Written: Written December 20, 1912
Published:
First published in 1923 in the book Iz epokhi “Zvezdy” i “Pravdy” (1911–1914), Vol. III.
Sent from Cracow to St. Petersburg.
Printed from a typewritten copy found in police records.
Source:
Lenin
Collected Works,
Progress Publishers,
[1977],
Moscow,
Volume 43,
pages 322b-323.
Translated: Martin Parker and Bernard Isaacs
Transcription\Markup:
R. Cymbala
Public Domain:
Lenin Internet Archive
(2005).
You may freely copy, distribute,
display and perform this work; as well as make derivative and
commercial works. Please credit “Marxists Internet
Archive” as your source.
• README
For Vasilyev and No. 3. Dear friends, we received your news today that the majority of the co-operative has again re stored the national-cultural autonomy clause to please the Jewish nationalists and the rest of that company. What is this—a mockery of the six? Do these gentry not under stand that by interpreting the Programme to please this company they are thereby releasing the minority from submission? Why, it is a public disgrace that they should gain the upper hand by making use of one chance vote of a muddled Menshevik, or perhaps relying in this case on No. 16. We do not know what the six have done on this question.
But how can we silently submit, how can No. 3 agree to read such bilge publicly (and thereby assume responsibility), how could the six (or at any rate No. 3 alone) not come out at once with a statement in Dyen that these gentry are making a mockery of the Programme and heading for a split—this we cannot possibly understand. For if nothing is said, the Jewish Marxists[1] will walk all over us tomorrow. After all, there must be some limit. And if these gentlemen think that the minority is obliged to submit even when the Programme is obviously being torn to bits, they are badly mistaken.
We sent in one general article on cultural-national autonomy before your letter came (we quoted Plekhanov: the Caucasians and the Bund are adapting socialism to nationalism). Today we are sending articles directly against the co-operative. We would ask you to see that they are printed as soon as possible, and we believe that if it is not too late you should take resolute measures to prevent changes in the Programme. It is necessary to fight, since the others are taking such steps. As regards the merging of Vechernaya Pochta[2] and Dyen you will all doubtless adopt the resolution, with the exception of the pro-liquidators. This of course was trickery on their part, and we shall not agree to join them in anything. Why are only four coming? We earnestly beg you to get all six to come. This is extremely important.
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