The leading article of *Rech'* from January 14th provides fresh confirmation of what we have said above concerning the significance of the Menshevik transition from socialists to the bourgeoisie. *Rech'* exults over the fact that its prediction has come true, that the Mensheviks are splitting off in Petersburg and organizing their own separate organization. "And so it came to pass," says the newspaper, referring to its previous issues. "A section of Social Democracy, though not the most influential, yet the most inclined toward parliamentary activity, has gone to meet our proposals."

Yes, this is true. The Mensheviks have gone to meet the aspiration of the liberal bourgeoisie to split off the opportunist section of the workers' party and subordinate it to the leadership of the Kadets. We have seen above that *Rech'* has already separated the Mensheviks and the Trudoviks from the revolutionary parties, calling them "moderate socialists." Now *Rech'* takes a step further. It says that the Social-Populists (S.P.) will probably also prefer a bloc with the Kadets. It says: "the Mensheviks have decisively gone to meet the creation of a general opposition bloc." "The possibility of an opposition bloc of Kadets, Mensheviks and Social-Populists must be recognized as considerably increased after the refusal of the Bolsheviks."

So then, three blocs—or at any rate three basic political forces—in the elections are now recognized by the Kadets themselves: a governmental bloc, an opposition bloc, and a revolutionary bloc. This division is entirely correct. We note that the force of things leads the Kadets to acknowledge our long-standing and persistent assertions. And we also note that in the revolutionary "bloc" there stands firmly for the present only the revolutionary Social Democracy. Other elements, and in particular the revolutionary petty bourgeoisie (the "Socialist-Revolutionaries"), are still wavering.

The principled significance of the Mensheviks' transition to the side of the Kadets becomes increasingly clear. The fine words in the Menshevik election platforms and principled resolutions (for instance, at the All-Russian Social-Democratic Conference), words to the effect that they will expose the illusions of the peaceful path, that they counsel the election to the Duma not of petitioners but of fighters, and so forth and so on—all these words turned out to be merely words. In deed the Mensheviks acted in such a way that the Kadets led them along, along their political path. In deed the Mensheviks found themselves in the "opposition bloc," i.e., became a mere appendage of the Kadets.

Moreover, the leading article of *Rech'* from January 14th also reveals what price the Kadets intend to pay the Mensheviks for their support and for entering the opposition bloc. This price is—one seat in the Duma, taken from the workers' curia. Listen:

"Since, at the same time (i.e., along with the formation of an opposition bloc of Kadets, Mensheviks and S.P.), the number of candidates for Duma seats has diminished, it may perhaps under the new combination prove possible to accept the proposal of the Party of Popular Freedom and confine ourselves to two seats out of six. Of course, in this proposal it will probably now be necessary to make some modification. The seat which was intended for a person elected from the workers' curia, after the decision of the conference, evidently can no longer be conceded to a worker-Bolshevik. Under the new composition of the bloc the Mensheviks could regard this seat as their lawful possession. The other seat out of the two being ceded by the Party of Popular Freedom would in such case remain with the People's Socialist bloc."

An excellent bargain! One can congratulate the Kadets on a cheap purchase! For those same two "ceded" little seats to acquire all the petty-bourgeois parties and the petty-bourgeois section of the workers' party—and moreover at the expense of the workers!

The workers must lose their right to their representative from the workers' curia because the Mensheviks have renounced the Social Democrats and become a moderately-socialist party (in the estimation of *Rech'*), have entered the opposition bloc. The workers of Petersburg lose the right granted them by the Kadets to dispose of their seat because the Mensheviks went not with the revolutionary Social Democrats but with the Kadets. For their little "deal" with the Kadets the Mensheviks receive a little "concession"—not at the expense of the Kadets, but at the expense of the workers… What a splendid specimen of bourgeois concessions to the "people"! The bourgeoisie is ready to give a little seat to the advocates of the "people" if these advocates go over to the side of the bourgeoisie…

The delegates and electors from the workers' curia will surely now see what advantages—not only principled but also practical—an agreement with the Kadets brings for them. Is it not clear that the Kadets granted (not grant, but granted) one seat from the workers' curia as a result of sincere sympathy for the interests of genuine freedom of the genuinely popular masses, and not at all for the sake of drawing to the side of the bourgeoisie the dark, needy masses?