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

THE VPERYOD FACTION271tunities and the Duma tribune. “The Social-Democrats,”writes Rabochy Ar., “must combat those who are carryingon agitation [but who is carrying on this agitation, ComradeAr.? Is it not your Vperyodists?] against any utilisationwhatsoever [think of that!] of legal opportunities, becausesuch a mode of action is not Social-Democratic” (pp. 48-49of the symposium). And the same Ar., repeating thesewords of the Bolsheviks of the Proletary trend, violentlyabuses Proletary (post factum) because it allegedly paintedthe Vperyodists in strange colours! That is what is calledretreating all along the line, surrendering all your positions,condemning in the press (again without saying it straightforwardly)those friends of yours, those Vperyodists whoonce passed a resolution, for instance, to boycott a congressof factory doctors—and covering your retreat, your capitulation,by a beating of drums for battle. Shabby factionaldiplomacy!Just take a look at the writings of the “Vperyodists”on the question of factions and factionalism. The “platform”condemned factions and demanded their dissolution.Sazhin fulminates against the factional centres, the “leadersabroad”, and so on and so forth. The Vperyodists haveshed an ocean of tears over factionalism, have talked themselveshoarse on the subject.But what have they done? The whole history of theVperyod group since the January (1910) “unity” plenum hasbeen the formation of a faction from abroad. Here is anexcerpt from a letter (July 15, 1910) sent by a Russianfunctionary to a member of the Central CommitteeBureau Abroad:“There is a committee (in St. Petersburg) and, in addition,there is a group of Vperyodists with a separate fundand secretary. Money was received from abroad. In Moscow...”—thenfollows the name of a person who is veryclose to one of the most prominent otzovists and a commenton the prosecution of such a policy.Nobody who has any knowledge of Party affairs, or haspaid any attention to the policy of the Vperyod literarygroup, can doubt for a single moment that they have beenorganising a faction from abroad. That the notorious “schoolin X.—” was the foreign centre of a new faction was stated