Montana news. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1904-191?, 1905-12-27
International
War Report
Bureau Issues Socialist Attitude on
Russian Revolution. ..fiilquit'S
Statement.

reau has also had occasion to inter
fere in the affairs of the socialist
party organization in Russia, with
view of strengthening that organiza-
ton for the purposes of the present
struggle; prior to the outbreak of
the overt revolution in Russia, the
history of our party organizations
in that country has been one of con-
tinuous splits and schisms; a state
of affairs which is perfectly natural
if we consider the conditions under
which our comrades in Russia la
bored in the absence of freedom of
organization, meetings and press.
and the new and heterogeneous de-
mands made upon the socialist
movement by the rapid changes in
the political situation of their coun-
try. The last, and probably the
most regrettable of such divisions
occurred in the month of May of
this year when the Social Demo
cratic party split into two factions;
the one headed by the deservedly
well kuown veteran of social demo-
cracy in Russia, Comrade Plekha-
noff, and represented by the maya
zine "Iskra" and the other headed
by Comrade Lenin, and represented
by the newly established paper,
The Proletarian.
Immediately after the split was
definitely accomplished, the Interna-
tional Socialist Bureau, upon mo-
ton of Comrade Bebel, offered its
good servises to effect a reconcil-
iation and amalgamation of the
two factions. The offer was ac-
cepted by both sides, and as
late as October last negotiations for
unity between the two social demo.
cratic factions were in active pro-
gress. The changes are, however,
that the recent events in Russia have
effected the desired unity between
all Russian socialists without the
intervention of any outside medium.
At any rate, the socialists in Russia
act in perfect accord and union in
all matters, and the socialist party
in Russia is united in fact, if not in
name.
2. The mode of representation in
international conventions and on
the International Bureau.
When the first of the later day
international socialist conventions
was called to be held in Paris in
1850. it was agreed that each nation
was entitled to as many delgates as
it cared to send, each delegate hav-
ing one vote, except where a vote
was demanded by countries. in which
case each country was given one
vote regardless of the strength of
the socialist movement in such
country. This system continued
until the London Congress of 1896
when the number of votes of each
country was increased to two in or
der to give representation to
two factions of the party, where
such factions existed. At the same
time, the International Socialis,
Bureau was established as the exc
cutive organ of the international So
cialist movement, and each country
was allowed two delegates or secret
aries on the bureau. AT the last In
ternational Congress held at Amster.
dam, some objections were raised
against this system of representa-.
ton. 1t was pointed out that the
international conventions and bu.
reau did not properly express the
sentiment and attitude oJ the social.
ist movement at large, il the vote OF
an insignificant country, with q
socialist movement yet in its infancy,
should be- allowed To have as much
weight, and, in some cases to neu'
tralize, the vote of a country lik,
(rnntinuad on maze