The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1924-02-19
By NICOLAI LENIN

from NICOLA Len1n a1ter ne De-
came the recognized leader of the
proletarian world. Early efforts
to get it past the censorship lines
evidently failed. It arrived in
this country in December of 1879
Moscow, August. 20, 1918.
COMRADES: A Russian BOlshevik
~ who participated in the revolu-
ton of 1905 and for many years af-
terward lived in your country has
offered to transmit this letter to you.
/ have grasped this opportunity joy
fully, for the revolutionary pro-
letariat Of American 30 far as it
is the enemy Of American imperial
ism-is destined to perform an i'm
pOrtant task at this time.
Russia Deserted at Brest-Litovsk
Had the Angio-French and Amer
lean bourgeoisie accepted the Soviet
invitation to participate in peace me-
gctiations at Brest-Litovsk, instead
of leaving Russia to the mercy Of
brutal Germany, a just peace with
out annexations and indemnities, .
peace based upon complete equality
could have been forced upon Ger
many, and millions Of lives might
have been saved. Because they
hoped to re-establish the Eastern
Front by once more drawing us into
the whirlpool of warfare, they re-
fused to attend peace negotiations
and gave Germany a free hand to
cram its shameful terms down the
throat of the Russian people. It lay
in the power Of the Allied countries
to make the Brest-Litovsk negotia-
tons the forerunner Of a general
peace. It i'll becomes them to throw
the blame for the Russo-German
peace upon our shoulders. -.
The workers of the whole world,
in whatever country they may live,
rejoice with us and sympathize with
us, applaud US for having burst the
iron ring Of imperialistic agreements
and treaties, for having dreaded
no sacrifice, however great, to free
ourselves, for having established our
selves as a socialist republic, even so
rent asunder and plundered by Ger
man imperialists, for having raised
the banner of peace, the banner of
Socialism over the world. What won
der that we are hated by the capitalist
class the world over But this hatred
Of Imperialism and the sympathy of
the class-conscious workers of all
countries give us assurance of the
Righteousness of our cause.
Must Make Sacrifice for Revolution
He is no Socialist who cannot un-
derstand that one cannot and must
not hesitate to bring even that great
est Of sacrifices, the sacrifice of ter
ritory, that one must be ready to
accept even military defeat at the
hands of imperialism, in the interests
of victory over the bourgeosie, in the
interests of a transfer of power to
the working class. For the sake of
their" cause, that is for the con-
quest of world-power, the imperial
lists of England and Germany have
not hesitated to ruin a whole row of
nations, from Belgium to Servia to
Palestine to Mesopotamia. Shall we
then hesitate to act in the name of
the liberation of the workers of the
world from the yoke of capitalism, in
the name Of a general honorable
peace; shall we wait until we can
find way that entails no sacrifice [:
shall we be afraid to begin the fight
until an easy victory is assured; shall
we place the integrity and safety of
this "fatherland" created by the
bourgeoisie over the interests of
the international socialist revolu-
tion7
The great Russian revolutionist,
Tchernychewsli, once said: "Politi-
cal activity is not as smooth as the
pavement of the Novski Prospect. ("
He is no revotutionist who would
have the revolution of the proletariat
only under the Condition" that It
proceed smoothly and in an ORDERLY
manner, that the proletarians of all
countries Immediately go into action,
that guarantees against defeat be
given beforehand, that the reyolu-
ton 20 forward along the broad, free,
straight path to victory, that there