And the Minister of Finance in his explanatory memorandum to the budget, and all the government parties assure themselves and others that our budget rests on a firm foundation. They refer, among other things, to the "successes" of industry, which has undoubtedly experienced an upturn in recent years.

Our industry, like all of Russia's national economy, has developed and continues to develop capitalistically. This is beyond dispute. There is nothing to prove here. But to confine oneself to data on "development" and to boast self-satisfiedly with claims: "it increases by such-and-such a percentage"—this means closing one's eyes to the incredible backwardness and destitution of Russia, which these very data reveal.

The value of products of our entire factory and mill industry was 4,307 million rubles in 1908, and in 1911—approximately 4,895 million rubles,—exults the Minister of Finance.

But look at what significance these figures have. In America, censuses are conducted every decade. To find a figure comparable to ours, one must go back to 1860, when America still had Negro slavery.

In 1860 the value of products of manufacturing industry in America was determined at 3,771 million rubles, and in 1870 already at 8,464 million rubles. In 1910 we have there already a sum of 41,344 million rubles—that is, nearly nine times greater than in Russia. The population of Russia is 160 million, and that of America was 92 million in 1910 and 31 million in 1860!

The average wage of a Russian factory and mill worker in 1911—251 rubles a year, 8.2 percent higher (in aggregate wages) than in 1910,—exults the Minister of Finance.

In America in 1910 the average wage of an industrial worker was 1,036 rubles, that is, more than four times higher than the Russian. In 1860 this wage equaled 576 rubles, that is, twice higher than the present Russian wage.

Russia of the twentieth century, Russia of the June Third "constitution"{12} stands lower than enslaved America.

The annual productivity of one factory and mill worker in Russia in 1908—1,810 rubles, and in America in 1860—2,860 rubles, and in 1910—6,264 rubles.

These few figures alone suffice to briefly elucidate what contemporary capitalism is and what the medieval oppression of serfdom that constricts it is, conditioning the grave situation of the broad masses of peasantry.

And the situation of the peasants inevitably reduces the internal market to miserable proportions and drags down the worker, who in 1911 earns twice less than the American worker in the era of slavery. But, apart from everything else, conditions of the world market place before Russia one of two alternatives: either to be crushed by competitors, whose capitalism advances at a different pace and on a genuinely broad foundation, or to rid itself of all remnants of serfdom.

*Pravda* No. 61, March 14, 1913. Signature: V.

Printed from the text of the newspaper *Pravda*