This is Election Day

Stalin

October 25, 1912

Collected Works, Vol. 3

Today is election day in St. Petersburg. Elections in the Second Curia. The fight is between two camps: the Social-Democrats and the Cadets. The voters must decide to whom they are going to entrust the fate of the country.

What do the Social-Democrats want?

What do the Cadets want?

The Social-Democrats, as the representatives of the working class, are striving to liberate mankind from all exploitation.

The Cadets, however, as the representatives of the liberal bourgeoisie, build their future on the exploitation of man by man, an embellished exploitation, it is true, but exploitation for all that.

The Social-Democrats are of the opinion that the question of renovating the country has remained unsettled, that it must be settled, and settled by the efforts of the country itself.

The Cadets, however, believe that it is superfluous to talk about renovation because, "thank God we have a Constitution." . . .

The Social-Democrats are of the opinion that on the road to the renovation of the country Russia has split up into two Russias: old, official Russia, and the new, future Russia.

The Cadets, however, believe that after "the granting of a Constitution" "this contrasting" of the two Russias is "no longer possible" because "Russia is now one."

The only deduction to be drawn is: the constitutional ideal of the Cadets has already been achieved. The framework of the June the Third regime is not irksome to them.

For example, the following is what Milyukov said at a banquet in London in 1909, at which he "represented" Russia in conjunction with the Octobrist Guchkov and the "moderate" Black-Hundred Bobrinsky :

"You have before you men of very diverse shades of political opinion, but these differences, supplementing each other, represent our great ideal of a constitutional Russia" (see I. Yefre-mov's book, Russia's People's Representatives, etc., p. 81).

Thus, the Black-Hundred Bobrinsky, "supplementing" the Cadet Milyukov in the interests of . . . "popular freedom"—such, it appears, is the "great ideal" of the Cadets.

Not a single representative of the workers, not a single representative of the peasants was present at the London banquet, but, it appears, the "great ideals" of the Cadets can do without workers, can do without peasants. . . .

A Constitution of the Bobrinskys, Guchkovs and Milyukovs without representatives of the workers, without representatives of the peasants—such are the "ideals" of the Cadets!

Is it surprising, after this, that the Cadets in the Third Duma voted for 1) the anti-popular budget, 2) indirect taxes, 3) grants for the maintenance of prisons, etc.?

Is it surprising, after this, that the Cadets oppose the demands of the workers, of the peasants and of the entire democracy?

Is it surprising, after this, that the Cadets, through the mouth of Maklakov, demanded "more vigour, sternness and severity" towards the student movement, and in Rech contemptuously described the peaceful strike of the Lena workers as a "spontaneous riot"?

No, this is not a party of "popular freedom," but a party of betrayers of "popular freedom."

Such people are only capable of striking a bargain with the bureaucracy behind the backs of the people. The "negotiations" with Witte, Stolypin and Trepov, and now with Sazonov, are by no means accidental.

Such people are only capable of entering into an alliance with the Black Hundreds to defeat the Social-Democrats in the elections in Kharkov, Kostroma, Yekaterinodar and Riga.

To entrust the fate of the country to such people would be tantamount to surrendering the country to the derision of the enemies.

We express the conviction that self-respecting voters will not link their honour with the fate of the Cadets.

Let the Cadets today bear well-merited punishment for the heinous sins they have committed against the Russian people!

Worker voters! Vote for those who represent your interests, for the Social-Democrats!

Shop assistant voters! Don't vote for the Cadets, who ignored your interests as regards leisure time —

vote for the Social-Democrats, the only consistent champions of your interests!

Polish voters! You are striving for the right to free national development—remember that freedom for nationalities is inconceivable without general freedom, and the Cadets are betraying freedom!

Jewish voters! You are striving for equal rights for the Jews, but remember that the Milyukovs who hobnob with the Bobrinskys, and the Cadets who enter into a bloc with the Rights, will not strive for equal rights!

For the betrayers of the popular freedom, or for its champions; for the Cadets or for the Social-Democrats! Choose, citizens!

Pravada, No. 152, October 25, 1912