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

26V. I. LENIN19of August 1 Rech says: “No one has any doubts as to theoutcome of the St. Petersburg election.... If the nominationof Kutler, 20 who was one of the most authoritative deputiesin the Second Duma, is fixed, the election victory will beeven more imposing.” To be sure it will! What could be moreimposing” than a victory over the “Lefts” who have been“disqualified” by the Black-Hundred coup d’état? Whatcould be more imposing than a victory over socialism whichhas to propagate its old ideals in the illegal press and illegallabour organisations, a victory of “democrats” whose democracyfits in easily with the Stolypin Constitution? Who canthere be more “authoritative” in the eyes of the petty bourgeois,the philistine, in the eyes of the cowed citizen of Russia,than ex-minister Mr. Kutler? For the party of “people’sfreedom” the prestige of a deputy in the Duma is measuredby his prestige in the eyes of Romanov, Stolypin and Co.“We presume,” continues Rech majestically, “that on thisoccasion there will be no purposeless splitting of votes betweenthe progressive candidates as well. That is the sense ofa statement made by V. V. Vodovozov, one of the representativesof the ‘Left bloc’.”This little tirade reflects the whole nature of our Cadetsas a drop of water reflects the sun. Splitting the votes is “tono purpose” (the Cadets no longer say it is dangerous in faceof the Black Hundreds, because the stupid liberal fable ofthe Black-Hundred danger has been convincingly refutedby the revolutionary Social-Democrats and by events), why“to no purpose”, gentlemen? Because our man will not get in,that is the first and last argument of the Cadets. Indeed,this is an Octobrist argument, dear opponents of Octobrism;this is the argument of submission to the law of June 3, thevery same loving submission and joyful obedience for whichyou reproach the Octobrists! Your essential nature is suchthat prior to an election, when you come before the voters,before the crowd, you accuse the Octobrists of being incapableof carrying out a policy based on principle, of utteringopportunist phrases about “purposelessness”, but at elections,before the authorities, before the tsar and Stolypin, youpursue the very same policy as the Octobrists. Since it is“purposeless” to vote against the budget—we shall vote forthe budget. Since it is “purposeless” to uphold the ideals of