*Izvestia* of May 17 prints an inordinately lengthy, excessively tedious, profoundly foolish resolution of its Economic Department concerning the struggle against ruin.

What a struggle! Splendid thoughts, excellent plans are suffocated by a network of bureaucratically dead institutions. "The Economic Department is being transformed"… listen, listen! – "into a department for the organization of the national economy"…

Magnificent! We are on the right path! Country, calm yourself! The department has been re-named.

But is it possible at all to "organize the national economy" without holding state power in one's hands? The Executive Committee forgot to think about this.

…The department includes six "subdepartments"… This is § 1 of the resolution, 2nd: to establish "close organizational ties," 3rd: to work out "basic principles" of regulation, 4th: to establish with the ministers "close organizational communication" (by God, this is not from the fable of the Harmful Muzhik, but from *Izvestia* No. 68 of May 17, page 3, column 3, § 4…), 5th: "the government forms commissions," 6th: "in the coming days there must be worked out a draft law," 7th: to proceed immediately "to the working out of basic provisions of draft laws" on five sub-points…

O, wise men! O, legislators! O, Louis Blancs!

*Pravda* No. 60, May 31 (June 18), 1917

Printed from the text of the newspaper *Pravda*