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

135CONFERENCEOF THE ST. PETERSBURG ORGANISATIONOF THE R.S.D.L.P. 75FROM A NEWSPAPER REPORT1REPORT ON THE THIRD STATE DUMAThe speaker first of all described the composition of theThird Duma. The government, by a simple rule-of-thumbmethod, so fashioned the electoral law of June 3 that theDuma was found to have two possible majorities: The Octobrist-Black-Hundredand the Octobrist-Cadet majorities.Both are certainly counter-revolutionary. In pursuingits reactionary policy the government will rely now on oneand now on the other of these majorities, at the same timetrying to screen the autocratic and feudal nature of itsactions by talk about paper “reforms”. The Cadets, fortheir part, while in fact pursuing a treacherous policy ofcounter-revolution, will in words claim to be a party oftruly democratic opposition.A deal between the Cadets and the Octobrists in theDuma is inevitable, and the first steps towards it—as thespeaker proved by a number of quotations from Cadet andOctobrist Party newspapers, by a number of facts aboutthe activities of these parties and by reports from the recentCadet Party Congress—have already been taken. Inthe Third Duma the Cadet policy of a deal with the oldregime is assuming clearer shape than it has had hithertoand no one will be left in doubt as to its true nature.Neither of the Duma majorities, however, is objectivelyin a position to meet the vital economic and political