The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1932-07-18
Revolutionary
Tactics

I often used to speak with Lenin
about the cruelty of revolutionary
tactics and life. What do you
want?" he would ask in astonish-
ment and anger. SIS it possible to
act humanely in a struggle of such
unprecedented ferocity? Where is
there any place for soft-heartedness
or generosity? We are being block
AIDED by Europe, we are deprived Of
the help of the European proletar-
lat, counter revolution is creeping
like a bear on us from every side
What do you want? Are we not
right? Ought we not to struggle
and resist? We are not a set of
fools. We know that what we want
can only be achieved by ourselves.
Do you think that I would be sitting
here if were convinced of the con-
trary?" What is your criterion for
judging which blows are necessary
and which superfluous in a fightP"
he asked once, after a heated dis
cussion. I could only give vague
poetical answer to this simple ques-
ton. 1t would be impossible to
answer otherwise, think.
I often overwhelmed him with re-
quests of different nature, and
often felt that all the bother I went
to for various people made Lenin
pity me. He would ask, Don't you
think you are wasting your e." rgies
on a lot of rubbish?" But I con-
tinued to do what thought ought
to be done, and was not put off
when the man who knew who we're
the enemies of the proletariat
looked at me askance, in anger.
He would shake his head crushing
ly and say, "You are compromising
yourself in the eyes of the COM
rades and workers.. pointed out
that comrades and workers, when
their passions were reused and they
were iritated, not infrequently hold
too lightly the life and liberty of
valuable people, and that this in my
view not only compromised the
honest hard work of the revolution
by too great, sometimes even sense
less, cruelty, but was effectively
and strategically bad, as 1T repealed
from participation in the revolution
many important people. HIN, him."
Kenin muttered specifically, and
pointed out to me many cases when
the intelligentsia betrayed the in
terests OF the workers. Many peo-
pie among u.s. he said, go over
to the other side and betray us, not
only out OF cowardice, but because
Of their self-esteem, because they
are afraid Of finding themselves in
an embarrassing situation, afraid
that their beloved theory will suffer
when 1t comes to grips with reality.
But we are not afraid of that.
There is nothing holy or sacred
about theories or hypothesis for us,
they serve us only as instruments.
Yet I don't remember a single in
stance when any request of mine
met with a refusal from Ilyitch. If
they we're not always fulfilled, it
was not through his fault but
through the faults Of mechanism in
which the clumsy Russian State
machine has always abounded, and
let us grant, certain malicious
reluctance to tighten the lot or save
the lives Of people Of worth. Per-
haps, too, there we're cases of wiIlful
harming, which is an enemy as
cynical as 1t is cunning. Revenge
and malice are often effective
through force II inertia; and Of
course there are petty persons with
unhealthy minds with morbid
thirst for the delight Of contem-
plating tho suf1erings Of their
nelGhbo<S. -.----------