V. I.

Lenin

167

To:   MAXIM GORKY

February 2, 1908

Dear A. M., I am writing to you about two matters.

Firstly, about the Semashko affair. If you do not know him personally,
it is not worth while your intervening in the matter described below. If you do
know him, it is worth while.

L. Martov made a “statement” in the Berne Social-Democratic
newspaper to the effect that Semashko was not a delegate at the Stuttgart
Congress, but merely a journalist . Not a word about his being a member
of the Social-Democratic Party. This is a vile attack by a Menshevik on a
Bolshevik who is in prison. I have already sent my official statement as the
representative of the R.S.D.L.P. in the International
Bureau. [2] If you know Semashko personally, or knew him in Nizhni-Novgorod, you should write
without fail to the same newspaper saying that you are shocked at
Martov’s statement, that you are personally acquainted with Semashko as a
Social-Democrat, and that you are sure that he is not implicated in the affairs
inflated by the international police. I am quoting below the news paper’s
address and the full text of Martov’s statement, which M. F. will
translate for you. Write to the editors yourself in Russian, and ask M. F. to
append a German translation.

The second matter. All three of us have come together here now, having been sent
from Russia to establish Proletary (Bogdanov, I and one
“Praktik”). Everything is in running order, in a day or two we shall
publish an announcement. [3] You are on our list of contributors. Drop us a line as to whether you could give us something for the first issues (something
after the manner of your “ notes on philistinism ” in
Novaya Zhizn , or fragments from a story you are writing [4] ,
etc.

All the very best. Best regards to M. F.!

Yours,
V. Ulyanov

The following was published in Berner Tagwacht [5] (address of the editorial office: Kapellenstrasse 6, Bern. Social-Democratic organ) No. 24, January 30, 1908.

“ Erklärung . In einigen Zeitungen stand zu lesen, dass der
unlängst in Genf verhaftete D-r Simaschko ein Delegierter der Genfer Gruppe der
russischen Sozialdemokratie in Stuttgart gewesen sei. Dem gegenüber erkläre
ich, dass D-r Simaschko nicht Mitglied der russischen Section auf dem genannten
Kongresse war und kein Delegiertenmandat besessen hat. Er war dort nur als
Journalist tätig.

“ L. Martoff, Delegierter der russischen Sozialdemokratie auf dem
Stuttgarter Kongress.”
[1]

That’s all. The disgusting thing about it is that Social-Democracy indirectly, as it
were, shakes the dust off its the feet, and repudiates Semashko!

---
Notes:
[1]

“ Statement . Some newspapers reported that Dr. Semashko,
recently arrested in Geneva, was a delegate in Stuttgart of the Russian
Social-Democratic group in Geneva. In contradiction to this, I declare that
Dr. Semashko was not a member of the Russian section at the said Congress and
had no delegate’s mandate. He was there only in the capacity of
journalist.

“ L. Martoff , delegate of Russian Social-Democracy at the Stuttgart Congress. —Ed .

[2]

N. A. Somashko was arrested in Geneva at the end of January 1908. Lenin’s
statement was published in the newspaper Berner Tagwacht No. 29,
for February 5, 1908.

[3]
The announcement concerning the resumption of Proletary abroad was
issued as a separate leaflet, stating that the publication had been
transferred from Russia to Geneva and giving publication dates, the names
of contributors and subscription rates.

[4]
Gorky’s Notes on Philistinism were published in the legal
Bolshevik newspaper Novaya Zhizn in October–November 1905.

[5]
Berner Tagwacht —daily, organ of the Swiss Social-Democratic
Party, founded in Berne in 1893. At the beginning of World War I the paper
published articles by Karl Liebknecht, Franz Mehring and other Left
Social-Democrats. From 1917 the paper openly supported the
social-chauvinists.