The New York herald., 1921-01-12
-
Nj. Schwartz Attends Third
InternatiOnale. Returns
Enemy of Soviets.
WORSE THAN CZARISM
Imprisoned in August,
Freed After Wife Tries
Hunger Strike.
SPOKE FOR REDS IN U. 5.
Was Member Of A. +. of L.
Says No One Has Good Word
for BOlsheyism.
WORSE THAN CZARISM
SPOKE FOR REDS IN U. 5.
R,, The Associated Press.

By the ASSOctutCu fEeSS
BERLIN Jan. 11.-"CommuniSm in
Russia is robberism: it tolerates i'm
prisonment, persecution and execution
without trial; it has brought Russia
starvation, disease and death. There
is no Government. 1t is O. worse autoc-
racy than the Czaristic Government,
and lived there for over twenty years
under the Car and had the expert
ences necessary to make comparisons.
M. Schwartz an American Socialist
released from four months imprison-
ment in Soviet prisons in Moscow,
made this declaration to-day. With his
wife, known for twenty years in Amer
ica as a Socialist worker under the
name of Jessie M Molle, he went to
Russia last June and attended the
second congress of the Third Inter-
rationale.
The couple were thrown into prison on
August 8 because they failed to express
approval Of conditions in Russia. They
were released on December g. after Mrs.
oCuWaTlL WShL VA u uuh5Ni 81 nv
Mrs. Schwartz died at Reval On De-
cennber 20 from the effects of her long
solitary confinement and hunger in
Soviet prisons. and her husband is re-
turning to America alone to give even
worse pictures of conditions In Russia
than many of the Italian, British and
German delegates to the congress of the
Third Internationale have painted.
VIII Expose BaIshevism.
The Communist leaders in Russia
have killed my wife," said Schwartz.
"and I am going to America to tell the
working people there the truth about
the Soviet Government. which formerly
sympathized with thoroughly and SUD
ported on the platform from New York
10 San Francisco.
Il want to tell them what that second
congress Of the Third International
was. 1t was only Zinovieff, Bukharin.
Lenine and Trotzky. 1t was all cut and
dried. The members were told what
action to take; they did not dare 90
Otherwise"
Before their Imprisonment Schwartz
ami his wife travelled through fourteen
Governments. They visited Samara,
Tombov Nizhni- Novgorod. Tua, Kazan
and many other important centres
schwartz. who is n member of the Amer
lean Federation of Labor. was sent to
Euesia by Otto Branstetter, executive
.ecretary of the Socialist party Of
America. TO make thorough investiga-
ion. as he spoke the Russian language
and knew the pre-war condition.
Describing the early part of his visit
he said: Everywhere we went we were
net by brass bands and crowds waving
red flags shouting for the Soviet Gov
crnment but we weren't fooled. From
rhe moment we landed in Petrograd we
saw misery, dilapidation and squalor
there. We suspected that something was
vitally wrong, which could not be ex-
planned merely by revolution.
Il instantly began talking TO persons
Of all classes, and broke away from our
Bolshcvist conductors. who were show
ing us only what they wanted us TO see.
] soon found that the shouting crowds
Tad to shout or their food ration would
be reduced or entirely taken away. can
truthfully say that l never talked with
a single person, outside of officials, who
had good word to say for the Soviet
Government.
Died ms Protest to sovfetism.
I'VE asked for our baggage and
money and papers. We we're told we
would be given them at the station.
we carried more tIldH PotVvU VI
IAN gold into Russia, which had been
taken from us, and we refused to move
without 1t and were thrown back into
another prison. where my wife was the
only woman, in a cell, twenty feet
square. with myself and thirty other
men, many of whom were members OF
Admiral Kolchaks staff.
Finally the situation became so des-
perate that she said she would go on
a hunger strike and advertise to fellow
workers in America our wrongs through
her death rather than continue to suf-
fer such indignities. Then she wrote
TO Tchitcherin. Trotzky and Lenine, all
Of whom we knew personally. saying:
we have worked twenty years TO
help you. The least you can do now
is to help us. / shall declare a hunger
strike to-day and will gain either death
or liberty
1--WE days later we were sent to
Reval, penniess. There the American
Y. NJ. G. A. gave us shelter and cared
for us. But my wife had suffered too
much TO recover. I buried her there.
assisted bv tho American consul and
y. NJ. G. A. workers
When the Bolshevist Minister Guch-
soft at Reval heard that was consid
ering delivering a lecture to the work
men there OH conditions in Russia, he
sent for me and told me he would get
money for me from Tchitcherin if
would leave. He paid mo five hundred
English pounds and expressed deep re-
gret that we had been SO badly used pre-
tending IL had been a terrible mistake.
"And now I am here In Berlin, sad
1ened and enlightened since my visit
here last spring on my way to Bolshevist
Russia where we hoped to fnd realiza-
firy, ~ mir Iifc drpafr1a