From the Los Angeles, dated Jun 20, 1906, pg. II1:

Fear Slavery is Their Fate - Russian Peasants Cry for Rescue from Hawaii (1906)

Say They Were Lured by Promise of Land, but Will Be Made Laborers Forever – Desire to Get Back to Los Angeles, Haven of Their Hopes.

Contract slavery is the fear which is gripping the hearts of the fifteen Russian Molokane families, who left this city for Hawaii, a few months ago.

Already some of these unfortunates, after fleeing with incredible hardships from the land of murder and massacre, have fled again, because of the dread of being made slaves under the law, as they were serfs in former days.

Pitiful, indeed, is the substance of a letter received in this city recently by C. P. De Blumental from Polykarp Minaevich Fadeyeff, dated May 28. The writer tells in a few simple words the story of the blasting of their hopes of a home in Hawaii.

These families were induced to go to Hawaii by the promise of receiving lands of their own where they could form a colony. Instead they found themselves under contract to work for the Spaulding Sugar Company for two years, at the rate of 75 cents a day for ten hours’ work, and keep themselves.

“They have lured us here, not to colonize lands, but to make laborers of us forever,”

This is the cry from the heart of one of the elders of the refugee Russians now working in the sugar swamps of Kapsa Kanai, near Kealia. He says some have already “escaped,” and are on their way back to Los Angeles.

In his letter Fadeyeff says: “The cultivation of sugar cane is not for the peasant, and not for the Russian people, but for Chinamen.” These men could not stand the rice diet of the Orient, and the writer complains that rice is about all that they can afford to buy with the money they earn. Continuing, he says:

“Tell us, is there any, or is there no work in Los Angeles, or does it continue as before. Demens writes us that all work has ceased and the people are without work? Is this the truth or not? He says that because of the earthquake the work has ceased. Besides we beg you, can you not rescue us from here, so that we could be in Los Angeles?”

To these people Los Angeles has become the haven of their hopes. Arrangements are now under way with a local bank. It is said, by friends of the Hawaiian Molokanes, to secure passage back to Los Angeles for those unfortunates, many of whom had written to their families in Russia to join them in Hawaii.

The great desire of these Russian peasants is to own land of their own, where they can found a community. Meanwhile until settled, the labor of these steady men is in demand in this city, and there is more work offered them than they can do.