V. I.

Lenin

Reply to the Article in Leipziger Volkszeitung [2]

Leipziger Volkszeitung , issue No. 157 for July 11, 1914, published an article over the signature of Z. L. entitled “On the
Question of Unity in Russia”. The writer’s lack of objectivity compels us
to draw the attention of the German comrades to certain facts. For the sake
of graphic illustration, we quote the following table which was published
in
Pravda . [1]

Pravdists Liquidators
Number of collections Sum collected
Workers’ groups 2,873 18,934.10 671 5,296.12
Total from non- workers . . . . 713 2,650.01 453 6,759.77
including:
Student and youth groups 54 650.92 45 630.22
Groups of “adher- ents”, “friends”, etc. 42 458.82 54 2.sic450.60
Other groups 33 125.29 30 186.12
Individuals 531 1,046.62 266 1,608.32
Unspecified 43 318.57 24 175.34
From abroad 10 49.79 34 1,709.17
Total . . 3,586 21,584.11 1,124 12,055.89

1.
We gave the exact dates for which these figures were calculated (from
January 1 to May 13, 1914). The liquidators gave no dates. Would it be
honest, in such a case, to compare facts that are incomparable and
unauthentic?

2.
The liquidators themselves stated and published in the press ( Nasha Rabochaya Gazeta No. 34) that all their groups, i. e., not
the workers’ groups alone, totalled 948. Our statistics, on the other hand,
specified that the figures 2,873 and 671 referred to workers’ groups
alone . The total number of groups is given in our table,
and that number does not coincide with the number of workers’
groups. Is it honest to pass this over in silence?

3.
Our newspaper reported that we gave the contributions made by the workers’
groups for both newspapers and that we had no information about recurrent
contributions by the same groups. The information was the same for both
news papers. It is absolutely incomprehensible how any honest critic could
discover an “error” here!

4.
We quoted parallel figures, that is, figures covering the same
period for both newspapers, and the information for both papers was
tabulated by the same method .

The liquidators quoted no parallel figures at all, thus violating the
most elementary and well-known rules of statistical work. Anyone who is
interested in this question can easily get both newspapers and verify our
information.

We are sure that no open-minded person can call the methods used by the
“critic” Z. L. honest.

Notes:
[1]
See pp. 364–65 of this volume.— Ed .

[2]
Leipziger Volkszeitung —a German Social-Democratic daily,
published from 1894 to 1933. Until World War I it was the organ of the
Left-wing German Social-Democrats. For a number of years it was edited by
F. Mehring. Among contributors to the paper were Rosa Luxemburg, and
J. Marchlewski.

Lenin’s article was published in the newspaper under the editorial
heading: “An objection. Letters to the Editors”.

Works