The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1925-01-10

anc MY MISTAKE at mat lime.
TO replace Leninism by Trotskyism.
l that is the task which Comrade
Trotsky has set out to accomplish.
In this respect he had already in 1922
in his book 1906" attempted ito at
tain something by illusions" So
long as Comrade Lepin held the
threads in his hand Comrade Trotsky
decided not to undertake direct at
tack. Comrade Trotsky has now OBJ
viously decided that "the moment has
arrived" According to all the rules
of strategy, before one strikes the
decisive blow, one must prepare the
way by artillery fire. The attack
upon the so-called right wing of Boil
shevism is intended as smoke
screen. particularly regarding tho
October failures of the writer of these
lines.
1t is an actual fact that at the be.
ginning of November, 1917, I commit.
ted a great error. This error was
freely admitted by me and made good
in the course of a few days. As, how
ever, these days were not ordinary
days but very fateful days, as this
was time of extreme tension the
error was highly dangerous.
In any event win not minimize
the extent Of this error
1t was precisely because of the ex-
traordinary tension Of these times
that Vladimir Ilyitch so theoretically
opposed our error. All these extreme
ly draconic punitive measures, which
he at that time proposed against us,
all the passionate cbastising which he
inflicted, were of course thoroly justi-
events. some weeks afterward, at the
commencement of the disputes over
the Brest peace, Vladimir Ilyitch, as
the whole c. c. and all the leading
circles of the party are aware, re-
garded these differences of opinion as
completely liquidated.
In his speech on "Trotskyism or
Leninism,'' Comrade Stain very right
ly remarks that in the SepAmber-Oc-
tober period as a result of number
of circumstances, the revolution en-.
deavored to carry out every step un-
der the form of defence. This was to
be understood after all the shilly shall
lying connected with the Kornilov
period. l. who at that time, was liv-
ing illegally, fell victim to my fail
ure precisely owing to this peculiarly
of that phase of October.
When Comrade Lenin reverted to
or error, three years after it had
been committed, he wrote as follows:
Immediately before the October
revolution, and soon afterwards. a
number of excellent Communists in
Russia committed errors, of which
one does not like to be reminded.
Why not? Because it is not right
except on a special occasion, to refer
to such errors, which have been COM
pletely made good. They showed
hesitations in the period in question
in that they feared that the Bolshev.
Xxi would isolate themselves and I'M
dertake too great risk in holding
aloof too much from a certain section
o the mensheviki and of the social
revolutionaries. The conflict went so
far that the comrades in question, as
as a demonstration, resined from all
responsible posts, both in the party
and in the Soviets, to the greatest Joy
Of the enemies Of the social revolu-
ton. The matter led to the most bit
ter polemics in the press on the part
of the G. C. of our party against those
who had resigned. And after some
weeks. at the most after some months,
all these comrades perceived their