Date: 1912-12-17
Source: ru:PSS/v48

Source: PSS, Volume 48

IV. THE STATE DUMA*

17/XII.

Dear friends! What grieves us not so much the defeat concerning No. 16 as the unforgivable silence of our comrades—six, or at least five—in this matter, and their reckless indifference to the affairs at hand. For to remain silent in this way means to sabotage the cause, to ruin everything. To date, no appeal has yet been issued by five or six of our comrades, because they have still not extricated themselves from the grasp of unreliable individuals. (No. 3 himself admits: it reeks of criminality!) For heaven’s sake, remember that we shall all be held accountable if this dire prediction should prove true. But come what may, we must immediately issue a check payable to No. 3 or No. 5, promptly assign one of our own people to oversee the treasury,** or else task No. 5 with assuming control over the accounts. Without delay, launch a campaign for subscriptions from every corner of the land, and publish daily letters from cooperative members on this very topic.

* The letter was addressed to N. I. Podvoysky. Ed.

** In the censored version, these words were omitted, followed by a footnote reading: “The words were not deciphered.” Ed.

We still possess no Duma materials whatsoever—not the statistical reports (1), nor the Duma papers (2), nor the Cadets’ inquiry (3), nor Kokovtsov’s explanatory memorandum (4), nor the Cadets’ bill—and nothing else either. Devote every effort to obtain these documents before the dissolution of the Duma and to deliver them to us as soon as possible.

Please reply, even if only with a few words—but do so without delay.

in the journal

copies (censored)

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Written on December 17, 1912.

Sent from Kraków to St. Petersburg.

First published in 1960.

“Historical Archive,” No. 2.

Printed from typewritten copy