This has been fully proved by the entire history of Russia, particularly in the twentieth century, and above all in 1905-06. And the publication Vekhi [39] demonstrated it, exposed it, particularly clearly and completely. Nor can any "reservations" of the Cadet diplomats in regard to Vekhi alter this fact.
The first phase of the liberation movement in Russia, the first decade of the twentieth century, revealed that the mass of the population, while gravitating towards democracy, is not sufficiently class-conscious, cannot distinguish
page 42
between liberalism and democracy, and submits to the leadership of the liberals. So long and insofar as there is no change in this respect, all talk of democratic reform in Russia is pointless. It would be just idle talk.
How does Mr. Vodovozov counter these premises, on which I based my article? "In the present conditions," he writes, "the Trudoviks consider it extremely tactless [!!] to say too much about the counter-revolutionary nature of the Cadets. . . ."
Well, well! What has "tact" got to do with it? And why "too much"? If it is true that the Cadets are counter-revolutionary liberals, this truth must be told. Whether we should say a lot or only a little about the counter-revolutionary Rights and the counter-revolutionary liberals is not a serious question at all. Whenever a publicist speaks of the Rights, and whenever he speaks of the liberals, he must tell the truth. The Trudoviks told the truth about the Rights. We praise them for this. As regards the liberals, the Trudoviks themselves began to speak of them, but they did not speak the whole truth !
That is the only thing for which we reproach the Trudoviks.
"Too much" or too little -- that is quite beside the point. Let the Trudoviks devote a thousand lines to the Rights and five lines to the liberals -- we shall have no objections to that. That is not the reason for our objections to the Trudoviks. What we objected to is that in those "five lines" (you must blame yourself, Mr. Vodovozov, for bringing into the controversy your unfortunate expression "too much"!) the truth about the liberals was not told.
Mr. Vodovozov avoided answering the real question: are the Cadets counter-revolutionary or not?
It is a big mistake on the part of the Trudoviks to evade this question, for that implies in fact that a section of the democrats and a section of the former Marxists are dependent on the liberals.
This question is inexorably posed by the entire history of the first decade of the twentieth century.
In Russia today, new democratic elements are growing up everywhere, among the most diverse sections of the population. That is a fact. As they grow these democratic elements
page 43
must be educated in the spirit of consistent democracy. Such education will be impossible unless we explain the true nature of the liberals, who have at their disposal hundreds of press organs and a hundred seats in the Duma, thus constantly exerting an influence along falsely democratic lines upon an incomparably greater number of people than we can reach with our propaganda.
The democrats must rally their forces. We shall always praise the Trudoviks for their democratic speeches about the Rights. But theirs will be an inconsistent democracy if, when they speak of the liberals, they do so in liberal fashion, instead of using a language worthy of democrats.
It is not two, but three camps that are contending in the elections. Do not lump the second camp (the liberals) with the third camp (the democrats), Trudovik gentlemen. Do not obscure the distinction between them -- the liberals are doing "too much " as it is towards that objectionable end.