It appeared that,
in order to enter the building, the _delegates had first to pay
respects to the Commissaire, a satellite of Lenine and Trotzky,
and there receive special permission_. The delegates would not
submit to that; elected by the people and equipped with formal
authorization, they had the right to freely enter any public
building assigned for their meeting. The delegates decided to
enter the Tavrichesky Palace without asking the new authorities,
and they succeeded in doing so. On the first day the guards did
not dare to lift their arms against the people's elected
representatives and allowed them to enter the building without
molestation.
There was no struggle, no violence, no sacrifices; the delegates
demanded that the guards respect their rights; they demanded to be
admitted, and the guards yielded.
In the Tavrichesky Palace the delegates opened their meeting; V.M.
Chernov was elected chairman. There were, altogether, about forty
delegates present. They realized that there were not enough
present to start the work of the Constituent Assembly. _It was
decided that it would be advisable to await the arrival of the
other delegates and start the work of the Constituent Assembly
only when a sufficient number were present_.
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