The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1933-01-23

IL as FAMOUS speeches by revolution
of social reforms, not by palliar
tives under the capitalist system,
but by irrecOnciIabIe struggle
against the very basis Of that
system-private ownership of the
means of production--and that
only with the transfer of the lat
ter into the hands of the whole
people will an end be put to the
exploitation of one section of the
people by another. The indis-
pensable condition for this must
be the dictatorship of the pro-
Ietariat, /. E., the conquest of poll
teal power by the proletariat."
At the time of the Knunyaut7
trial Russia was seething with poll
tical life. The defeats suffered by
TsariSm in the Russo-Japanese War,
the growth of the labor movement
after the events of January 9th,
the growth of the peasant move
ment, the revival Of the liberal
bourgeois movement-all this dis
organized the autocratic govern
ment, and the ground was shaking
under its feet. Tsarisln'S former
confidence in its own strength was
shattered; the revolution was reach
ing for its throat and was ready to
Strangle it.
THIS picture of the epoch was
L reflected in KnunyantZ's speech.
He said
MIR. Prosecutor laid special en-
phasis on the last lines of the
manifesto, ending with the ex-
clamat.on Down with the Auto
cracy!' But who, now, does not
cry out-'Down with the Autocracy-?
Is there single honest man in our
ccuntry who does not understand
that only the overthrow of the auto
cracy will extricate our country
from the deadlock into which the
rapacious policies of the bureau
Gratis have driven it; that only the
overthrow of the autocracy will give
an impetus to the further develop
ment of its cultural forces -.
After the heroic demonstration of
the st. Petersburg proletariat, after
the revolutionary strikes that have
broken out all over Russia, after
the united proteSt-after the strikes
of the university students, after the
cea5elesS agrarian unrest, finally,
sitter the movement which has now
bread among the hitherto inert
strata Educated society, 1T is no
secret to anyone, that the days of
the autocracy are numbered. With
in month or so, the terrible wave
of the peoples revolution will COM
pletely wipe out this relic of our
barbaric past. And what does all
this mean to this court Really, to
carry things to their logical con-
clusion, you should put the entire
Russian people in the dock. But
the great question will then arise
as to who will be the accused and
who the judges.
-. Your court is not certain
that the verdicts it proilounces can
be carried out, and that all its
work may not have ben a waste OF
time. Take even my case. On a
strict Interpretation of articles 126
and 129 under which the prosecutor
charges me, should be sent to
penal servitude up to eight years
or sent into lifelong exile. But is it
not absurd, Messrs. Judges, to talk
about such verdicts now? Is there
one among us who seriously thinks
that the autocracy will live for an
other eight years, or even one or
two years? Does not the demand
of the law for lifelong exile at a
time when none Of us can be sure
of the morrow sound like cruel
irony? All Russia is seething.
Ve,> soon nothing will remain Of
the government and the rubbish Of
court orders and verdicts and those
who are now on trial will be among
the most energetic leaders Of young
Russia. How then, Messrs Judges,
can you seriously think of passing
paper resolutions?"
8 Pugatshev. Leader Of the
peasant rebellion on the Volsa
in 1773-75. III