the Central Executive Committee, rotten as it is to the core, or the Left wing S.R.'s and other perpetual hesitators have pronounced themselves against us. If we are to have a real political comparison we must view these hesitations of the petit-bourgeois leaders—Martinov, Kamkov,[1] Soukhanov,[2] and others, in relation to the peasant rebellion.
On whose side are we? With the handful of irresolute leaders at Petrograd who have only indirectly expressed the evolution of the masses towards the Left, and who, at each move Leftwards went shamefully lamenting and wavering and apologising to the Liber-Dans, Avxentievs and consorts—or are we with the masses who have themselves moved to the Left?
It is in this way, and only in this way, that the question must be faced.
As the Martovs, Kamkovs and Soukhanovs have betrayed the peasant rebellion, it is proposed that we, revolutionary internationalists, should follow their example. That is, in short, the essence of the policy of those who are advising us to imitate the left-wing S.R.'s and the Menshevik-internationalists.
We have always said that the best way to help hesitators is to stop hesitating ourselves. These brave petit-bourgeoise Left-wingers hesitated to pronounce for the coalition! We brought them in behind us in the end because we did not hesitate ourselves. And events justified our action.
By their hesitating doubts and fears these gentlemen were losing the revolution. We alone saved it. And now shall we become feeble when hunger is knocking at the gates of that Petrograd which Rodzianko and company are preparing to surrender?
"… But we have not even a solid contact with the railwaymen and post-office workers. Their official representatives are the Planson.[3] Now, is it possible to win without the railways and the post on our side?"
Always the same refrain! The Liber-Dans one moment, and
- ↑ Leader of the Left S.R.'s.
- ↑ Internationalist Social Democrat, of the Novaia Zizn.
- ↑ Populist and defensist. The Central executive committee of the railwaymen comprised 18 S.R.'s, 6 Mensheviks, 4 Social Democrats, 1 Cadet, &c., and only 2 Bolsheviks out of 40 members. But it had to remain neutral in the events of October because of the attitude of the rank and file of railwaymen.
