Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1922-10-06
AMERICANS 3.
FIND COLONY
A NIGHTMARE
I: w. w. Leader Fails tp
Create Harmony in
Soviet Colony.

Ine starting Of the Auton-
onoas Commune, the American end
h~yphenated American colony beyond
the Urals, according to members of
the community who have made their
way back to this city. Hundreds of
me from the United States went to
the colony to work in the mines
which. 1t Is said, the soviet govern
ment allotted to William E. Haywood,
the American 1. w. w. leader, and a
sociates. Now some Of them are be-
ginning to conae out, and they bring
tales Of the turmoil. which they say
obtains at the two towns where the
%colonists have settled. !
Both at kamerovo, where the coal
fields are located. and at Nadajenski,
where are the steel works. there is
who have quit. Some hitch has de-
veloped as to>the concession, they de-
clare. as q result Of which the
promised activity in production has
been turned into wrangling and
jealousies.
Strive to Hold Men.
The leaders Of the Kuzbaz colony
are striving to hold their men to-
gether, and say they hope for actual
production this winter. But, accord
ing to those who have succeeded in
leaving 1.-THE colony, most Of the re-
manning members would be glad to
States II they had a. chance to do so.
Many of them, however, are without
money.
According to one recent arrival
here, the first group, composed Of, 80
persons, left the United States in
March. Another Of rs persons left
IN April, and three other groups.
and children, had arrived up TO
September l.. Some of these were
sent to Nadajenski. others to KAN
erovo.
One member Of a group which left
New York May Is. on the SIS. Rot
terdam said the trip was a continual
row from the Statue of Liberty to the
Urais. The practical engineers and
mechanics, who came largely for the
adventure and possible fortune Of the
thing, found their companions mostly
radicals, more interested in argu-
ments on politics than In real work.
THE whole trip was nothing but
one dispute after another" this man
continued. Meetings were held every
day. but what they amounted to no
ono knew. When the crowd finally
Ching the other. Haywood spoke to
US at Petrograd, after tho Rcd army
had welcomed us. and the first thing
he wanted to know was If we had
brought along any money. -,
I'VE left, Petrograd for Kamerovo
and Nadajenski in box cars, women
and children and all. Mr.. Doyle, a
supposed to be in charge of the
Nadajenski group, but the theorists
blacklisted him, and the whole trip
on the train was one sQuabble after
another.
when we reached this > city we
were divided into two groups. one of
Is going to Nadajenski, the other to
met by the engineer in charge, viii
liam Won Hoffer. formerly of Gary,
Ind. We Don found that everything
in Nadajenski needed repairs. We
cleaned VI ON houses and moved
in. Our diet consisted Of barley and
BEANS. ri
Won Hoffer forbade meetings, our
continually in ann atmospheric Of
forced confinement. Nothing was be-
ing accomplished at the plant, for the
Americans had not yet the right to
work there. The Russian w~orkerseand
engineers showed their disapproval of
the American colony by continual
sabotage.
N1cN OO0VN MOI QVut. .. Fl
Men wanted TO quit but could not
because they had put all their money
into Kuzbaz. Sixty-five per cent Of
the colonists want to return to the
United States. It is. the same at
Kamerovo. Nothing is being done.
is not a concession. People
are forced to live under, the worst
conditions. and will be compelled to
remain until such time as a conces-
sion actually Is granted. This may
come after October 1.
A for me 1 sold all my clothes
and am beating my>way to Moscow.
kuzbaz looked like a beautiful dream,
but Is q nightmare" h.
Those who are, sticking 1t out at
the colony look upon those who have
gone away a cutters. They admit
..iMculties, but say everything will
come out all right in the end II the
c%olonists only have courage and pa
tience enough to remain.
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