Page:Samuel Gompers - Out of Their Own Mouths (1921).djvu/223

 Rh It is of little consequence whether these facts are known to you or not, or whether, according to the teachings of Lenin, you regard all poisons and tricks and cloakings of the truth as permissible in order to gain control of the labor unions. (This refers to the Macchiavellian expression of Lenin cited in previous chapters.)

In our letter of the 15th of December we wrote: "If you or other representatives of your labor union movement chance to desire to gain more information about our movement—during which you would perhaps convince yourselves that you have hitherto done nothing but to damage your own movement and to harm the proletariat—then we are ready at any time to give you the desired information.

If we haven't had the opportunity of enjoying the blessings of your regime personally, at least we know your system and your principles. We know your theories, as they are printed on paper, but we also know them as applied in practice, which is well illustrated by your over-crowded prisons. We know the dependence of the Soviets upon the Communist Party—which has created a new autocracy. We know the happy condition the Russian people finds itself in and the welfare your rule has brought—on paper. And we hear with satisfaction that you regard Middle and Western Europe as not yet being ripe for your beneficent plans.

Look once more at our letter of December 15th which in your haste to answer quickly you read too superficially. For there we declared that we are very ready to teach you, however painful it is to us that men equipped with such complete power as you have can scarcely open their mouths or take a pen in hand without giving new proof that they are without the slightest knowledge of those things which men in their position ought to know.

We declare to you that we are still ready to undertake this work of instruction.