The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1926-01-30

were three painful days until the an
swer of Won Kuhlmann arrived. The
German offensive went on all the
time. The Russian army withdrew
without fighting. The government ap-
pealed to the people to defend the
socialist republic but all attempts to
organize resistance were fruitless.
The Moscow committee met Febru-
airy 20, and protested against the CEN
trail committee. Certain comrades de-
manded release from responsible
posts and declared that they would
fight for their opinion outside of the
party. These declarations were not
published in the press. The central
committee met February %. The sup
porters Of revolutionary war under
stood now that they could not make
a fight outside the party and claimed
the right only within the party. JOffe,
Krestinsky and Djerjinsky endorsed
the protest but refrained from agita-
ton which they regarded as a step
towards a split.
Trotsky referred to a note from the
French military commission about the
readiness of France and England to
support Russia in a war against Ger
many. He endorsed it upon the con-
dition of full independence for Rus
sian foreign policy, and resigned as
commissar Of foreign affairs. Buchar-
in proposed the refusal of the inn
perialist offer. The central commit
tee carried the proposal of Trotsky
by six votes against five. Lenin was
not present and sent note: 81 vote
in favor of taking aid and weapons
from the bandits of Anglo-French i'm
perialism.'
At last the answer of Germany
came, with an offer Of still more I'M
favorable terms. This was considered
by the central committee. Trotsky
announced that the forty-eight hour
ultimatum would end on February "a
at seven o'clock in the morning. Len
in said that the policy of the revolu-
tionary phrase was now at an end.
If this was to continue he would re-
sign from the central committee and
from the government. D For a ,reEolu-
tionary war an army is needed. We
have none. That means that we must ?
accept the terms. Trotsky was In
favor of accepting the terms on the
ground that war was impossible if
the party was split. After speeches
by Stain and Djerjinsky, Lenin spoke
again:
81 have been reproached for my Ill
timatum. l made it in an emergency,
If the members of our central COM
mittee speak about an international
civil war, it is irony. There is civil
war raging in Russia, but not in Ger
many. Our agitation will go on: we
agitate not with words but with revo-
luton, and we will continue with it.
These terms must be signed II we
do not sign these terms, we sign the
death warrant of the Soviet power
within three weeks. These terms do
not affect Soviet power. There is not
he least shadow of doubt in my
mind. l make my ultimatum with no
intention of taking it back. do not
like revolutionary phrases. The Ger
man revolution is not yet ripe. 1t
will still take months. We must ac-
cept the terms. If there is a new
ultimatum, it will be in new cir
cumstance, new situation. For a
revolutionary war earnest prepare
tions are needed"
The c. c. decided by seven votes
out Of fifteen, with four abstaining, to
accept the German terms. The Brest-
Litovsk treaty was ratified by the
party convention on March e-S and by
the Fourth Soviet congress, March
1916. The November revolution in
Germany annulled the Brest treaty
and justified the course OF Lenin.