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

162V. I. LENINThese names, we reply, will be nailed to the pillory byall class-conscious Social-Democratic workers when theyread Golos S. D. No. 19-20, when they learn the decisionsof the plenum, when they become aware of the followingfact:The Russian Bureau of the C.C. has recently sent anofficial letter to the C.C.B.A. (the executive organ abroadof the Central Committee). This letter states in so manywords:... “We made a proposal to Comrades Mikhail, 83 Romanand Yuri [we stressed these names above] that they shouldset to work, but we received a reply from them saying thatnot only do they consider the decisions of the plenum harmfulbut they find the very existence of the C.C. harmful. Onthese grounds, they refuse even to appear at any meeting forco-optation”*....(Let us make it clear for our own part: the chiefs of theMenshevik centre not only themselves refuse to support theC.C., but they refuse to appear for co-opting other Mensheviks,for co-opting Menshevik workers, being very wellaware that the refusal to appear for the co-optation willhold up the work of the C.C., will hold up its formation, andwill compel the C.C. to postpone, perhaps for months, thevery commencement of its work as a C.C.)* We shall cite in addition all the passages of the letters (of theRussian Bureau of the C.C. and of one of the C.C. members operatingin Russia 84 ) relating to the convocation of the C.C. in Russia:... “We request Comrades Martov and the Menshevik membersof the C.C. to communicate to us immediately the names and addressesof the comrades whom they propose to co-opt (the St. PetersburgMensheviks have refused to do this)”.... “It is impossible for the timebeing to convene the Russian collegium: practically no one hasagreed to be co-opted, at present only one Bolshevik has agreed,and that conditionally. The Mensheviks (Mikhail, Roman and Yuri)have categorically refused, considering the work of the Central Committeeharmful. The resolutions of the plenum, in the opinion of Mikhailand others, are also harmful. The interference of the C.C. in the spontaneousprocess of the grouping of Social-Democratic forces in legalorganisations that is now taking place is, in their words, like pluckingthe fruit from the mother’s womb after two months’ pregnancy. Weask you immediately to indicate to us other comrades to whom wemay address a proposal that they should be co-opted. It is also desirableto publish the attitude of the comrades to this behaviour ofMikhail and the others.”