Let us now pass to the second part of his article. In it the author speaks of the causes of economic terrorism. It transpires that the cause is the darkness of the minds and the criminal will of the backward sections of the working class. This darkness, this criminality, in their turn, are due to the fact that the workers unions and newspapers are not conducting sufficiently energetic enlightening and ennobling activities among the workers. Of course, adds Mr. K—za, the programmes (of the unions?) do not approve of economic terrorism, but mere disapproval in the programme is not enough, once we see that life has taken the wrong road. Here an active struggle must be waged . . . by all parties and unions against the evil which has arisen. To explain what he means, Mr. K—za goes on to say: Only when . . . all friends of the workers, irrespective of their party affiliation, wage an energetic struggle against . . . economic terrorism, and only then, will assassination disappear, etc. And so, the workers minds are dark, and that is why they often resort to assassination; but their minds are dark because their unions and newspapers make no effort to enlighten and ennoble them—hence, the workers unions and newspapers are to blame for everything. Such is the song Mr. K—za sings. We shall not dwell on the confusion that reigns in Mr. K—zas head about economic terrorism—we have in mind his ignorant statement that economic terrorism is a programmatic question. We only wish to make the following observations: 1) If, in mentioning programmatic terrorism, Mr. K—za talks about unions, does he really not know that the unions in Russia do not have any programmes? Every working man knows that! 2) If, however, he has parties in mind, does he really not know what every schoolboy knows, that economic terrorism is not a question of programme, but a question of tactics? Why then all this palaver about a programme? We are surprised that Messrs. the oil owners were unable to hire a better, or at least a less ignorant ideologist. Nor shall we dwell on the other, this time muddled (and not only ignorant!) statement of Mr. K—zas that, as regards economic terrorism, life has taken the wrong road and that we must fight against life. We shall merely observe that our cause would be in a bad way if it was life that had taken the wrong road, and not individuals who have dropped behind life. The strength of our agitation lies precisely in the fact that life itself, all-powerful, developing life, is demanding a struggle against economic terrorism. If Mr. K—za fails to understand this, we advise him to migrate to another planet. There, perhaps, he will be able to apply his muddled theory about fighting against developing life.... Let us rather pass to Mr. K—zas analysis. First of all we would like to ask : does Mr. K—za really think that it is the workers unions and newspapers that are the cause of economic terrorism? What does enlightening the workers mean? It means teaching the workers to wage a class-conscious systematic struggle! (Mr. K—za agrees with this!) But who else could engage in this task if not the workers unions and newspapers with their oral and printed agitation in favour of an organised struggle? What does ennobling the economic struggle mean? It means directing it against the system, but under no circumstances against persons! (Even K—za agrees with this!) But who engages in this task, except the workers unions and newspapers? But do not the oil owners reduce this struggle against the working class to a struggle against individual workers, singling out and discharging the most class conscious of them? If Mr. K—za is really convinced of the justice of his charge against the workers unions and newspapers, why does he offer his advice to these unions and newspapers? Does he really not know that organisations which make forays against other classes, newspapers, individuals, etc., will not follow his advice? Why does he waste his time pounding water in a mortar? Obviously, he himself does not believe his accusation. And if, in spite of this, Mr. K—za talks against the unions, he does so only in order to divert the attention of his readers from the real cause, to conceal the real culprits from them. But no, Mr. K—za! You will not succeed in concealing from your readers the real causes of economic terrorism. Not the workers and their organisations, but the activities of Messrs. the oil owners, which incense and embitter the workers, are the real cause of economic assassinations. You point to the darkness and ignorance of certain sections of the proletariat. But where are darkness and ignorance to be combated if not in schools and at lectures? Why, then, are Messrs. the oil owners cutting down the number of schools and lectures? And why do not you, the sincere advocate of the struggle against darkness, raise your voice against the oil owners who are depriving the workers of schools and lectures? You talk about ennobling habits. Why then, my dear sir, were you quiet when Messrs. the oil owners deprived the workers of the peoples halls, those centres of popular entertainment? You sing about ennobling the economic struggle, but why were you silent when the hirelings of capital killed the working man Khanlar 3 (at the Naphtha Producers Association), when Borns, the Caspian Company, Shibayevs, Mirzoyevs, Molot, Motovilikha, Bie-rings, Mukhtarovs, Malnikovs and other firms discharged their most advanced workers, and when workers at Shibayevs, Mukhtarovs, Molot, Runo, Kokorevs in Bibi-Eibat, and other firms were beaten up? You talk about the workers criminal will, about unnecessary acrimony, etc., but where were you hiding when Messrs. the oil owners infuriated the workers, incensed the most sensitive and most easily inflamed of them—the temporary workers and the unemployed? And do you know, my dear sir, that it was precisely that section of the workers which was doomed to starvation by the notorious ten-kopek hospital levy and the raising of the price of meals in the canteens run by the Council of the Congress? You talk about the horrors of blood and tears called forth by economic terrorism, but do you know how much blood and tears is shed when large numbers of workers are in jured and can find no place in the hospitals run by the Council of the Congress? Why are Messrs. the oil owners reducing the number of hutments? And why are you not shouting about it as much as you are shouting against the workers unions and newspapers? You sing about conscience, and so forth; but why is your crystal clear conscience silent about all these reprisals which Messrs. the oil owners are carrying out? You say . . . but enough! It should be obvious that the main cause of economic assassinations is not the workers and their organisations, but the activities of Messrs. the oil owners, which incense and embitter the workers. It is no less clear that Mr. K—za is a miserable hireling of Messrs. the oil owners who throws all the blame upon the workers organisations and thus tries to justify the actions of his masters in the eyes of the public. JV Stalin: Collected Works Volume II - The Oil Owners on Economic Terrorism - Pages 122-124
Posted on: Thu, 18 Dec 2014 08:53:38 +0000