The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1927-06-22
By ]. LOUIS ENGDAHL.

the Soviet Rule OF the workers ana
Peasants in your countries"
1t was peasant speaking. Not
unusual you may say in the Soviet
Union. But this peasant happened to
be a prisoner in the Moscow Lofor
tovsky Isolator, house of correction,
as prisons are called in the Soviet
Union. That rouses your interest.
Study The Bees.
was leaving this class room where
group of peasant prisoners were
studying bee culture. The translator
had just explained to the prisoners,
who were keenly interested, that our
party going thru the prison was made
up of students from the Lenin School,
Germans, French, Americans, British,
Bulgarians, and other nationalities,
and that it included delegates from
several countries to the plenary ses-
sion of the Executive Committee of
the Communist International just
closed.
Many of the Russian words slipped
past me. But the enumeration of the
different countries was very clear.
The faces of these Russian farmers
frightened into smiles, while one of
them, evidently spokesman for the
group, uttered the hope in clear, dis
tinct Russian, for the triumph of the
Soviet Power in all the lands from
which we visitors had come. The
translator passed the message on to
us. We replied that the struggle was
growing everywhere; that the day of
triumph would come. Then the peas
ants returned to their discussion. We
continued our visit elsewhere.
Not Locked!
1t was difficult to persuade oneself
that this was prison. Call it a pris-
on, if you will, and then realize that
it is a prison without keys! l have
been in many American prisons, /
have been locked up in some of them.
In American prisons one is always
confronted with the turkeys every
where opening and shutting heavy,
changing doors, manipulating intricate
systems of locks and bars, using meth
DDS by which long rows of cells are
locked up by the working of single
lever; high walls outside with watch
towers manned by heavily armed
guards, powerful searchlights sta
toned in strategic positions, with all
the other paraphernalia invented and
improved on to keep the victims of
capitalism securely in chains.
Not Crowded!
Here saw not a single key, in this
Soviet blouse of Correction" with
only 381 inmates. 1t has a capacity
of over 400. Strange anomaly this,
prison that isn't Overlooking. For
such is the case with practically every
American Jail and prison, with huge
appropriations being everywhere fran
tically secured for new additions, OF
for entirely new structures. Vicious
employers judges declaring in strikes
eff the jails and prisons are not big
enough, We'll build stockades. Prisons
of the Soviet Union emptying; the
bastilles of American capitalism
choked ever more with their human
prey.
We had gathered at the Hotel Lux
at six o'clock in the evening. We had
walked down the Tverskaya, across
the Soviet Square, and then over into
Sverdlov Square, one of the most
beautiful in Moscow with it's many
flower beds poisoning into life. 1t
was crowded. Here we got tram
way to take us out into a suburb. We
were to go to the end of the line. On
the car we got better acquainted with
our guide who also acted as an inter-
prefer, a Communist Party member
who works in one of the large Coop
erative Department Stores. He point
ed it out to us as we passed.
Children Play.
Leaving the street car we passed
down a street and then across 6
meadow where children were playing
in large numbers on the green grass
1t didn't look like the neighborhood Of
a prison. But the buildings of the
"Lefortovsky Isolator," as it is called
soon broke upon us from behind row
of giant trees, that stood guard in al
the glory of their fresh spring foliage
We walked thru the gate, that wa:
standing open, and up into the admin
istration building, unannounced. Il
did not take long before the warder
himself appeared.
My first impression was of huge
workshop as we were taken into {
long room where many looms wer
busy weaving cloth of many kinds anC
colors. The weavers were prisoners
under five to ten-year sentences, The
latter being the maximum in thu
Soviet Union.
But they didn't look like prisoners
No prison uniforms. Just as gooc
wages paid as most workers outside
received. And they were proud o
their work. That was easy to see b,
stopping at their machines and show
ing an interest in what they were do
ing. And they talked readily Of thei