The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1930-04-04

"EoR centuries the oak stood at TOlba and
now it has fallen.
These were the words uttered by poor
peasant of the Ancient Orthodox Church, in
the village of Tolba, Sergatchsk District, as
the individual farms disappeared into the
realms of the past
The fall of century long hatred and unbelief
to all that is new was a signal for unheard-ot
activity in the villages of this district Day
after day, until dawn, the peasant meetings
questioned city workers and other forerunners
of collectivzation, what is this collective
farm? They questioned them with an at
mosphere of unbelief, not passing by the
slightest detail, or emitting the slightest con-
tradiction in the words of the agitators.
And when they had finished questioning, the
villagers took thought and decided.
Thus for instance, in one far away hamlet
where for months at time no one from the
district or even from the village ever comes,
they kept the speakers going till o'clock at
night. Then, having let them go, the elders
sat till morning, trying to solve the problem
''to be or not to be- in the collective farm.
After thinking it over, they demanded new
speakers, questioned them anew, and only
after this they announced their verdict-tO
join en- mass.
Thus was the collectivized village born.
But, having been born, in the first days of
its life it broke off from its old country iso-
lation, and displayed tremendous creative
energy, which had been hidden up to this time
under a bushel of individual farms.
On January 18TH the district economic meet
ing of peasants decided on two years the
date for the full collectivization of the dis
trict. On February 1st. 25 per cent had been
collectivized and on February 10th, 70 per
cent!
These figures became possible only because
the poor and middle peasants of the district
took in hand the matter of collectivization.
In Tolba, 600 women voted to enter the col
lectve farm against II supporters of the
kulaks, and they Immediately sent delega-
ton to the Plenum of the village Soviet which
was in session at that time, with the demand
"Mujiks, all into the collective farm"
In another part of the village, there were
peasant sledges decorated with red ribbons
and red kerchefs. The sledge stops at the
door of the village Soviet, and an old man in
a Cossack coat bangs his palm down on the
presidents table:
Time you woke up, Call a meeting,
Our village challenges your village to a con-
test to join the collective farms,"
One Tartar hamlet is suddenly decorated in
an unusual manner. At every gate and on
the corners of the huts, red kerchiefs are
hung out.
These are our neighbOrs from other vii
lagos who have come to reunion. We are
all collective farmers now"
Socialist contests, the dispatch of mutual
delegations and individual propaganda were
the means by which the peasants of Sergatchsk
buried the old village and undertook the con-
struction of the new socialist life.
-
IN these days, days in which the century old
foundations are being uprooted, the quiet
of the nights in the district are very often
broken by the words of proletarian songs.
They are sung as never before in the village.
AS they come to the words, eve are the in
heriters of the earth,' the voices of the col
lective farmers take on special expression.
And not without reason. No sooner have
the villagers begun to discuss collectivization
when the kulak, together with the priests, de-