Collected Works of V. I. Lenin - Vol. 13 - From Marx to Mao

THE THIRD DUMA131mental and liberal standpoints with its own socialist anddemocratic demands; these issues are the most sensitivenerve of public life and at the same time the most sensitivespot of the government and of those social groups uponwhich the two Duma majorities rest.The Social-Democrats in the Duma will carry out allthese agitational, propaganda, and organisational tasksnot only by their speeches from the Duma rostrum butalso by introducing Bills and making interpellations tothe government. There is one important difficulty here,however: to introduce a Bill or to make an interpellationthe signatures of no less than thirty deputies are required.The Third Duma does not and will not have thirty Social-Democrats.That is indubitable. Hence the Social-Democrats alone, without the assistance of other groups,can neither introduce a Bill nor make interpellations. Undoubtedly,this makes matters difficult and complicated.We have in mind, of course, Bills and questions of aconsistently democratic character. Can Social-Democracyin this respect count on assistance from the Constitutional-Democratic Party? Certainly not. Can the Cadets, whoare now fully prepared for undisguised compromise onterms which leave nothing of their programmatic demands,skimpy though they are and reduced to a bare minimumby various reservations and exceptions—can the Cadetsbe expected to annoy the government by democratic interpellations?We all remember that already in the SecondDuma the speeches of the Cadet orators in making interpellationsbecame very colourless and often turned into infantileprattle or polite and even deferential inquiries madewith a slight bow. And now, when the Duma’s “effectiveness”in the matter of weaving strong and reliable nets forthe people, nets that would enmesh them like chains, hasbecome the talk of the town. Their Excellencies, the ministers,can sleep in peace: they will seldom be bothered bythe Cadets—after all, they have to legislate!—and evenif they are bothered, it will be with due observance of allthe rules of politeness. Not for nothing did Milyukov athis election meetings promise to “guard the flame”. Andis Milyukov the only one? Does not Dan’s unconditionalrejection of the “down-with-the-Duma” slogan signify the