VLADIMIK ILIEECH ULIANOV

NZ Truth, Issue 701, 23 November 1918, Page 3

VLADIMIK ILIEECH ULIANOV

Otkerwise the Russia* Prime Mieister Lenin A Striking Character Sketch. Peter Simonoff, the Russian Consul m Australia, who waa formerly a Broken Hill miner, In a Melbourne newspaper, gives an interesting 1 charjftter sketch of M. Lenin, the Russian Prime Minister — probably tha most misrepresented niaji treading ' this eaHh to-day. Simonoff knows Lenin, which is more than his hostile criticß can say. He says the.- taunt that "Lenin" is a false name adds but to the disgrace of the Russian autocracy, whose persecutions rendered an alias Imperative. Lenin, or Vladimir Ilieech UlianoVK ! .as his real name is, is a descendant of the old Russian nobility, was born m his native Village, m Simbirsk Government m 1870, and brought up, together with his older brother, by ihia well-educated father — a pedagogue — to a spirit of justness, righteousness and honesty. Thus when he and his brother were m ! the Petersburg University naturally they were up to the neck m the then existing revolutionary movement. In 1887 they were both arrested. His brother was tried as a member of the secret revolutionary organisation (Narodnovoltsy), and sentenced to the death- penalty. No one of those tried apologised for their action. Lenin's brother said at the trial that he knew that he and ' HIS COMRADES SHOULD DIB, but he was not /sorry for that, for he knew that there would follow them thousands of young men and women, who would complete their work of liberation of the people. Lenin was released as there was no evidence against him; but he was dismissed from the university. He watched and heard his brother's trial, and,as his life afterwards shows, tie thought over It well. Yes, he gave himself entirely to the movement, but before taking a definite stand m it he decided to be thoroughly efficient for the great task he had decided upon. He studied the social life, economics, and especially the Russian statistics, and his first book on economics, published m 1896, from such a young man as he was then, was some kind of a thunderbolt, even for the old matured economists of not only Russia alone, but abroad as well. About tha same time, tpgether with some other intellectuals, he formed m St. Petersburg a group of International Marxian Socialists along the lines of the Plekhanoff's group abroad, which was called "Party of Liberation of Toil." Shortly afte r the time of Lenin's birth, m 1879, the Russian Revolutionary Party" "Land and Liberty," waa split m two main sections, one of whioh adopted almost entirely terroristic action and the other refusing to accept the terrorism devoted itsalf entirely to propaganda of THE- SOCIALISTIC IDEAS and education among the people. Thus came into exitence the "Narodnovoltsy" or terrorists and "Party' of the. <Black»Redistribution" or . propagandists. The last one was entered by Plekhanoff, but as the terrorists took the upper hand m the movement the party of propagandists soon dwindled and Plekhanoff went to Switzerland and there m 1883 formed the group of the Marxian Socialists, the "Party ol Liberation of Toil." Now we can sea clearly the patience and cool-headedness of Lenin. His brother was a member of the terrorist party, and died not regretting that ho was m it. Lenin himself was punished for the same. -Would not it be quite natural for him, a young man of 17, to rush headlong into the terroristic movement? I must point out here that there was no question of greater or smaller dangers or responsibilities, for the members of both parties were treated by the Government with exactly the same brutality. He had to live m either case illegally under an assumed name and with a false passport. He -was and is revolutionist, and he adopted this and not the other method — not because of fear, side-tracking or compromise. No, he had no fear; he would not side-track, and he scornfully rejected any compromising. He took that line of action because of his tremendous knowledge. thought, reason and conviction. In 1900 Plekhanoff's and Petersburg arroups were joined together Into one; In 1901 three of the Petersburg, with Lenin, migrated, for permanent stay, to Switzerland, and together with Plekhanoff and others, ESTABLISHED A REVOLUTIONARY WEEKLY, "Iskra" (Spark), and shortly afterwards — next year — a monthly, "Poliarnaya Sviesda" (Polar Star). The circulation of the "Iskra" reached one time 15,000, and it was smuggled and spread all over Russia.. These journals were not read as our ordinary periodicals. They were read aloud by groups and passed on until they became shreds and it was impossible to read them any more. And Lenin's name from the very beginning became identical, and the same as the "Iskra" itself. And from the very beginning- this new party as it was called (now the Social Democratic) became the most popular among the Russian proletariats. From the very beginning It was ruthless against the terrorism and later on from 1902 against the party then formed on the lines of the "Narodnovoltsy" and "Party of the Socialist Revolutionists" or terrorists. Lenin's ideal was, and is, to organise all the proletarians Into local strong self-depending" groups, responsible to themselves and absolute m themselves, and to connect and unite*" these groups through district and Ail-Russian conferences and congresses of their delegates into one great network, and when that is completed to a sufficient degree to strike all together for a complete social revolution by one whole concerted action, taking all precautions against disorder of any kind — against rioting-, against plunder and destruction of life and property. It is not my intention here to deal with differences between Lenin and Plekhanoff, like Sheidghdeman m Germany, a compromiser. But as we have seen from THE PRESENT RUSSIAN REVOLUTION, Lenin's plan worked well and it still work 3 well. All. the. eye-witnesses

agree unanimously that all the tremendous work was done m perfectly astounding order, and now we .jsed that all the trouble and mischief is being done by the hirelings of the plutooracy and by the prostituted press that Lenin and Trotsky, like despots and autocrats, do not show themselves otherwise but with tremendous numbers of special bodyguards. But, unfortunately for the plute press, their own correspondents are compelled to admit that Lenin was not attacked by infuriated people for his cruelties, but he was attacked by a hot-headed girl, inspired by those hot-headed terrorists and supported .undoubtedly, by the plutocracy, and on a street where there were no guards whatever, /because, as the cablegram says, "Both Trotsky and Lenin disdained bodyguards." Lenin was usually only accompanied on his travels by his wife or secretary." Now, Imagine a man "whose system has been the destruction of the cohesiveness of national life and liberation of all the dark forces of ignorance, bitterness, and unrighteousness" — imagine that man m his travels only accompanied by his wife or secretary! ■ Imagine such a terrible man disdaining bodyguards! We hear and read absurdities every day, but I think even the capitalistic press Itself will confess that it is hardly possible to Invent a GREATER ABSURDITY THAN THIS ONE. Fortunately, the news of Lenin's death la not confirmed, and I hope that he will live long enough to see his ideal m actual operation; to see all the producing classes enjoying the full product of thfcir labor; to see that there are no classes, no political boundaries and divisions; to see only great masses of people united together for better and more successful production .of all necessary commodities for use and the happiness of everbody, and all equally. Then he may die content that his life was not altogether useless for humanity.