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 lackeys; is this an attitude worthy of a member of the proletarian party, of a revolutionary?

The bourgeoisie is not only strong enough to overturn the Constituent Assembly if the present government continues, but it can bring about the same result indirectly by handing over Petrograd to the Germans, by opening the front, by an increase of lock-outs and by interfering with the arrivals of grain. It has already done all these things to some extent. Hence it is strong enough to do them completely, if the workers and the soldiers do not overturn it.

"The soviets must be a pistol held to the head of the government, to force it to call together the Constituent Assembly and to disclaim the attempts at Kornilov."

This is what one of our two deplorable pessimists dared to say!

And he had to say it, for to disclaim the insurrection is to disclaim the resolution: "All Power to the Soviets!"

Certainly, resolutions are not sacred. But why did no one raise the question of modifying the resolution: "All Power to the Soviets" (as I myself did after the events of July)? Why be afraid openly to ask that it be revised considering that since September the party has been examining the question of the insurrection, which henceforth is alone capable of giving complete power to the soviets?

To this, our deplorable pessimists can give absolutely no answer. To renounce the insurrection is to renounce the giving of power to the soviets: As far as realising the hopes and dreams of the people is concerned, it is throwing ourselves on the magnanimity of the bourgeoisie, who "promised" to call together the Constituent Assembly.

Is it really so difficult to understand that, if power comes into the hands of the soviets, the Constituent Assembly and its success are safe? The Bolsheviks have repeated this until it has become monotonous, and no one has ever tried to contest their statement. This "combined form" is agreed on by everyone; but now to extol, under the name of "combined form," the abandonment of the handing of power to the soviets; to extol this abandonment secretly without daring openly to repudiate our resolution; what can be said of this? Is there a parliamentary expression to describe such an attitude?

An unloaded pistol! This was the answer rightly made to our