committees whose business was revictualling and the provision of the necessaries of life, fuel, &c.
What is more remarkable is that, during the six months of revolution, our government, which calls itself both republican and revolutionary, our government, which the Mensheviks and the S.R.'s support, has, under the name of "plenipotentiary organs of the revolutionary democracy," fought with great bitterness against democratic organisations and has just succeeded in triumphing over them.
Polchinsky has acquired a wretched notoriety in this struggle. He has acted behind the back of the government, without openly interfering (just like the "Cadets," who put the name of Tseretelli in front "for the people" and themselves silently carried out all affairs of importance). Polchinsky has effected the miscarriage of all the serious measures of the democratic organisations, created spontaneously by the people, for no serious measures could fail to do injury to the monstrous profits and to the aggrandisement of the sharks of commerce and of industry. Now, Polchinsky was and still is the defender and the faithful servant of these sharks. He has succeeded in annulling quite simply the decisions of these democratic organisations (a fact published in the newspapers)!
All the "reign" of Polchinsky, which has lasted several months (precisely those during which Tseretelli, Skobelev and Tchernov were ministers), is nothing but an abominable scandal, a complete denial of the will of the people, of the decisions of democracy, done to please the capitalists, to satisfy their base cupidity. The newspapers, naturally enough, have only published a very small part of the exploits of Polchinsky, and it is only when it has acquired power, and when it denounces Polchinsky and his fellows in the tribunals, that a truly democratic government will be able to make a complete inquiry into all the means employed by Polchinsky to hinder the struggle against the famine.
We shall be told that Polchinsky was an exception and that, besides, he is now deprived of power. The unfortunate part of it is that Polchinsky is not an exception, but he is the rule and his dismissal has not made things any better. His place has been filled by others of his own kind, who have left untouched the influence of of the capitalists and have continued the policy of their predecessor in favour of them—a decision which tends neither more nor less than to destroy the efficacy of any struggle whatever against the
