Graphic Page-287 Education Proclamation]
Proclamation of the Commission of Public Education attached to the
City Duma, concerning the strike of school-teachers, just before the
Christmas holidays. The Duma had been re-elected, and was composed
almost entirely of Bolsheviki. For translation see App. XI, Sect. 17.
The ubiquitous Muraviov was appointed commander of the war against
the Cossacks, and a Red Army was recruited from among the factory
workers. Hundreds of propagandists were sent to the Don. The Council
of People's Commissars issued a proclamation to the Cossacks, (See
App. XI, Sect. 16) explaining what the Soviet Government was, how
the propertied classes, the _tchin ovniki,_ landlords, bankers and
their allies, the Cossack princes, land-owners and Generals, were
trying to destroy the Revolution, and prevent the confiscation of
their wealth by the people.
On November 27th a committee of Cossacks came to Smolny to see
Trotzky and Lenin. They demanded if it were true that the Soviet
Government did not intend to divide the Cossack lands among the
peasants of Great Russia? "No," answered Trotzky. The Cossacks
deliberated for a while. "Well," they asked, "does the Soviet
Government intend to confiscate the estates of our great Cossack
land-owners and divide them among the working Cossacks?" To this
Lenin replied. "That," he said, "is for _you_ to do.
Pages:
360
361
362
363
364
365
366
367
368
369
370
371
372
373
374
375
376
377
378
379
380
381
382
383
384