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should be included in the courses for workers and peasants who are
training to become officers in every district。 Transition to the militia
system must be carefully and gradually accomplished so as not for a
moment to leave the Republic defenseless。 While not losing sight of
these ultimate aims； it is necessary to decide on immediate needs and to
ascertain exactly what amount of labor is necessary for their limited
realization。 He suggests the registration of skilled labor in the army。 He
suggests that a Commission under general direction of the Council of
Public Economy should work out a preliminary plan and then hand it over
to the War Department； so that means should be worked out for using the
military apparatus for this new industrial purpose。
Trotsky's twenty…four theses or notes must have been written in odd
moments； now here now there； on the way from one front to another。
They do not form a connected whole。 Contradictions jostle each other； and
it is quite clear that Trotsky himself had no very definite plan in his head。
But
his notes annoyed and stimulated so many other people that they did
perhaps precisely the work they were intended to do。 Pravada printed them
with a note from the editor inviting discussion。 The Ekonomitcheskaya
Jizn printed letter after letter from workmen； officials and others； attacking；
approving and bringing new suggestions。 Larin； Semashko； Pyatakov；
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Bucharin all took a hand in the discussion。 Larin saw in the proposals
the beginning of the end of the revolution； being convinced that authority
would pass from the democracy of the workers into the hands of the
specialists。 Rykov fell upon them with sturdy blows on behalf of the
Trades Unions。 All； however； agreed on the one point…that something of
the sort was neccesary。 On December 27th a Commission for studying the
question of industrial conscription was formed under the presidency of
Trotsky。 This Commission included the People's Commissars； or
Ministers； of Labor； Ways of Communication； Supply； Agriculture； War；
and the Presidents of the Central Council of the Trades Unions and of the
Supreme Council of Public Economy。 They compiled a list of the
principal questions before them； and invited anybody interested to bring
them suggestions and material for discussion。
But the discussion was not limited to the newspapers or to this
Commission。 The question was discussed in Soviets and Conferences of
every kind all over the country。 Thus； on January 1st an All…Russian
Conference of local 〃departments for the registration and distribution of
labor；〃 after prolonged argument； contributed their views。 They pointed
out （1） the need of bringing to work numbers of persons who instead of
doing the skilled labor for which they were qualified were engaged in
petty profiteering； etc。； （2） that there evaporation of skilled labor into
unproductive speculation could at least be checked by the introduction
of labor books； which would give some sort of registration of each
citizen's work； （3） that workmen can be brought back from the villages
only for enterprises which are supplied with provisions or are situated in
districts where there is plenty。 （〃The opinion that； in the absence of these
preliminary conditions； it will be possible to draw workmen from the
villages by measures of compulsion or mobilization
is profoundly mistaken。〃） （4） that there should be a census of labor and
that the Trades Unions should be invited to protect the interests of the
conscripted。 Finally； this Conference approved the idea of using the
already existing military organization for carrying out a labor census of
the Red Army； and for the turning over to labor of parts of the army during
demobilization； but opposed the idea of giving the military organization
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THE CRISIS IN RUSSIA
the work of labor registration and industrial conscription in general。
On January 22； 1920； the Central Committee of the Communist Party；
after prolonged discussion of Trotsky's rough memorandum； finally
adopted and published a new edition of the 〃theses；〃 expanded； altered；
almost unrecognizable； a reasoned body of theory entirely different from
the bundle of arrows loosed at a venture by Trotsky。 They definitely
accepted the principle of industrial conscription； pointing out the
immediate reasons for it in the fact that Russia cannot look for much help
from without and must somehow or other help herself。
Long before the All…Russian Congress of the Communist Party
approved the theses of the Committee； one form of industrial conscription
was already being tested at work。 Very early in January； when the
discussion on the subject was at its height； the Soviet of the Third Army
addressed itself to the Council of Defense of the Republic with an
invitation to make use of this army （which at least for the moment had
finished its military task） and to experiment with it as a labor army。 The
Council of Defense agreed。 Representatives of the Commissariats of
Supply； Agriculture； Ways and Communications； Labor and the Supreme
Council of Public Economy were sent to assist the Army Soviet。 The
army was proudly re…named 〃The First Revolutionary Army of Labor；〃
and began to issue communiques from the Labor front；〃 precisely like the
communiques of an army in the field。 I translate as a curiosity the first
communique issued by a Labor Army's Soviet：
〃Wood prepared in the districts of Ishim； Karatulskaya； Omutinskaya；
Zavodoutovskaya； Yalutorovska； Iushaly； Kamuishlovo； Turinsk；
Altynai； Oshtchenkovo； Shadrinsk； 10；180 cubic sazhins。 Working days；
52；651。 Taken to the railway stations； 5；334 cubic sazhins。 Working
days on transport； 22；840。 One hundred carpenters detailed for the
Kizelovsk mines。 One hundred carpenters detailed for the bridge at Ufa。
One engineer specialist detailed to the Government Council of Public
Economy for repairing the mills of Chelyabinsk Government。 One
instructor accountant detailed for auditing the accounts of the economic
organizations of Kamuishlov。 Repair of locomotives procceding in the
works at Ekaterinburg。 January 20； 1920； midnight。〃
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The Labor Army's Soviet received a report on the state of the district
covered by the army with regard to supply and needed work。 By the end
of January it had already carried out a labor census of the army； and found
that it included over 50；000 laborers； of whom a considerable number
were skilled。 It decided on a general plan of work in reestablishing
industry in the Urals； which suffered severely during the Kolchak regime
and the ebb and flow of the civil war； and was considering a suggestion of
one of its members that if the scheme worked well the army should be
increased to 300；000 men by way of mobilization。
On January 23rd the Council of Defense of the Republic； encouraged
to proceed further； decided to make use of the Reserve Army for the
improvement of railway transport on the Moscow…Kazan railway； one of
the chief arteries between eastern food districts and Moscow。 The main
object is to be the reestablishment of through traffic between Moscow and
Ekaterinburg and the