Endicott's Russian Immigrants Defy Czarist Loyalty

Members of the Russian colony in Endicott have very little sympathy for Russia in its present conflict with Japan. On the contrary, many of them express the hope that Japan may be victorious. Speaking of the war, one of the Russian leaders here said that he hoped Russia would get a good thrashing at the hands of the Japs. He added, 'I at one time saw my father tied up by the thumbs in the public square and whipped with a knotted rope until he fainted because he could not pay the exorbitant tax imposed upon all Russian farmers. When but a small boy I was put in the army of the czar and treated worse than an American would treat a dog. The Russian soldiers are all treated that way and for this reason they have no love for the country. The Endicott colony hopes the Japs will win in this contest. We are all taking out our naturalization papers and shall always be true to the American flag.' The dry region in this part of Whitman County, where a few years ago nothing flourished except squirrels, has for several years past received many Russian immigrants. They have been industrious, and their warlike tendencies have been devoted to fighting the squirrels, until today a barren section has been turned into a prosperous community.