V. I. Lenin

Source: ru:LS/v25;es:MT
Translated: machine translation (DeepSeek) from the Russian; AI-translated.

TO THE EDITORS OF PRAVDA
[Not earlier than May 24, 1913. Poronin]
Dear Colleagues,
Today I have at last received the file of Pravda for the last few days, or rather, for the last week. Many thanks and congratulations on your success: in my opinion, the newspaper has now undoubtedly got on its feet.
The improvement is enormous and serious—let us hope it is lasting and final. The question of the length of Plekhanov’s articles and the abundance of anti-liquidationist material (about which one worker deputy writes) are already minor questions; it will not be difficult to introduce corrections here, now that the newspaper is firmly established, and I think that the local workers will at once see how to make the correction. We also received the detailed letter from one contributor (who, unfortunately, does not possess the pleasant “deputy” quality) and were very glad, congratulating him on every success. It looks as though now (and only now, after the St[olypin] adventure) the period of vacillation is over... if only we don’t spoil it!...
I do not advise presenting ultimatums to Plekhanov: it is too early! it might do harm!! If you write to him, write more amiably and gently. He is valuable now because he is fighting the enemies of the working-class movement.
As for Demyan Bedny, I continue to be in favour. Don’t pick on human weaknesses, friends! Talent is rare. It must be supported systematically and carefully. It will be a sin on your conscience, a great sin (a hundred times greater than various personal “sins”, if there are any...), before the working-class democracy, if you do not attract a talented contributor, if you do not help him. The conflicts were petty, but the matter is serious. Think it over!
I recently wrote in detail to the Proletary about expansion; I hope you have also seen that letter. I am also in favour of financial caution: give the same six pages (the present supplements) in a different form, under a different sauce, title and content: four pages of a Sunday supplement for the advanced workers + two pages of “Rabochaya Kopeika” for one kopeck, for the masses, for winning a hundred thousand readers, of extremely popular content. We must not imitate Luch, but go our own way, the proletarian way: four pages for the advanced workers and two pages (and later four) for the masses, for a long and stubborn struggle for 100,000 readers. We must push outwards and downwards, into the masses, and not towards intellectual models like Luch.
Once again: greetings, congratulations and best wishes.
Yours, V. I.
A special greeting to Vitimsky: his article on the working-class press and working-class democracy against the liberals was very successful!! And Bogdanov’s “Ideology” is, surely, heresy: I promise to prove this to you exactly!! As for the increase in circulation, Marxists are glad when it is increased by Marxist articles, and not by articles against Marxism. We want an ideological newspaper—all the contributors and readers of Pravda want this—a Marxist, not a Machist newspaper. Is that not so?
P.S. The address is not Paronen, but Poronin (Galizien), and the route must be added on the wrapper: Warsaw—Granitsa—Zakopane.

1 In Pravda from April 16 (3) to May 30 (17), 1913, a number of articles against liquidationism were published: four long articles by Plekhanov—“Under a Hail of Bullets” (“Fugitive Notes”)—in Nos. 78, 83, 101 and 112, and three articles by Lenin—“Controversial Questions”—in Nos. 85, 95, 110.
2 This letter is not in the Institute’s possession; the author has not been identified.
3 What is referred to has not been established.
4 D. Bedny’s fables were not published in Pravda from the end of February to June 1913.
5 The reference is to increasing the size of Pravda; the first enlarged issue of Pravda appeared on June 11 (May 29), 1913. “Proletary” apparently refers to M. A. Savelyev, editor of the magazine Prosveshcheniye.
6 Vitimsky—M. S. Olminsky. In No. 106 of Pravda of May 23 (10), 1913, his article “Who is with Whom?” was published, concerning the conferences of representatives of the press (newspapers and magazines). These conferences were convened twice by the All-Russian Literary Society at the end of April and the beginning of May with the aim of protesting against the government’s bill on the press, which further worsened its position.
7 Bogdanov’s article “Ideology” (from the series “From the Dictionary of Foreign Words”), as anti-Marxist, was not published at Lenin’s insistence. Concerning this article, see Lenin’s letter, Zinoviev’s and Kamenev’s letter in No. 9 of Put Pravdy of February 13 (January 31), 1914.
8 Lenin refers to Bogdanov’s articles in Pravda, against the publication of which he fought. In Pravda for 1913, the following long articles by Bogdanov from the series “From the Dictionary of Foreign Words” were published: in No. 47—“Class”; in No. 87—“On the Taylor System”; in No. 97—“Tactics”; and in No. 102—“Politics.”