South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1920-10-02
FATE OF GERMAN
FAMILIES CAUSES
BITTER DEBATES
Industrial Workers Migrate to
Russia To Join Radical
Forces.

BERLIN. oct Revelations
made by William Dittman concern
ing the fate of 20 families or Ger
man working men and 100 German
Industrial workers. who migrated
from Germany 10 soviet Russia In
he hope Of Ending socialist
Utopia, have stirred up a heated
debate IN the independent socialist
party Of which Dittman IS leader.
He is also q member Of the reichs-
tag. The F'reiheit. the party's organ
has been made battle-ground ever
since Dittman returned from Russia
where he went rs one Of the four
delegates sent by the independent
socialists 10 the worlds communist
congress. the third internationale at
Moscow. The issue fought IN the
column Of the Freiheit is whether
German radicals, In view of Dit
mans revelations. shall pool their
interests with the Moscow regime.
Member OF Rcd Party.
Most Of the Germans who mi
grated were formerly members OF
the independent socialist party and
others were communists. Dittman
found the 20 German families wait
ing in Petrograd for transfer to
some industrial section OF inner Rus
sia- The industrial workers were in
Kolomna, near Moscow, Dittman
reported that the German emigrants
were outspoken IN their denuncia-
ton Of the Russian immigration
agents operating in Germany who
had talked them into selling their
homes and going 10 Russia. They
strongly urged that steps be taken
10 head of any other German work
ers who might be on their way to
Russia.
Most OF the men, Dittman said,
we're pennlless, and declared there
was no other country so expensive
TO live in as tho Russia of today.
They were cut off from communica-
tion with the outside world and not
permitted to send letters home, Dit
man reported. They told him they
Russian comrades" who branded
them as intruders who had come
10 take the bread out of their
mouths" and they also came into
conflict with their hosts over the
conditions under which they were
10 work
Refused TO Work.
The upshOt was that the German
rainbow chasers refused TO work and
demanded that they should be per
mitted 20 return TO Germany.
Conditions in Russia are alto
gether different from what they
were represented TO us IN Germany,
the emigrants told Dittman and the
other members Of the German dele
cation, comprising Crispien, Daeu-
mig and Stocker. The latter two
were ardent champions of a union
between the independent socialist
party and the sOviets.
we were promised a small fac
tory which we were TO operate our
selves" the men stated. We were
assured OF comfortable dwellings
and told that there was plenty of
food. None OF these things were
true"
As a result Of their "mutiny," they
declared, they were promptly stig-
matized as counte revoluuonaries
by the local bolsh visit commissar.
Dittman tried TO comfort his de-
iected fellow Countrymen after lis
fening TO their protests. by advising
them TO Tive down their first sad
impressions"
Daeunig admitted that he could
readily understand why a German
Is unable To eat this Russian bread
which looks like peat" but he ad-
vised the erstwhile communist en-
thusiasts to resign themselves to the
inevitable.