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38 THE WORKERS COUNCIL May 1, 1921 39 May 1, 1921 THE WORKERS COUNCIL New Policy Toward the Peasants By NIKOLAI LENIN masses rests upon the private ownership of social tempts to keep the minds of the workers in a capiwealth, such as land, manufacturing enterprises, talist straightjacket. It is a great help to the stabiltransportation facilities, distributing mediums, etc. ity of the capitalist rule, if workers can be gotten Through the private ownership of these social to think like capitalists. The system of compulnecessities the property owning classes, backed sory education, prevailing in practically every state with all the powers of the state the courts, the of the United States, guarantees that the American police, the inilitia and of extra legal organizations children will be thoroughly drilled in Americanism such as the Ku Klux Klan, ruthlessly, violently. that is, that the capitalist system is the best of all and forcibly confiscate the wealth produced by the possible systems.
workers and beat them into silent submission.
Unfortunately there are many who do not pass Peonage is deeply rooted in and grows out of the through the public schools, namely, foreigners and present feudo capitalistic economic system of the children of working class parents who cannot keep South. The white and black propertied classes of them in schools. Some of them have developed the the South have devised ways and means of co habit of going to the workers schools, such as the operating in defending themselves against any who Ferrer School, the Rand School and the schools organize or question their right to exploit the maintained by many of the Unions in the city. The masses. The white and black workers, too, must representatives of the capitalist class at Albany recognize that the race question is raised by their last year took steps to put a stop to this. One bill masters hut te blind and confuse their class inter was introduced which provided for the expulsion ests and to prevent the development of class or from the school system of any teacher who would ganizations. They, too, must develop means of co express any thoughts not strictly in accordance operating if they wish to free themselves from the with the wishes of the ruling class. Another was yoke of peonage. They must strive now to solidify aimed at the radical workers schools. All private their ranks into truly class conscious revolutionary schools were required to secure a licence from the political and economic organizations to enable State Commissioner of Education who was given them to change from Capitalism to Communism. authority to revoke the licence of any school which Inspired with the visions of economic einancipation, in any way taught doctrines considered dangerous.
they must determine not to let any obstacle stand In spite of the opposition manifested by labor and in the way of the accomplishment of this change. various liberal groups, the bills passed through the White and black workers of the South, unite! Put Legislature but were vetoed at the last moment by an end to Slavery!
the Governor.
This year another onslaught is being made on working class education. Similar bills have been THE LUSK BILLS passed by the Legislature, aimed, this time, ostensibly, at schools which teach the overthrow of The Fathers of the Constitution, in the words government by force and violence or by other unof the historian, Woodrow Wilson, set out to es lawful means. The real purpose of the bills is to tablish a government which would safeguard the give the hirelings of the employing class the means interests of the property owners. Hamilton, Madi of effectively preventing any attempt on the part of son and John Adams quite frankly declared that to the workers at an understanding of their condibe their purpose when they carried on the propa tion, from succeeding. The notion seems to preganda for the adoption of the constitution.
vail that ideas can be chained up, that a barricade The increasing unrest among the workers and can be erected against their spread, and that if the increasing dissatisfaction with the mere formal enough laws are passed against the teaching and political equality still existing (with occasional propagating of Socialism, Capitalism will be safe ousting of Socialist Congressmen and Assembly forever.
men as reminders of what may happen) has resulted The indications are that Governor Miller will in the passage of many measures which more and sign the Lusk Bills and that they will become law.
more serve to tear the veil from the bourgeois dic The one result they are bound to produce is to tatorship which has always existed in America. quicken the process of disillusionment which AmerAmong such measures recently passed are the Crim ican workers are at present experiencing. They can inal Syndicalist laws, the Criminal Anarchy laws, but hasten on what they attempt to prevent, namely the Sedition Acts, etc. The courts, the representa the destruction of the Capitalist System.
tives of Capitalism in the words of Justice Van Siclen have stepped boldly into the breach to solidify the capitalist battlefront. With a few vigorThe Labor Order of the Red Banner.
ous strokes they have deprived labor of the use of In order to distinguish before the whole Republic those some of its most important weapons, namely the groups of toilers and single citizens, who have manifested right to picket, the right to boycott and in effect, self sacrifice, initiative, diligence and organization in solving the right to strike.
the problems of economic life, the VIII Congress of the Soviets decided to establish the Labor Order of the Red The capitalist class is not overlooking any Banner with its mark of distinction, chances, however. It is not going to let labor get The A11 Russian Central Executive Committee will work out of hand, if it can help it. Not satisfied merely out the form of the Order and its mark, and define the with binding the fighting power of labor with the conditions under which this order is to be granted.
iron chains of injunctions, it, at the same time, atResolution of the VIII Congress of the Soviets.
The question of substituting taxation for assess substantiate this inevitable result. If we analyze ments is a political one since it deals with the rela the matter and ask ourselves whether it is to the tion of the peasants to the working class. The advantage of the peasants to part with the workers relation between these two principal classes can be and allow themselves and the country to return to expressed either through strife or co operation and the domination of the landlords and capitalists, we the road which will be chosen will decide the fate will find that, notwithstanding the differences in of the revolution. It is necessary, therefore, for us the economic interests of the two classes, the peascarefully to analyze this problem and revise our ant will favor us.
present position. must emphasize that the condi The antagonism among the various land holding tion of the peasants has become critical especially groups has almost disappeared, the land has been because of the war, demobilization, and failure of divided and the resources have been equalized.
crops, which are influencing them in favor of the The village harbors the two extremes of the former bourgeoisie as against the workers.
agricultural community no longer namely the exA social revolution in a country where the largest ploiting and the landless peasants. Can this class portion of the population is made up of peasants of peasants be satisfied. If anyone among the can be carried out through a series of measures Communists believed that the economic basis of which would not be necessary in highly developed the small land holders would be changed in three capitalist countries where hired industrial and agri years, he was a dreamer, and there were quite a cultural labor represents the majority of the popula few among us who did. How could such a country tion. The situation in Russia is different. In Rus begin a social revolution without dreamers? Pracsia we have a minority of industrial workers and a tice demonstrated, however, the important role exlarge majority of small land holders. In order that periments can play in the collective management of the social revolution be successful in such a coun agriculture. These experiments have produced try it must be supported by a similar revolution in negative results because people having the best of one or several advanced countries, a condition intentions but without knowledge of management which has not as yet materialized. The alternative have gone into the villages to establish communes, is co operation between the workers who control It is no wonder that they have failed. Generations the powers of the state and the majority of the must pass before the psychology and the habits of peasant population. This coalition then must be the sinall landholders can be changed. Only the perfected in the broadest manner. The agitation for material basis, the use of tractors and other agriit must be carried above board. Political trickery cultural machinery on a large scale, and electrificahas no place here and should be strongly con tion can influence them considerably. By generademned. Classes cannot be fooled. We have con tions we do not mean centuries, but to obtain tractributed a great deal during the past three years tors, machines, and to electrify a great country, we towards the political education of the masses. The must speak in terms of tens of years.
lessons of the revolution and our experience have The question is how to accomplish this. We taught us to state the problem squarely, that the must try to satisfy the demands of the peasants interests of the classes are different, and the dewhich have not, as yet, been satisfied. The peasants mand of the small land holder are not the same are rightly dissatisfied, and will not be satisfied. We as those of the workers.
must declare that such a state of affairs cannot We are confident that the Socialist revolution in continue. How ca the peasant be satisfied? When Russia can be saved only through a coalition with we know his needs, we know the answer. Agriculthe peasantry, since the other countries have not as tural economics teaches us that the primary needs yet entered the period of revolution. At meetings of this class are: Freedom of exchange, and the in the press, and at every other opportunity we ability to obtain goods and products. What good should speak the truth on this matter. We should is freedom of exchange when there is nothing to not hide the fact that the peasants are not satisfied exchange? Freedom of exchange leads to capitalwith the prevailing conditions and do not propose ism. It consists of an exchange of goods. Those to continue to live under the present arrangement who have learned the ABC of Marxism know that in the future. They have expressed themselves it leads to the division of classes.
categorically on this question, and as statesmen we Can the Communist Party agree to the freedom must agree to analyze and attempt to solve the of exchange? Would this not seem contradictory?
problem. We must say to the peasants, do yo:1 To this we must answer that the practical solution want to go back, do you want to restore private of this problem is not an easy one. can foresee property, and free commercial intercourse and and know from discussions with Comrades that thereby come under the rule of the landlord and the project of substituting assessments with taxalist? Lessons from history, preceding revo.
tion carries with it the permission for local trade.
lutions and elementary principles of economics will detailed description of the spheres in which this exchange will operate will be worked out when we Address delivered at the Congress of the Russian Com get to legislate about it. Our party, as the governmunist Party, March 15, 1921.
ment party, should only adopt the principle and