The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1924-03-29

ZinOviev, chairman Of the C0mmun-
list International, at the city meet
ing of the Collective Bureaus of
the Leningrad Communist Party
Organization.
In THE resolution passed at our
4 conference, made use OF the
expression: The struggle between
two fractions within a party which
is governing the state contains the
germ of two governments. And at
the beginning of the year 1918 the
germs Of two governments existed.
At the present time everybody
smiles at the idea that Bucharin and
Ooritzky could ever have seriously
contemplated deposing Comra d e
Lenin and replacing him by Pyata-
kov. But at that time the situation
was such that this plan could be
brought up in the party Of the left
social revolutionaries hostile to us.
We were a hairs breath removed
from the most appalling disaster.
The cause Of the revolution hung by
a hair. shall never forget meet
ing Comrade Lenin in the corridor
Of the Smolny after we mad received
the news that the Germans, utilizing
our hesitation with regard to the
conclusion of the Brest peace, had
sent their troops against Pieskau.
Comrade Lenin said to me: EVERY
thing seems to be lost. For once
in my life / gave way to people
who were leading the Party on the
wrong path, and now it seems as
if the revolution is to be lost thru
it."
Danger of Situation.
When it is asserted that we
should return to the times Of the
Brest peace, then we say: No, the
lesson which we learned at that time
shall not be in vain. 1t is not such
a very great misfortune when the
Party commits this or that error, so
long as it is made wiser by the ex-
perience. The errors committed at
the time of the Brest peace have
shown us that fractional struggle
signifies the decay of the prole-
tartan dictatorship.
Comrades, consider more atten-
lively the atmosphere prevailing in
Moscow. We hear that Leningrad
is provincial. ! take the liberty of
believing that this is not quite the
case. Leningrad is the central,
which is developing more and more.
Comrades Sapronov and Preobra-
zensky say: "To be sure, out there
in the provinces they are behind
hand and have no comprehension for
the attractions of freedom of frac-
ton and discussion" erc. Thus We
are simply provincial
And look at what is going on in
Moscow. Over every wire and by
wireless as well, in every commits
sariat and sub-commissariat, of
which there are a million and one,
the whole of the employees occupied
in these commissariats and sub
commissariats are all buzzing with
the same idea; there is something
wrong in their Party, some rupture
is preparing in the Party; let US see
what is going to happen; let US wait
and see how it will end.
Fractions Cause Decentralization
The same subject matter is busy
ing bourgeois and state ofnclas
Moscow. It is just as said on the
occasion of the Brest peace. AS
soon as any differences of opinion
arise in Party life these spread at
lightning speed over the whole state
apparatus, and the state apparatus
splits and begins to whisper in cor
ners instead of working. And the
first to be delighted at a quarrel
within the Party, should a quarrel
really come about, would be the bu-
reaucratic section of our state APP
paratus. Other parties may permit
themselves squabbles, they may af-
ford themselves this luxury-they
possess neither commissariats nor
specialists, nor state officials.
But we may not do this.
In the course Of a discussion at
Moscow a young comrade observed
- .xLofo Nx..e-oLsrfs1 - &bn Dovfx,