The representatives of the CC in the Party Council consider it their duty to submit a dissenting opinion on the question of Comrade Plekhanov's resolution.

The representatives of the CC are deeply convinced that this resolution will not only fail to put an end to party discord, which introduces a complete factual split in the party organization, but, on the contrary, will further intensify and inflame it, make it chronic, introduce further disorganization into the constructive work of the party.

This resolution, in its essence, is nothing other than an expression of the desire of the minority of the party congress to change the personal composition of the CC, while ignoring the opposite desire of the majority of the party congress.

This resolution is, in our firm conviction, essentially a continuation from within the Council of that policy which the opposition has pursued since the very party congress, and this policy has been one of boycott, disorganization, and anarchy with the aim of achieving a change in the composition of the centers, achieving this by a path that does not correspond to the norms of any proper party life, a path which is now condemned by the public opinion of the revolutionary milieu in the form of resolutions from the majority of committees.

This resolution expresses a desire that the CC again begin negotiations with the opposition. Negotiations have already been dragging on for more than five months, introducing complete demoralization into the party. The CC has already declared that it has said its final word, having agreed on November 25, 1903, to the cooptation of two [members] as evidence of comradely trust.

The negotiations have already cost enormous monetary expenditures on travel and, even incomparably more importantly, enormous expenditures of the strength and time of revolutionaries, diverted from their work.

The representatives of the CC consider themselves not entitled now to again resume these endless negotiations, which breed new discontent on both sides, provoke new local grievances, and hinder constructive work in the most terrible way.

We draw the most serious attention to the fact that such negotiations constitute a complete interruption of the proper course of party life.

We declare that the CC places all responsibility for these interruptions on the minority.

We declare that we resolutely and unconditionally see no other way of an honest and proper resolution of the present party discord, no other way of putting an end to this inadmissible struggle over the composition of the centers, except the immediate convening of a party congress.

At the same time, we find that after the adoption of Comrade Plekhanov's resolution, our resolution, submitted earlier, is essentially negated and becomes completely useless; therefore we withdraw it.

Members of the Council

[First page of the manuscript of V. I. Lenin's "Dissenting Opinion of the CC Representatives," submitted at the session of the Party Council on January 17 (30), 1904. (Reduced)]