The Cotton Factory Times. — 1915-07-30 (Manchester, Greater Manchester, England)

FIE FACTORY TIMER." ir,--1 gave read with astonishment the letter of N. D... in the " Factory Times "of 23rd inst. The biter show, either .that N. D. " is totally ignorant of the condition of the prisoners. or that ' he is wilfully misrepresenting the facts. And how astonishing hi- expectation that WP, who have Pemnally timed ml the delight, of Rtnytan prison and deportation, ,thould silently ,übmit and allow N. ft." to distort the tenth in tho moment Eng. /and's and Russia's holy alliance. It iy a duty we fiwe the tens of tt,,ufantis of comrades who axe  otin tortured in the Eaters. and in the desolation of Siberian wilds to raise our voices. and to brand the infamous doings of Russian tsranny before the working claw of Western Europe. It is our duty to show that there ha. been TM change for the better in that quarter, that, on the contrary, cons:linoin are even worse than before. It is our fluty to hasten to give help to thaw martyrs, and to call upon our British comrades to do the same. because now, during this so-called "liberating" war. there come to as from the Tsar's gaola appeals will more heartrending than before. For myself, as a former Kistorga prisoner, who for eis years experienced the joys of Russian prison life. I ask Lb., I may be allowed to focus the attention of your readers on the truth that •' N. I)." is perorating. And, first of all, the overwhelming majority of the political Katorga prisoners are not at all terrorists. as "N. D." tries to represent. They have mostly been sentenced for being adherent's of one or other of the Socialist parties. that are con. sidered by the Ruissian authorities as "criminal associations, tending tat 01,11111.0• I the existing system of government " (art. 102 and 126 of the Criminal Code, with which "N. D." may poesibl, be acquainted). Russian Social Democracy rejects terrorism on prim-aptm. Nevertheless it is mostly its menthess that are languialiing in Katorgis and exile. It IA truo that there aro M Ituoia revolutionaries who receignise terrorist methods, being inatigatod thereto by the terrorist niet hods of Russian despotism. When one acomtantly humiliated and human dignity is trampled unto dirt, when one's dearest friends lire beaten into loss of consciousness, ashen Masslav demonstrators are flogged (as in Vilna in 19021, when young girls 011 arrest are violated am Stendonova and others), ahnn flogging in the prisons leasis to mass suicides of the political prisollets, when such things are happening at every step. than atm:gen naturally arise. And history does not brand them, but 11011011 rs them. But "N. U." finds that the Tsarist government is perhape even too kind to its adversaries. Its nientions Dostoyevsky, who dial about that years ago. What he is.. further on IA sheer nonsense. What a pity that "N. D. " has not spent at least one week in Russian prison (in Ramis it Can happen to everybody). Yes, Tsarism is AO kind that it allows 21d. a day from the State Treaaury to feed each prisoner. +low generous! It could, of course, have left the prisoners without any allowance at all. The Ruwian government even allows assistance from outside. save "N. D.," to be given to the prisoners. The Russian Government does not wish that its victims. being thrown into its gaols, ahould perish immediate!y. Bow immensely would that arouse not only their friends, but the whole civilised world. Its TietilllA MOM die a slow death. In the Vladimir Katorga Prison, where I was interned in the net years of my imprisonment. there died 70-80 out of 350 prisoner's every year. that is 20-24 per cent yearly. The Roesian Govemment. says "N. D.," allows a little help front outside to he given to the prisoners. Yes. but this help is allowed only frorn the nearest relatives of the priseners. bearing the same stir. name. I have moislf extrarienced many times great difficulties by receiving money from my married sister because the had the surname of her husband. Later, when I was deported to Siberia. about ten exile. in the same place (district Yenisasysk) were arrested (in the end of 1913) for the reason that they had received money from the funds orillected in Western Europe and America. Such facts are innumerable. The relief committees for political prisoners and exiles in Ruwia arc secret onraniastions, and their members are threatenal with prison and deportation. It i. new possible to speak here about the way in which the relief funds are forwarded to the pr'stionerv. But something more about the Katorge. Even these prisoners who may. have means of their own are only allowed to spend total amounting to 3 roubles 40 copecks fsbrint 75.) per month, and nt they share every morsel of breast with their poorer felfow prisoners, it can be seen at once that train the money of these few there can remain very little. Prisoners Will are frequently obliged to drink hot water in p!ace of tea. As for milk, they forget the taste of it. and they eat up literally every remaining enimb and crust of the very indigestible Mead, adulterated though it is with 'and. Na warder that the percentage of deaths is wi high. At the present time, as help from outside is not forthcoming as before. and in the prisons are still more oyererowdal, nn doubt the dentb-rste is still higher. All in all I must repeat: It is a pity that "N. D. " has never tasted the tonality of. a Russian prison.--Yours, etc., V. KAPSUKAS, Editor of the Lithuanian weekly Socialist paper. " Rankrelnis." London, July 25, 1915.