V. I.

Lenin

Lately, the polemics that Novaya Rabochaya Gazeta has been conducting against the six worker deputies in the Duma have been
steadily losing any business-like and ideological character and assuming
more and more the character of a “squabble”. It is all the more
necessary, there fore, to turn these polemics back into
the channels of a serious examination of controversial questions. Every
class-conscious worker will probably agree with us about this.

We have before us the “big names” that the liquidators always juggle
with. Tsereteli and Gegechkori condemn the six; the “leading body” of the
August Conference (1912) does the same. For the thousand and first time
they call the six splitters, and proclaim “unity”.

We, for our part, undeterred by raving and shouting, will, for the
thousand and first time, calmly call upon the workers to reflect upon the
question and study it.

The working class needs unity. But unity can be effected only by a
united organisation whose decisions are conscientiously carried out by all
class-conscious workers. Discussing the problem, expressing and hearing
different opinions, ascertaining the views of the majority of the
organised Marxists, expressing these views in the form of decisions adopted
by delegates and carrying them out conscientiously—this is what
reasonable people all over the world call unity . Such a unity is
infinitely precious, and infinitely important to the working
class. Disunited, the workers are nothing. United, they are everything.

Are there, we ask, data available that will enable every
class-conscious worker who desires to study the controversy for himself to
judge whether unity has been maintained among worker Social-Democrats during the past few years?

Efforts must be made to collect such data, to verify them and to
publish them as material for the purpose of enlightening, uniting and
organising the workers.

The newspaper Pravda has been in existence since April 1912,
and its trend has always (and not one of its opponents has ever denied
this) strictly conformed to the decisions which on three occasions
in this period (once in 1912 and twice in 1913) were passed by the leading
Marxist body. How many workers have accepted these decisions (on all
questions of working-class life; altogether there were about forty
decisions) and have carried them out?

The reply to this question—obviously a very important and interesting
one—can be only approximate, but it is based on absolutely precise and
objective and not biased data. In 1912 and 1913 there were
basically two workers’ newspapers, which advocated different views to the masses of the workers. Both of them
published reports of the workers’ groups which collected funds for the
respective newspapers. Needless to say, the workers’ groups which collected
funds for a given newspaper thereby expressed by deeds (and not
merely by words) their sympathies for the policy pursued by that paper, and
their determination to back the decisions that it supports.

The publication of these data in the two rival newspapers is the best
guarantee against mistakes, which interested workers can themselves
correct. Here are the data, which have been published many times
before, have never been refuted by anyone, and have never been
superseded by other data. In the course of nearly two years, from
January 1912 to October 1913, 556 workers’ group collections were made for
Luch , 2,181 for Pravda , and 395 for the Moscow workers’
newspaper.

One may boldly assert that nobody but a person blinded by prejudice
would hesitate to admit that the majority (and the overwhelming majority at
that) supported Pravda . Slowly but surely the Pravda people are building up real unity among the workers, uniting them
by uniform decisions, which they conscientiously carry out. This is the first time in Russia that a Marxist daily newspaper, which
scrupulously defends uniform and precise decisions, has been able for so long to
unite more and more systematically and closely workers’ groups scattered all over the country.

This is unity in deeds and not merely in words! Of course, this is not
everything but it is actual deeds and not merely words, not a mere
advertising.

But Tsereteli, Gegechkori and the “August leading body”, like all the
other liquidators, stubbornly ignore the facts!

They shout about “unity”, but say nothing about the fact that it is
the liquidators—obviously in the minority among the class-conscious
workers—who are violating unity , are flouting the will of the
majority!

No outcries, no clamour and no abuse can refute this plain and simple
fact; and all references made by the “August leading, and so forth”, to
all sorts of “bodies” and groups, only raise a smile. Just think,
gentlemen! What are your “bodies and groups” worth if no
workers, or only an obvious minority, support them? Such “bodies
and groups” are breakaway bodies if they fail to call upon all
the workers to obey the will of the majority.

The experience of the revival of the working-class movement during the
past two years increasingly confirms the correctness of the views
of Pravda . The experience of uniting the workers of
Russia on definite decisions formulated by the Marxists is more and more
clearly revealing the successes, growth and strength of our
organisation. It goes without saying that we shall proceed along this path
more boldly and quickly, undaunted by abuse, by outcries, or by any thing
else.

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