280. To G. I. PETROVSKY

Written in March, not later than 22, 1919 · First published in 1965 in Collected Works, Fifth Ed., Vol. 50. Printed from the original. · page 202

Comrade Petrovsky,

Please send this or a similar telegram, or give orders for an inspection through the Gubernia Executive Committee.^[1]

Lenin

Notes

[1] Lenin gave this instruction to Petrovsky after receiving a complaint from peasants of Korbangsk Volost, Kadnikovo Uyezd, Vologda Gubernia, about the incorrect attitude of the Volost Executive Committee towards the middle peasants. Lenin wrote the instruction on the following draft of a telegram in Krupskaya’s handwriting: “To the Korbangsk Volost Soviet, Kadnikovo Uyezd, Vologda Gubernia. Draw up immediately in all villages lists of electors to the Soviet, excluding only known kulaks and drawing the middle peasants into the elections. After compiling the lists, fix new elections to the Soviet. A check will be carried out. Those guilty of incorrectly compiling the lists will have to answer for it” (Collected Works, Fifth Ed., Vol. 50, p. 476).

Shortly after this, on learning of the rude behaviour of A. G. Pravdin, a member of the Board of the People’s Commissariat for Internal Affairs, towards U. P. Mostakova, who had delivered the complaint of the Vologda peasants, Lenin wrote to Petrovsky: “...Pravdin must be hauled over the coals. Don’t let him have his own way, and put him under supervision, he has a tendency towards stupid ‘order issuing’. This must be put an end to” (ibid).