The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1933-12-02

1
DIsA0REES WITH BRANDT
Bismarck, N. D.
Dec. lst, 1888.
Editor Tribune:
In your issue under date Of Novem.
Der 9oth APPEARED IN article relative
TO the conditions In Russia q de-.
scribed BY +. Z. Brandt. editor Of one
OF the German newspapers In Bis.
marck, and iuasmuch q his descrip.
ton does not correspond with the
actual facts I believe IN explanation
Is due to your readers
! was born and raised In Russia
and IN the spring Of 1927. I came over
to the United States from Odessa as
IN immigrant after having lived eight
years under the present Russian gov
eminent. During the summer Of
1927. =. I. Brandt was for short
time In the vicinity from where
came and ! must say that 1t that
time 90 per cent Of Ill Russian ma
tionanties would have left as I did II
they only had the chance.
] came to the United States because
the Russian government was intol-
cradle and today after . trial Of the
five year plan. % per cent Of Russian
population would cross the boundary
line Il they only could. Mr.. Brandt
attempted to describe to the Lions,
(Potemkin) prosperous Russian VII
lagos. He accused the clergy and large
land owners Of circulating the un-
truthful stories about Russia and
claims that these stories are not true.
also that he did not see any evidence
Of cruelty. starvation and religious
persecution while In Russia.
Everything the American maya
Zines have published In regard to the
deplorable conditions In Russia.
must acknowledge Is all true, because
I have lived under these conditions
while I was In Russia, and Thousands
Of letters received from people liv-
ing Ia Russia. describe the present
conditions many times worse than
during the year 1927.
A letter under date Of October 20th,
1888, recently received from . certain
person living In the volga. Russian
district In part reads q follows: "On
account Of the crop being poor, sev-
eral persons In our village hid away
some wheat and the Reds surmised It.
They investigated and examined
everything and found the wheat. The
guilty persons have been sentenced
1T PokrofSk. Five men were SEN
fenced to 10 years each three received
one year and two received . sentence
Of three years ct hard labor and
strict imprisonment"
I'VE finished threshing yesterday
and Ill We had left was the straw
q the grain was all taken away. The
men who are now blowing In the field
receive 100 gramm Of bread day and
nothing else and those who are ct
home can look around for Whatever
they can find. We have Is pud Of
potatoes (about 900 pounds) and 500
beets. These are our eats and there
are five In our family. Help US again
and do not allow us to starve."
Thousands Of such letters are re-
ceived By people in the United States
from relatives who are living In
Ukrania, volga. Siberien and other
parts Of Russia, and all are begging
for help. In Ill Of these letters the
conditions In Russia are described the
same. Sickness, hunger, deaths. BAN
ishment. religious persecution, etc.
Dozens Of letters are received monthly
from American subscribers by the
editor Of the Dakota Free Press that
they have received from relatives In
volga, Russia. which state that from
five to twenty people are dying daily
from starvation In various villages
and It Is estimated that since jan
uary LIST, 1888. up to harvest this
year, $4,000 people have died Of star
walton In the Volga republic. It Is
no better In Kaukasus and Ukrania,
where the majority Of the Inhabitants
In villages have died Of starvation and
many who left for the cities in order
to avoid starvation. were killed In the
streets.
What y the reason? The Soviet
system ana the five year plan, also
the Kollektive system. The farmers
have no initiative nor ambition to
work any more. They are driven to
work worse than slaves and starved
during good crop years, g was the
case during the last three years.
People were compelled to eat roots,
grass, gophers, rats, dead animals,
etc. Thousands Of letters bring eyi-
dence Of these facts.
sytc,. Issue son,r 2. Ss"s s.: 1,st