The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1924-04-09

CenuencloS winch nave already shown
themselves, and which will continue
to make themselves felt; if these
tendencies are tenaciously pursued
until fraction is formed, then a
broad chasm will appear between the
two trends of opinion, broader than
the chasm which once divided us from
the Mensheviki.
The minority, as is invariably the
case, seeks to mask it's position. It
naturally does ni> say that it is OPP
posed to the Bolshevist Party appara-
tus, but "only,' that it is opposed to
the bureaucracy in the apparatus,
which has got into rut, requires re-
newal, etc. 1t need not be empha-
sized that we are all opposed to our
apparatus falling into rut of bu-
reaucracy. But what is the real
truth about bureaucracy?
Opposed Bureaucracy.
We have been fighting it openly
in the state apparatus for years! At
the VIII. Soviet Congress, held in
December, 1920, a special address
was devoted to the struggle against
the bureaucracy of our apparatus.
Bureaucracy has thus been fought
quite openly. At that time the Cen
trail Committee had chosen me to
speak on this subject. In 1920 the
Mensheviki were still legal party.
Martov, who took part in this con-
gress, scoffed at us: "Now you have
had three years Of your dictatorship,
and you suddenly come along with a
fight against bureaucracy
We replied to these gentlemen:
Laugh as much as you like, all the
same bureaucracy will have to be
fought against for years." Lenin, in
the course of his speech, made the
following observation:
anyone who believes that bureau
cracy can disappear within a few
months is a charlatan, for bureau
crazy is deeply rooted in the struc-
ture of the country, and in the whole
social history of Russia. There are
many illiterates in our country, it was
bureaucratically ruled for centuries
under Czarism, the rule of absolu-
ton rendered bribery general phe-
nomenon, customary all over the
country.
"Besides this, the country is poor,
which again conduces to bureaucracy.
At one time we were in such a posi-
ton that we had to divide ten pairs
of boots among three hundred per-
sons. How could we manage this?
Well, commands were given, then
counter-commands, special commits
sions were appointed. All this natur-
ally strengthened bureaucracy"
How to Destroy Bureaucracy.
The conclusion arrived at by Lenin
was as follows: 'In order to destroy
bureaucracy, the first thing is to have
an adequate supply Of boots, that is,
the country must not be so poor.
Further, illiteracy must be abolished,
and finally, bribery must disappear.
In other words, the cultural level of
the working class must be raised"
We put the question in the same
manner at the present juncture. We
are as little able today as then to
open out rose-colored vistas, and can
promise nothing. Perhaps Comrade
Radek can promise us that if we give
him the workers democracy (inter-
lection from Radek: No, l cannot
promise it. well then, if not Radek,
then perhaps Comrade Trotzky-he
will abolish bureaucracy in Russia
within half a year, or even a whole
year. We for our part cannot prom
Use any such thing. We state can
didly that we require years, for the
first prerequisite is the raising of the
cultural level of the country, and the
disappearance of illiteracy.
1t is not at all the case that Radek
and Trotzky hate bureaucracy, whilst
we of the C. c. love it. This is not
the question at all, comrades, the real
point is the significance of the iron
framework represented by the Boil
shevist Party apparatus, our real fight
ing weapon against Menshevism. It
is precisely this iron weapon which is
so detested, for it causes much un-
pleasantness to certain elements.
ITO Be Continued Thursday
(+See: G. Zinoviev. "History of the
Russian Communist Party" 1928.
Chap. 81