The Stalin school of falsification - Marxists Internet Archive

Stalin School of Falsification -- Chapter 15
KOROVAIKOVA: Was the question of the reorganization of the Soviets of Workers' Deputies raised?
For instance, in Ivanov-Voznesensk are seated representatives of cooperatives, of the committee for
literacy and other non-working class organizations. As a result, in the Ivanovo-Voznesensk Soviet the
workers are in a minority.
DELEGATE: Was the question raised of a goubernia organ?
MANDELSTAM: Not of a goubernia organ, only of an oblast organ.
ANOTHER DELEGATE: Our faction should introduce a motion to reorganize the Soviets of Workers'
Deputies. Since the majority regards the scope of the revolution as an embryo of the international
revolution, was the question raised of inviting the representatives of the international proletariat?
MANDELSTAM: No.
TSVILLING: I am entirely unable to agree with the decision of the section that the officers' collective
has no right to delegate its own representatives to the Congress. This may arouse friction in the
provinces. In Chelyabinsk the officers were allotted one fifth of the seats. If this decision is enforced,
there will not be a single representative of the officers in the Soviet.
I move that we support another point of view, namely, that of giving the officers the right to elect directly
into the Soviet of Deputies. Such a situation is being created as will compel the officers to organize their
own Soviet of Deputies, which will he worse. In Chelyabinsk has been formed a Committee for Social
Security. When it began to issue resolu tions contrary to the decisions of the Soviet of Workers' Deputies,
the latter resolved not to permit it in its midst. There is no need to make enemies.
ZELJGSON: There are inadequacies in the plan. The organ ization is along gonbernia lines at the present
time. Our plan of organization should be made to correspond to that. In the provinces, within the
gottberma committees, it is not we who function but absolutely alien elements. This can be over come
only in the event that the revolutionary democracy is organized in gollbernias. The organization must
begin not with the oblast but with the goabeiana.
KOMISSAROV: It seems to me that people here are unacquainted with the structure in the provinces. An
impor tant question has been overlooked the inclusion of repre sentatives from the provinces, and this is
very important. The legislative organ is -- the Soviet of Workers' Deputies of Petrograd. Since our Soviet
of Workers' Deputies represents a legislative organ for ourselves and for the Provisional Gov ernment to
which it prescribes the laws, it is necessary to include in it the representatives from the provinces.
SMIRNOV (IVAN N.): In the military commission the opinion also prevailed that the officers should be
seated in the Soviet of Soldiers' Deputies. The speaker is against the participation of the officers in the
Soviet of Workers' and Soldiers' Deputies. Let them organize themselves separately. Owing to this, in
Tomsk the Soviet of Soldiers' Deputies plays the decisive role. The Soviet consists of social democrats.
Among the officers there are not more than 20 socialists. We have introduced the election of the
representatives among the detachments. No orders are valid without the signature of the representatives
of the soldiers. Among us the Soviets of Workers' and Soldiers' Deputies have taken all the power.
Things are being managed magnificently. The Soviet of Workers' and Soldiers' Deputies decided to
release 12,000 men for work in the fields, having calculated beforehand how many could be sent. When
the head of the Omsk Military District began t 0 put a spoke in the wheels, the Soviet demanded catego
rically that not a single order touching local conditions, hould be issued without the sanction of the
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