The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-12-22
Questions and Answers

This department, which has
been omitted for the past few
weeks due to technical difficult
ties, will appear regularly here
after as daily feature. All queS-
tions should be addressed to
Questions and Answers Depart
ment, Daily Worker, IS East 18th
Street, New York, N. Y.
QUESTION: Why didn't the
Soviet Union give the 103 white
guard terrorlSts VINO we're exc
cuted tor unter-revolutlonary
activity an open court trial? Why
doesn't the Soviet government
reveal the actual evidence on the
basis of which it carried out the
executions? Since the evidence is
not made public, now can this
particular action of the Soviet
Union be acknowledgements
Sympathizer.
ANSWER: To reply adequately
to all three questions, it is neces-
sary to make certain Communist
principles clear. The workers and
peasants in Russia overthrow capt.
talism, and are building socialism.
The revolutionary objective did not
end on the day that Soviets were
established. 1t did not suddenly
terminate when the victorious Civil
War against the counter-revolu-
tionary white guards and the i'm
perialistS of the entire capitalist
world ended in 1921.
In building socialism, which is
not only an inspiration to the
working class of the whole world
but a bulwark of the world revo-
luton, the Soviet workers and
peasants have had to continuously
fight against enemies on the out
side as well as against enemies on
the inside. To be lenient against
these Czarist remnants who do
everything they can to obstruct the
victorious march towards socialism,
would mean to endanger the work.
ers' fatherland. Their ruthless ex-
termination strikes fear into the
hearts of all enemies OF the work.
ers and farmers republic, and
strengthens the working class and
its allies.
Communists from the time of
Marx have made it very clear that
the workers in striking at their
class enemy do so because it Is far
better to execute tens and even
hundreds of plotters then to en-
danger the lives of millions of
workers and farmers whom the
class enemy threatens to plunge
into the horror and slavery
Of the counter revolution. To be
lenient to the enemies of the work.
ing class is to play into the hands
of the fascist and white guard con-
spirators; it means betraying the
proletarian revolution.
1t should be remembered that
revolutionary terror is only used
against the counter-revolution to
protect the achievement of the
working class, which is advancing
society to higher stage, against
those who by assassination and
destruction wish to plunge it back
into capitalist chaos and barbarism
1t was only after Uritzky had been
assassinated by terrorists, and Len
In had barely escaped with his life
that the Soviet government in 1918
declared a war to the finish against
the wreckers of the proletarian
state. The working class does not
employ terror merely as an end in
itself. 1t is a means of protecting
the working class against enemies
who stop at nothing in their efforts
to destroy the workers fatherland.
With these general principles in
mind the specific incidents now
taking place in the Soviet Union
should be understood and defended
by every worker who is working for
the end of capitalism. Irresistibly
the workers and peasants are build
ing socialism. So great is their
strength that the working class re-