunk Pacific and are using
their own horses. The chiefs of the
railroad construction make their con-
tracts with Vergin, and the work is
generally directed by Verigln. who
is the head of these strange colonists.
The earnings of the men are all paid
to him and are transferred to the
commontreasury Of each village,
enough being set aside to pay the ex-
penses of the hands while at work.
This is the way all Doukhobor labor
IS hired.
The people have sort of communal
system, such as is in vogue through
out Russia, and they work by villages
rather than asindivlduals.
These Doukhobors are introducing
the Russion village system into the
the disgust of the Canadian govern
ment. BY an especial arrangement
made upon their coming into Canada
by Verigin and his associates they
were awarded their lands in book or
blocks, and they have divided them up
among thir villages, each village
holding a certain amount of land in
common. The ordinary village con-
tains about forty families, or alto
gether, about 200 souls. and they have
a common title to the land.
Each cillage has built its own gran
airy, where its oats. wheat and other
crops are stored 1t has a common
treasury, and it buys its agricultural
implements and other things as
whole 1t may give an order for a
dozen plows at time or for enough
thrashing machines to harvest the
village wheat crop. The people
work together. Both men and women
go out to the fields. and they have
about the same customs and habits
as are to be found in the hundred
thousand and more villages which
make up the Russian empire.
Keep Up Community System.
This situation Is not pleasing to the
rest of the Canadians. 1t destroys
individuality, and it makes a foreign
body in the heart of the new Canada.
The Dominion government wants
every one of its settlers to be a
citizen interested in the building up
of Canada. 1t objects to lot of
IluSSliu WIZ dlc llNCl CSI-
ed only in their own towns and re-
ligion. and who care but little,for the
general welfare of the country. The
matter will be brought up before
parliament and attempts will be made
to force the Doukhobors to take their
lands in severalty.
So far they seem to have no desire
to do this. They are contented with
Peter Verigin as manager and with
their community system. | am told
they look upon Verigin as sort of
car and priest, and that he could, If
he wished, cast their vote as whole.
The first trouble with the govern
ment came when the census was
taken. The Doukhobors refused to
give any information as to their num-
bers, ages or sexes. and were ap-
parently afraid they might be SUBJ
ject to military conscrption. Some of
/ them have refused to register births.
marriages and deaths, and most of
|. them objected to the public school
/ system. When they were told that
! their children needed education they
+. replied that they did not believe in
| our system of teaching and that they
! dren in their own way.
i During my stay in Canada this year
/ learned great deal about the
! Doukhobors and had frequent talks
with government officials as to their
! condition and prospects. They are one
of the queerest of all the communities
/ which have settled on the North
| American continent, and they rank, in
some respects. with the communities
found, here and there, in the United
States. The basis of their crgniza-
ton is religion. They are an offshoot
of the Orthodox Russian church, and
their name, Doukhobor. is said to have
originated because they are wrestling
! with crime by the aid of the Holy
Spirit. The word "Doukhobor" is said
to mean spirit wrestler" and some
say they originally got this name be-
cause they wrestled against the Holy
| Spirit instead of with Him.
| Refuses Military Service.
These people were prosecuted in
Russia. 1t is a part of their religion
to refuse military service, and the
! Russian officials and others have OPP
pressed and torture dthem in various
ways. Peter the Great banished them
| to the Caucasus Mountains, where
they formed colony of 10000 or more
| and from where they came to the
Tilted States. The first colony landed
in Canada about eight years ago, and
from time to time others have come,
until there are now 5000 of 10000 of
them in the country. 1t is probable
that half of all the Doukhobors of the
world live in Canada, the Russian
colonies of the Caucasus being the
only others.
In their coming the Doukhobors
were aided by the Quakers. A sub
scription to the amount of $4,000
was raised in Philadelphia. and in
London the Society of Friends SUBJ
scribed $4,000 more. The Canadian
government spent about $55,O0O in
the way of Bonuses and in transporta-
ton, and other subscriptions were
made by well-known Russions. Count
Tolstol, for instance, gave $4,000. and
one of the parties which came wa.
in charge OF Sergius Tolstol. Prince
Hillkoff, the nephew of the Russian
minister of railroads. was one of the
men who came here to look up a
location, and altogether they have been
aided greatly. Their ships started out
from the Black Sea and came through
the Strait of Gibraltar and across the
Atlantic. When they landed In Canada
the railroads made them a rate of Sc
for the long ride to Winnipeg. and
when they reached there the Canadian
department Of the interior paid each
of them a bonus of SIS for coming.
| There were more than 1000 arrivals