July 3, 1920

The I Congress of representatives of the Karelian working people, convened by the organizational bureau of the Congress on July 1, 1920 in Petrozavodsk, at the rate of representation for 500 Karelians residents – one representative and represented by 142 delegates from 24 Karelian volosts, expressing the will of 105,000 Karelians from Olonetsky, Petrozavodsky and Povenetsky uezds of the Olonets Gubernia and Kemsky and Aleksandrovsky uezds of the Arkhangelsk Gubernia, having heard the report of the organizational bureau on the reasons that caused the convocation of the Congress, the report of the Revolutionary Committee of the Karelian Labor Commune on the formation of the Karelian Labor Commune, on its structure and tasks and reports from the local representatives of the volosts on attitude of the Karelian working masses to the white Finland, to the Soviet Russia and to the Karelian Labor Commune, with one voice decides:

1) accept that the convening of this Congress by the organizational bureau was caused by an urgent need for the benefit of the Karelian working people, since the repeated attempts of the white Finland to annex Soviet Olonets and Arkhangelsk Karelias in overt or covert form, the violent seizure of its Rebolskaya and Porosozerskaya volosts, repeated invasions of the Finnish White Guard gangs to the Soviet Karelia, the formation inside the white Finland the kulak’s Karelian National Assembly, consisting of the Karelian rich refugees, which falsify the true will of the working Karelian people, the formation by agents of white Finland of the so-called Uhta Republic and the Uhta government inside the Arkhangelsk Karelia, the desire of the White Finnish delegation on a peaceful conference in Tartu to present the Karelian population living in Soviet Russia, as wishing for liberation from ties with the Soviet Russia and joining Finland, – necessitated the spot of a authentic unfalsified free will of the Karelian working people;

2) On behalf of the Karelian working masses of Olonets and Arkhangelsk Karelias, in the face of the working masses of Russia and Finland and the whole world, in the face of white Finland and all the capitalist states of the world, solemnly declares that the Karelian working population doesn’t want to break cultural, economic, political and government ties with the Soviet Russia and doesn’t even think about joining white Finland. The Karelian people feels freest inside the Soviet Russia and will not go under the capitalist yoke of either Finland or any other state. The Karelian people will not allow the wealth of Karelia, water, forests, waterfalls, minerals, fish resources, to be plundered by the capitalist white Finland under the pretext of protecting the Karelians from the Soviet Russia or under the pretext of “national reunification” of the Karelians with the white Finland. The Karelian people are protesting against the formation of the “Karelian National Assembly” in Finland, consisting of the Karelian kulaks-refugees, declaring this assembly no legal to speak on behalf of the Karelian people, and considers all its decisions null and void, no-strings-attached for the Soviet Karelia. The Karelian people are protesting against the attempts of the Finnish white agents to split the Soviet Karelia by forming inside the ludicrous Republics like the Uhta Republic. The Karelian people declare that all the claims of the white Finland to the Rebolskaya and Porosozerskaya volosts and the violent seizure of these volosts are contrary to the will of the entire population of the Soviet Karelia and are contrary to the will of the population of these volosts, suppressed by the bayonets of the Finnish White Guards. The Karelian people are protesting against Finland's attempts to occupy Pechenga, whose population is against the White Finnish occupation. The congress protests against the systematic arming and supply by the white Finland to robber bands, acting on the territory of the Soviet Karelia and violating the peaceful life of the Karelian population. The Karelian people demand from the Soviet government and the Russian delegation at the Peace Conference in Tartu not cede the Soviet Karelia to the exploitation and plunder of Finnish capitalism, strongly insist on the return of the Rebolskaya and Porosozerskaya volosts to the Karelian Soviet lands, also Pechenga should not be ceded to Finland. The congress demands that the citizens of Karelian nationality, who using force or fraud were taken away by the White Finns to Finland, will be return back to the Soviet Karelia. The Congress protests against the brutal repressions which were carried out against the population by the Finnish White Guards during the period of occupation of Karelian Soviet lands;

3) to greet the formation of the Karelian Labor Commune from the Karelian localities of the Olonets and Arkhangelsk Gubernias by a decree of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee of the Soviets of Russia. The Commune must remain in unbreakable connection with the Soviet Russia, developing economy and culture in close collaboration with the worker and peasant masses of Russia and preserving the Soviet political form of government. Only close connection with the Soviet Russia will protect the Karelia from capitalist’ encroachments.

The congress hopes that with the real support from the Russian working people and their Soviet government, the Karelian Labor Commune will become a thriving and economically strong Commune on the border of the Soviet Russian Socialist Federative Republic.

Long lives free Soviet Working Karelia.

Long live the unbreakable connection with workers' and peasants' Soviet Russia.