The Morning Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Okla.) 1919-1927, 1921-07-17


their ideas in hiding grew more bold.
They began TO call meetings 20 con.
suit on how To keep the factories and
Themselves alive on decent footing.
IN those factories which were eth
running they elected trade unionists
70 act as representatives. at the in
iustrial councils called by the COM
nunist leaders. These representa-
yves were not fearful about making
their demands known
In response to this movement the
bolscylsts issued manifesto prohih-
iting all meetings, supprcssing all
trade papers and Coudcmnlng TO
death any person found agitatinc for
trade uniOnism. The secret ballot
was abolished as a bourgcoiso pre-
Judicc. Election Of members for the
soviets was by show Of hands in an
assembly presided over by sovio.
official. when the members Of the
factory were called together 20 elect
representatives to the Industrial
councils they were presented with a
list Of names OF soviet members.
They could vote for them " against
them by raising their hands, they
could not substitute for them the
men ~ their own choice.
TO change this situation leaders
Of the trade union moyumCnt were
forced to turn to the tactics praC-
ticcd during the monarchist govern
ment. They mot secretly, they plan
ned secretly. Occasionally they came
out in the open. but always with the
same result. A conference OF the
trade unionists was called in Mos
COW. The building in which II was
held was surrounded by the red army
of Let's and sailors. SeventY-eight
men were arrested and cast into
prison.
"a similar conference was called.
in Ni2hni-Novgorod. Here, too, the
house was surrounded, and when the
delegates refused to disperse fire
was opened upon them. a number
of them were killed.
"lnasmuch as the bolshcvist forces
were gathered in the cities. the skill
ed workers decided to so off into the
mountains and organize their labor
unions there. | was one Of a num-
| ber that migrated into the Ural
/ mountains and got job in mining
town there. For over seven months
we worked pcaceably, well organized
carrying on the industry according
| to our own rules and regulations.
/ At the end of the seven months.
however, the bolshevist forces de-
sccnded upon us. They had got
/ through with their work in other
quarters and our turn for being
suppressed had come. The factory
towns were surrounded by Chinese
mgrccnar!cs, infantry and artillery.
/ The houses were shelled and the
works wiped out, and l20 labor lead
ers were arrested and held as host
ages. About half of these returned.
The rest We're executed By armed
guards.
During the period of seven
| months qiet, however n conference
had been held by the labor leaders
! in the Urals at which 1t was decided
| to send out four representatives OF
the unions to tell the rest Of the in
dustrial world what was happening
! to organized labor in Russia. / was
one of the four. My first objective
was England, where | delivered
about $50 lectures on the subject Of
suppression of labor in Russia, The
others were scattered over other
countries. Throughout the entire
period of our absence we have kept
in touch with the labor condition in
Russia.
Beating Down Strikes.
"The news that we get Is that Rus
sia is today seething with industrial
strikes which the Red forces are
beating down with machine guns
and artillery. They are very effective
IN their offensive. 1t IS not the Rus
sian guards who are sent TO que!l
these rebellions against this auto
cratic rule but Chinese mercenaries.
These are very conscientious and
honest. when they are told to go TO
"A factory town and burn down the
building they do It. They have no
nationalistic scruples. II is their
Job. When they are commanded to
shoot down a squad Of workmen they
are equally conscientious. Again,
1t is what they are paid for.
up to the present, speaking for
the metal industry alone, the boil
.sheviki have managed 10 shut down
or destroy over eleven hundred fac
tories. There were about twelve
hundred of these running full blast
in 1914. There are twenty-one OF
them running today, The situation
in other Industries is even worse, !
undo derstand
THE question is very often asked
me: when will the people rise up
against this regime? / don't know
] u Is easy 10 nave an uprising "H'H
people are gathered in large centors
Russia, however. is n vast country
The cities have dwindled to but
n fraction OF their former size, \
group in one section feels that II
can bear the yoke no longer and
calls strike. within n short time
the army is there TO qucll Il, \
group in another section calls n
strike. An army is dispatched there
There is concerted action on one side
only--the side Of the enemy Tho
bolsheviki control the railroads, the
food. clothing, everything II IS
but matter Of time before they
either XIII outright or starve out
those whe rebel against them.
Another thing which should he
, taken into consideration is the ques-
} ton OF food. SO great Ia the need
: of getting enough to sustain life that
; the Russian does not think Of re-
} boiling against the government on
aralnst political conditions lii'
p mind Is filled with the nightmare OF
starvation. His problem today IS
! not how he can assert himself poll
! tically. but how he can provide fol
L. "a