V. I.

Lenin

The Petrograd Telegraph Agency reports:

“ Kiev , May 30. A telegram from War Minister Kerensky read at the All-Ukraine Peasant Congress stated that for
military reasons the convocation of the second Ukrainian army
congress was considered untimely. The Congress held the
Minister’s order to be an infringement of the Ukrainians’ right
of, assembly and sent the following telegram to the Provisional
Government and the Petrograd Soviet of Workers’ and Soldiers’
Deputies; “‘ We call sour attention to this first case of
infringement of the right of assembly on the part of Minister Kerensky in
respect of the Ukrainian army congress. We decline all responsibility for the possible consequences of this
infringement of democratic principles of the new life in respect
of the Ukrainians. We lodge an emphatic protest and await the
Provisional Government’s immediate reply to the demands
submitted by the delegation of the Ukrainian Central Rada.’”

This report will undoubtedly cause great concern among the
socialist workers.

The War Minister deems the congress of Ukrainians “untimely” and
uses his power to ban it! Not so long ago citizen Kerensky tried
to bring Finland to heel, and now he has decided to bring the
Ukrainians to heel. And all this is done in the name of
“democracy”!

A. I. Herzen once said that when you look at the antics of
Russia’s ruling classes you feel ashamed of being a
Russian. [1] This was said at a time when
Russia was groaning under the yoke of serfdom, when the land was
ruled by the knout and the rod.

Today Russia has overthrown the tsar. Today the Kerenskys and
the Lvovs speak in the name of Russia. Russia of the Kerenskys
and Lvovs treats her subject nations in such a way that one
cannot help recalling these bitter words of Herzen’s.

We say nothing of the fact that by his “dominant-nation” policy
Citizen Kerensky is merely augmenting and bolstering the very
tendencies towards “separatism” which the Kerenskys and the
Lvovs are trying to smother.

We ask: Is such treatment of the oppressed nationalities
compatible with plain democracy, let alone socialism? We ask: Is
there a limit to the “antics” of Citizen Kerensky and his
followers?

We ask the Party of the “Socialist-Revolutionaries” whether it
subscribes to this step taken by its honourable member, Citizen
Kererensky, in banning the Ukrainian congress.

*     * *
We are informed that the Executive Committee of the Soviet
yesterday decided to invite Citizen Kerensky specially to
discuss with him the question of self-determination of nations
and the question of national policy in general.

Yet people had been saying that the Contact Commission was
dead. Nothing of the sort, gentlemen! Dual power still exists. The only way out of the present situation is to have all
power pass to the Soviets.

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Notes:
[1]
A Reference to A. I. Herzen’s article “Plach” (Weeping) published in the journal Kolokol
(The Bell) in March 1863.