The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1924-04-08

theses: We cannot develop q Work
ers' democracy in country in which
absolutism rules, we cannot elect
our committees. In very bad times
we had, for instance, a tradition that
not even the whole Of the Central
Committee was to be elected. Three
comrades were elected at the Party
conference, but only one was named,
in order to have an address. Not
even the Party conference was to
know who had been elected. The
elected comrades were then given
the right to co-opt further COM
rades. The same applied to the local
committees.
The Mensheviki, already at that
time inclined to glorify democracy
in its petty bourgeois sense, rallied
at Lenin as a "despot," bureau
GRAFT" etc.*s Indeed, even such a
fighter as Rosa Luxembourg once
adopted this tone with reference to
this matter, and scoffed at Lenin. 49,
Even she rut the question: Where is
democracy? She had not grasped
the situation. The whole Of inter-
national Menshevism, even such par
ticipators in the international as
Rosa Luxembourg, did not under
stand the matter at that time.
Legality and Illegality.
When the revolution Of 1905 broke
out, we began to reorganize the
Party at once. But the period of
legality was of but brief duration.
A general Differentiation into the
following periods may be made in
the history Of the Bolshevil1i:
1st period until 1905. Expressly
anti-democratic.
End period, 1905 until 1907 Com
parative freedom, commencement Of
the introduction Of a certain democ-
racy into the Party.
3rd period, 1908 until 1910. Coun-
ter-revolution, no trace Of democ-
racy.
4th period, 1911 until 1914. Re-
vival Of labor movement, publication
Of the "Pravda" in Petrograd,
peculiar combination of legality and
illegality.
5th period, complete illegality
from August, 1914, until 1917. Dur
ing the whole Of this time the Cen
trail Committee consisted of two
comrades only, Lenin and Zinbviev,
! who both lived in Switzerland. No
trace Of democracy.
9Th period, 1917 until 1921. Civil
war, general mobilization utmost
exertion of powers. During this
period a really military discipline
existed in the Party.
From the year 1921 EDWARDS, the
workers democracy is spoken Of
Formation of Fractions.
At the Tenth Party conference in
1921 three groups of questions were
discussed, all of extraordinary i'm
portance:
1. The introduction of the New
Economic Policy. This question
arose during the Kronstadt insur-
rection, tho this broke down. Lenin
gave the address. The Party con-
ference resolved unanimously on the
transition to the New Economic
Policy. .a}an.sel
2. The introduction of the work
ers' democracy into the Party. The
address was delivered by Bukhariu,
who spoke on behalf of the whole
Central Committee. It was almost
unanimously resolved to go over to
democracy in the Party.
8. The question of We formation
Of fractions. Lenin again delivered
the address. A resolution was passed
against the permissability of the
formation of fractions. The Party
conference resolved to expel from
the Party all those who formed
fractions.
After the resolution on the intro
duction of the workers democracy
had been passed, Lenin delivered
speech which acted like cold douche
on all who had been too enthusiastic
for democracy. Lenin, in the course
of his speech, declared that:
ut is not true that we do not
call upon the masses to take part
in the work. On the contrary,
any barely noticeable talent, any
quality, be it only the slightest
degree above the working masses,
has met with our sincerest sup
port. There is only one thing in
winch VIC aAS SblAA ldCklnBs SlRnT
amelioration of our position.
I'VE now need one or two years
in which TO recuperate from the
famine, and shorter time will not
suffice. Viewed from the histori-
cal standpoint, the term is exceed
ingly short, hut for our conditions
it is a considerable period. One
or two years of recuperation from
famine, one or two years of prop
erly regulated fuel supplies, in
order that the factories may be
set running again, and we shall
receive hundred fold more sup
port from the working class, we
shall see greater numbers Of tai.
ented individuals arise from it's
ranks. Nobody can doubt this"
Comrades, this is our position with
regard to the questions Of the work.
ers' democracy. You will perceive
that many Of the semi-bourgeois ele-
ments which have found their way
into our Party naturally regard the
idea of democracy from fha nattv