Collected Works of V. I. Lenin - Vol. 16 - From Marx to Mao

106THE BOURGEOIS PRESS FABLEABOUT THE EXPULSION OF GORKYFor several days now the bourgeois newspapers of France(L’Eclair, Le Radical), Germany (Berliner Tageblatt) andRussia (Utro Rossii, Rech, Russkoye Slovo, Novoye Vremya)have been smacking their lips over a most sensational pieceof news: the expulsion of Gorky from the Social-DemocraticParty. Vorwärts has already published a refutation ofthis nonsensical report. The editorial board of Proletaryhas also sent a denial to several newspapers, but the bourgeoispress ignores it and continues to boost the libel.It is easy to see how it originated: some penny-a-liner overhearda whisper of the dissensions about otzovism and godbuilding(a question which has been discussed openly foralmost a year in the Party in general and in Proletary inparticular), made an unholy mess in weaving together hisfragments of information and “earned a pretty penny” outof imaginary “interviews”, etc.The aim of this slanderous campaign is no less clear. Thebourgeois parties would like Gorky to leave the Social-DemocraticParty. The bourgeois newspapers are sparing noeffort to fan the dissensions in the Social-Democratic Partyand to give a distorted picture of them.Their labour is in vain. Comrade Gorky by his greatworks of art has bound himself too closely to the workers’movement in Russia and throughout the world to replywith anything but contempt.Proletary No. 50,November 28 (December 11), 1909Published according tothe text in Proletary