BolshevismBourgeoisieCapitalismCominternCommunismSocialismWorkers Movement

August 9, 1919 Page Two THE COMMUNIST Imprisoned by the Allies sent to the prison for war prisoners at Our readers are already acquainted with the Two Letters horrors which the Russian war prisoners have to Casino. Here about 7, 000 Russians were live through in France. We are printing parts of a letter written by a Russian soldier who is and to Denikine. This of course was a gathered. We had to live in tents in the at Algeria at present. Comment is absolutely unnecessary here as the letter speaks for it contemptible lie.
open, where filth was knee deep. We reself.
The author of the other letter which we re In the Italian barracks we were forced fused to work, notwithstanding the fact print, is a Russian soldier who is an Italian were threatened with being to undergo horrible tortures. At the be that we war prisoners at present. As far as we know this letter is the first ray of light thrown ginning, we Russians were sent to a small shot. After this came worse torment. We in Italy The Italian monarchy, as may be town in Lagarona and were forced to were fed worse than the Austrians, the expected, does not treat its Russian war prisoners any better than France does hers. clean the streets. We were compelled to food was given to us without salt. Es work hungry. Two days at a time we pecially did we suffer during the rain.
We, All Russians who are in Africa al were not given anything to eat. Officers There was no shelter and we had to stay in the rain for days and nights at a time.
ways ask ourselves the question: What passing by, members of the Italian army, are we suffering for? This question we swore at us and called us traitors. Al. Besides we were forced to suffer from ask of every one whom we meet. It is together differently were we treated by chronic starvation. Often you could see the Italian soldiers. They became inter Russians search the garbage dump for already five years that we have been ested to find out as much as they could bones or remains of food.
wandering away from our native land. about the Russian Bolsheviki. Among Then our war prisoners began to es.
There are still naive persons who say them were many good comrades. They cape. Each night from ten to twenty ran that we are not sent to Russia because assured us that in time in Italy there will away. Many were shot down, but this France is short of means of transporta few days we, together with a party of creased daily. be a repetition of Russian events. In a did not alter the situation. Escapes in.
tion. But this a lie. They find ships to Austrian war prisoners under a heavy Then the Italian Government decided send whole regiments to Russia.
guard were sent to the city of Victoria. to send us to the wild Island of Anzaria, We are fed in an indescribably bad As long as live, comrades, will never near Sardinia. Here we are living at the manner. Each laborer is paid one franc forget the tortures of this journey. In present time. This letter was written and 50 centimes a day and we work like every village through which we passed on March 28. We are forced to work the dark masses vented their anger on very hard. Are fed very badly. But the oxen.
worst is the epidemic of malaria, from Now will tell you the story of a Rus the Austrian war prisoners. They were sian war prisoner who escaped from Ger tormented, lynched spat at. We, Rus which very many of the prisoners die.
sians were not touched but were only Russian officers began to visit us. At many during the old regime. He went to sworn at as traitors. At one of the vil the beginning we did not guess the Italy and from there he succeeded in lages the priest led the attack on the reason for this. They promised to have getting to France. Seeing how badly the prisoners. The father personally took us returned to our native land in the near French treated the Russian soldiers he refused to work. For this he was deport trians. Several prisoners were killed.
part in the physical attack on the Aus future. At last came Metropole Makary and the former war attache with the ed to Algeria, to us. Falling into the AlWe arrived at Victoria at 12 o clock Russian Embassy at Rome, Count Bolgerian pit he decided to escape. This at night. We Russians were led into a time he decided to get to Spain but was konsky. The Metropole, said a prayer police station and were carefully search and then began to preach his sermoHe caught and put into Sakarask fortress.
ed. Everything was taken from us ex spoke of the Bolsheviki as anti ChristHere he died from starvation. CA cept our prayer books.
Please publish this letter in French ians and of the necessity of saving Russia From Victoria we were sent to Treviso and Russian.
from the hands of the Bolsheviki. Then and from there to Bologne. Here the the Count Bolkonsky made a speech. He Russian party comprised of 50 persons openy said the following: Your destiny II.
was locked in some ancient castle. We is such, if you wish to get away from want to write to you about the des were fed very badly and only on dry here take the sword in hand and fight tiny of 6, 000 Russian war prisoners food, but were watched very closely. We against the Bolsheviki. By the way he working in Austria on the Italian front. petitioned the colonel to allow us to set brought as a present three cigarettes per In October, 1918, during the Austrian tle a little more freely. This request was soldier. We began to decide what to do.
defensive, we were taken as war prison granted. During a period of three weeks The majority decided to go and to try to ers by the Italians. The Italian bourgeois we lived very well. Met with the Italian escape on the way, or to arrive in Russia press told the world at the time that the farmers and soldiers, told the mass well and to go over to the side of the BosheItalians freed 6, 000 Russians and saved as we could about the Bolsheviki and them from death by starvation. Then Russian affairs. Here we Russians were viki. Forty persons decided to remain followed the news that Russians were betrayed. We were suspected of distri comrades were arrested under suspicion on this wild and isolated island. Many begging to be sent to the Kolchak army buting Bolshevist propaganda and were that they are Bolsheviki.
WAGE SLAVE RIOTS dividing the workers into warring racial camps and obscuring Continued from Page the real issue.
CLASS ANTAGONISMS; and the reason conditions of em The cry of the white worker should not be Down with ployment are becoming worse is because the capitalist class the negroes!
owns the means of production. The capitalist class. not the The cry of the negro worker should not be Down with workers who belong to another race is the only enemy of all the whites. the workers and the workers problems can only be solved But all the workers, black or white, yellow or red, must through elimination of the capitalist.
realize that they have no quarrel with each other and that We also desire a word with organized labor. We want the only struggle worth the shedding of a single drop of worka to carry this to its logical concusion, which is this: Today the ing class blood is the struggle of the workers of the world deluded mob acts against negroes; tomorrow it will act against against the capitalists of the world. Eliminate from the earth foreigners of the white race; and day after tomorro at the all races except one and permit capitalism to continue and the behest of the spokesmen of capital it will act against the ra lot of the workers will still be the unspeakable misery, slavery, dical element in the labor movement, and, mark you, that poverty and degradation which we now endure.
element, in the eyes of capital, includes all elements not the paid servants of the ruling class.
Let the workers of all colors and all nationalities rally under the crimson emblem of International Socialism, the So In the Chicago riots thirty five lives must be answered cialism of the Communist International, and with one voice for; how many more the yellow press has concealed will never thunder: be known. But more than the actual loss of life is the vicious DOWN WITH CAPITALISM!
hatred that has been engendered and that will require years Down with national and racial hatred.
to overcome. This outburst has benefited the ruling class by Long live the Internationale of the Workers.