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

THE LIQUIDATORS EXPOSED17accused of liquidationism, because the plan that he expoundsand defends in his letter is in reality nothing but a plan forthe liquidation of our Party” (Dnevnik, p. 6). In his articleComrade S. plainly expresses his solidarity with “the Caucasiandelegation”, i.e., with the editorial board of “Golos”,which had, as is known, two mandates out of three in thisdelegation.Plekhanov continues:“One must make a choice here: either liquidationism or afight against it. There is no third way. In saying so I havein mind, of course, comrades who are guided not by theirpersonal interests but by the interests of our common cause.For those who are guided by their personal interests, forthose who are thinking only of their revolutionary careers—and there is indeed such a career!—for them, of course, athird way does exist. Big and little people of this calibre can,and even must at the present time, manoeuvre between theliquidationist and anti-liquidationist trends; under existingconditions they have to make the strongest possible excusesfor not giving a straight answer to the question whether it isnecessary to combat liquidationism; they have to escapefrom giving such an answer by means of ‘allegories and emptyhypotheses’, for nobody knows yet which trend will getthe upper hand—the liquidationist or anti-liquidationist—and these sapient diplomatists want at any rate to share inthe celebration; they want at all costs to be on the side ofthe victors. I repeat, for such people there is a third way.But Comrade S. will probably agree with me if I say thatthey are not genuine people, but only ‘toy manikins’. 8 Theyare not worth talking about; they are inborn opportunists;their motto is: ‘as you please’” (Dnevnik, pp. 7-8).This can be called: a gentle hint ... at a serious matter.The fifth and last act, scene 1. On the stage are the editorsof Golos, all except one. Editor So-and-so, addressing thepublic with an air of exceptional nobility: “the accusationsof liquidationism levelled at us are not only stupid butdeliberately dishonest.”Scene 2. The same persons and “he”, the editor of Goloswho has just safely resigned from the editorial board 9 ;he pretends not to notice any of the editors and says, addressingcontributor S., who is at one with the editors: “Either