New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-05-31
The Council of Workmen and Soldiers
By w. Tcherkcsop

London, May i5-Let US look a little closer
nj this redoubtable council which seems 70
have set itself up in rivalry with the fro-
visional Government. This council represents
the triumphant capital. but at the same time
:, uoans something more and something less,
for il has connections with the provinces
where local councils have been elected, put
at the same time it does not govern, 1t con-
trolls the government. it represents the moo-
crate and opportunist section OF the Socialist
party.
II ia we'll known that since 1909 (the Lon
don conference) Lenin had definitely broken
away from that section of the Social Demo
cratic party which was taking part IN the
Dura. however much the latter was domi-
mated and mutilated by the government. Lenih
has created a central committee when repu
dates all collaboration with the legai repre-
sentation of the country. The followers oil
his opponent. Martifr, formed a committee OF
organization and now dominate in the Councli
Of Workmen and Soldiers, supported by
Plekhanof and the Labor party. Cnkhelo~e'
the Social Democrat, and Kerensky, the La
Dor man, the first president of the Councii Oh
Workmen and the second member Oh the
Provisional Government, represent the asp'ra-
,ions Of tho moderate section of the advanced
parties.
Lenin calls himself the leader OF the ma
iority. In reality, everybody knows that me
party of which he was leader before the reVo-
luton has become now a minority, when is
very energetic, it is true, but which neVertne-
less is obliged to give way to majority
which is strongly organized and continually
growing.
Yet at the time Of the outbreak IN 1900 II
was noticeable that the old parties had dis-
appeared with their former narrow limits
which had been created abroad with mandates
conferred under arbitrary and uncontrolled
conditions. The defeat of the constitutional
movement of 1906 seems to have reawakehed
the old classihcations, but the present move
ment is far deeper, and the revolution OF ls!.
has taken away any meaning from the Old
party names.
Not the Organ of Parties
The Council of Workmen and Soldiers is in
reality not the organ of clearly defined par
ties. but OF all the organizations which
worked in the critical days of February for
tie revelation When the Duma abstained
from action and when the government Tell, II
was but natural that the parties which were
accustomed to organizing should be the
centre of new provisional body-the Council
of Workmen and Soldiers.
This council at the beginning contained
1900 members, with a committee OF forty
four members, which again appointed an ex-
ecutive of control, composed of Chkheidze,
Skobelefr Stekloff. Philipovsky, all belonging
TO the moderate section of the Socal-Demo-
cratic party, all partisans of collaboration
with the Provisional Government. What is
yet more to the point, the executive does not
wish to interfere in the government, but
simply to control it according to the tradi-
tions OF the party.
Apart from the composition and the name,
what are the actions of the council?
1t began by recommending the workers to
return Immediately to their work; it pointed
out the economic disorganization left by the
old regime and which the new regime after
the revolution must try to remedy at once.
("Rech,' March %, 1910. 1t promised its
partisans to occupy itself later with the
class struggle, but for the present urged to
resume work at once ("Birejevia Viedemosti,"
March 10, 1910; it promised the workers TO
obtain the eight-hour day, but in accordance
with the union of factory owners ('Russkaya
VOLTA" March %, 1870. AS to the sitting Of
March 10, 1917 Terestchenko, the Minister OF
Finance, personally recommended the COM