Omaha daily bee., 1920-10-24
Baku Citizens
Familiar With
Red Terrorism
People Crowded Into Houses
And Many Near Starvation
Since Occupation of City
By Bolsheviki.
BY JOHN CLAYTON.

Chicago Tribune Foreign News Service
Constantinople, Oct. 23.--It was
on April 28 that the Azerbaidlan
boishevik republic was declared. The
bolshevik troops had not yet entered
Baku, but were within days march
OF the city, entering it the following
day. The overturn of the democratic
government followed long period
oi propaganda in which the COM
,nunists recruited most of the more
ignorant working classes to their
banners.
They were held in check. however.
until the troops Of the Red army
we're within striking distance, when
the government deserted Baku and
those of the bourgeois who could
leave the city fled in panic. leaving
II at the mercy OF the small, law
less group of radicals.
The story OF the development Of
bolshevism there after the 28th OF
April is much the same as IN Rus
sia during the winter of l9l7-l9l8.
Better technique, more systematic
methods of terror, less open dis
order, marked their advent. But
their purposes and their acts were
much the same as those of the early
period of the Russian revolution.
Cheka in Charge.
The revolutionary committee of
the local organization at once as
sumed control of the town. but with
the arrival OF the Russians the fol-
lowing day they were superseded by
the Chcka, composed mostly of rep
iesentatives from Moscow.
At once the requisitioning of
houses began. 1t was decred that the
bolshevik residents must have Is
cubic feet of space, while 10 feet
only was allowed for the bourgeois.
In many cases eight or more mem
bers of refined families were forced
to occupy a single room, living, eat
ing and sleeping there. "The com-
fortress, miserable condition in
which the people have to live beg
gars description" declared my in
fcrmant. mo respect is paid to the
separation of the sexes. In conse-
quence of this enforced crowding it
in common to find two or three mar
ried couples or several men and
women not related, occupying one
ROOM"
Crowded living conditions brought
suffering which was aggravated bv
the shortage of food. As usual.
wherever bolshevism goes, famine
followed soon after, and the Baku
workmanS who since the arrival of
the American relief has had at least
enough to keep himself alive, has
seen the bread ration dwindle day
by day until by the middle of July
he was forced to be content with
one pound of bad black bread daily
for himself, and none for the other
members of his family unless they.
too, were workers. The scarcity Of
other supplies also is grave.
Food Requisitioned.
All food in the city was requisi-
toned, and the first shipload OBJ
tanned was sent via the Volga to
Moscow, "as a present from the
grateful inhabitants of Baku." All
other objects of commerce have been
declared the property of the gov
eminent, and since July II no pri-
vate shops or market stalls have been
permitted to remain open, all food
coming from government sources.
Thus in three short months Baku
has been brought to know all the
forms of suffering which follow in
the wake of bolshevism. The Aver
baidian government attempted to al
leviate conditions by granting man
dates exempting certain classes from
requisition, but none Of their acts
were respected by the Cheka. So far
as the Russians are concerned their
government does not exist.