V. I. Lenin

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

1* TO THE EDITORIAL BOARD OF THE NEWSPAPER “ZA PRAVDU”
A Letter to the Editor

[Not earlier than November 1, 1913. Cracow]

Dear Comrade Editor!

Allow me on the pages of your newspaper to make public our reply to many persons who from the far north, west, east and other places* inquired of us about the “campaign” of the liquidators against the “insurance” worker Comrade X.

The liquidators accused him of duplicity: he served both the employers and the workers.¹

How does an organisation act in the face of such accusations?

It calls together representatives of various institutions serving the working-class movement and commissions them to investigate the matter.

That is exactly what was done. In No. 12 of *Za Pr[avdu]* (of October 17) the conclusion of the commission of representatives of five institutions was published (1. the editorial board of *Pravda*; 2. the editorial board of *Prosveshcheniye*; 3. the editorial board of the Polish Marxist organ; 4. the group of six Social-Democratic deputies of the State Duma; 5. the chairman of the Metalworkers’ Union).²

The commission recognised

that the assertion of the liquidators “does not correspond to the truth”;
— — that X, by leaving the service of the employers, thereby fulfilled his duty.

* The words “who from the far north, west, east and other places” were crossed out by L. B. Kamenev and replaced by the word “who”. — Ed.

On the previous day (No. 11 of *Za Pr[avdu]* of October 16) A. Vitimsky explained in detail that X was “guilty” only of leaving the employers’ service for service to the working-class movement. Vitimsky added that he had communicated to the secretary of *Za Pr[avdu]* the n a m e s of the liquidators who had been s e c r e t a r i e s of e m p l o y e r s ’ o r g a n i s a t i o n s.³

What reply did the liquidators give? They did not even think of refuting either Vitimsky’s statement or the fact of X’s leaving the service of the employers.

They did not even think of convening any “their own” commission from “their” group of seven, from any trade union or “leading institution” of the Letts, Jews, Caucasians*.

Nothing of the sort!

People devoted to the organisation call a commission, investigate the matter, pass decisions.

The liberal scribblers from the *Novaya Rabochaya (??) Gazeta*, who are independent of the workers’ organisations, continue their campaign of the basest lies and** slander!! They deceive simpletons or the ignorant*** by calling “duplicity” the fact that X, when he had not yet left the employers’ service, began secretly****, under a pseudonym, to help the workers!!⁴

It is clear that the workers turn away with contempt from these despicable anonymous slanderers of the liquidators’ little newspaper, which is maintained to aid the bourgeoisie*****.

But that is not enough. To turn away is insufficient. The liquidators, who wish to destroy the workers’ organisations, have long used such a device******: to slander individuals in the most shameless manner.

No organisation is possible without an organisational rebuff to such a method of political “struggle”. And what should this organisational rebuff consist of?

Every worker must demand that the liquidators, whom the Marxists have turned away from with contempt, convene “their” commission from “their” group of seven, “their” “leading institution” of the Jews,******* Letts, Caucasians, and so forth. Let them try

* The end of the phrase: “of the Letts, Jews, Caucasians” was crossed out. — Ed.
** The words: “of the basest lies and” were crossed out by Kamenev. — Ed.
*** The words: “deceive simpletons or the ignorant” were crossed out and replaced by the words “mislead poorly informed readers”. — Ed.
**** Here Kamenev inserted “from the employers”. — Ed.
***** The words: “which is maintained to aid the bourgeoisie” were crossed out. — Ed.
****** Here inserted: “of apolitical struggle”. — Ed.
******* The word “Jews” was replaced by the word “Bundists”. — Ed.

LETTERS OF THE PERIOD OF “ZVEZDA” AND “PRAVDA”

to pass “their” decision and communicate it to the International. Then we shall brand* these scoundrel-slanderers before the whole world.

But until these scoundrels, these dirty individuals,** hide behind the anonymous articles of the liquidators’ newspaper, let every union of workers instruct its board to investigate the matter, taking all documents and information from everywhere, verifying the decision of the Marxist commission of the five institutions and passing its own resolution.

[Either] Universal condemnation of the slanderers, the universal demand: “take*** back your vile slander or you will not be allowed into any organisation” — [or refusal] such is the answer of the working class, the organisational answer to the destroyers of organisation.⁵

V. Ilyin.****

This question of principle should be raised in the Duma.⁶

P. S. If *Za Pr[avdu]* is closed down, it is necessary, at all costs, to lower the tone fivefold, to become more legal and meek. This i s  p o s s i b l e  and necessary. Write as in *Vopr[osy] Strakhovaniya*⁷ and appoint your own censor. For heaven’s sake, do this, otherwise you are ruining the cause needlessly.