Plentywood herald. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1908-current, 1931-08-06
Actual Conditions in
Russia Taken From
Letter to N. D. Farmer

farm district, but there is starvation.
There is starvation in the krim dis
trict. Mothers drown their children
because they can't bear seeing them
die of hunger. In our district there
are whole villages who have not had
bread since Christmas. In other vii
lagos the people have been without
bread for two years and subsist on
horse meat. Now the government has
forbidden the butchering Of horses.
For two years We have worked
like slaves, but we have not receiv-
ed money. We must sell clothes to
live. The prices for food are exorbi-
tant, just as in war times. There are
government food stores but only a
few compared to the number of peo-
pie. These government food stores
and communist eating houses exist
mainly for feeding the militant Com
munists and to fool the visitors from
abroad. The idea is to show them that
there is plenty to live, that the leg
itimate demands of the working peo-
pie are taken are of by a fatherly
government. Humbug. But the visit
ing foreigners fall for it.
"In reality conditions during the
past two years have gone from bad
to worse. We have done a little seed
ing, but the horses can't hold out any
longer. They are given a govern
ment ration of three pounds a day
not a rye and oats mixture, but grain
hulls with a little barley. Govern
ment horses get six pounds of this
mixture.
1.-The officials in the villages here
are mostly youngsters, who lack ex-
perience; many of them are hardly
able to read and write their own
name. They all act to achieve one
end: to ruin and do away with the
substantial and responsible people
who are called anti Bolshevik. Al
ready many farmers have been rob-
bed of their land and deported. AL
well to do landowners came first now
the less wealthy farmers are sharing
their fate, because the are considered
enemies of the five year plan by the
government. The government men ap-
pear at night, drive the farmer from
his house and land u~nfortunates are
only permitted to take what bread
they have along and the clothes they
wear. All the rest belongs to the gov
eminent. The elected farmers must
camp on the highway until they are
picked up and taken to barren land
where they have to begin life anew.
This happened to our M~ennonites and
Lutherans. They were elected last
year about this time. Finally the
government men took what little
bread the unfortunates had received
from their relatives and they spent
the winter in forced labor to exist.
MANY of the people here have beer
exiled to Siberia and the north. This
happened in 1880. A large number OF
the children and grown ups have per-
ioHSu. n lew WIZ IcluTIeU UOlu us OF
their misery. They were given Ii
pounds of oats per adult per month
less for children, no bread, no fish
only this oat flour and water anc
they had to pay for it or starve. Ano
nothing could be sent from here, ex-
cept money, and only eight rubels al
a time.
Spiritually we are not better of
than materially. The children are de-
C~hristianized like the rest of us anc
the churches are taxed out of exist
ence. We receive nothing for our slave
work, not even bread. We must pay
for everything, and those who CAM
are hauled away by Soviet police anc
put to forced labor. We believe in
property. We want property, private
property. Down with the Soviet gov
eminent! Help US get a government
of civilized beingsl That is the SEN
timent of farmers, workers, former