Date: 1900-09-05
Source: ru:PSS/v46
Source: CW vol 46

September 5, 1900. Nuremberg.

Dear Comrade! It seems we will not be able to meet: neither in Mainz nor in Paris, as we are not planning to go there, and we are leaving here tomorrow. This is very unfortunate, but we must accept it and limit ourselves to a correspondence.

Firstly, I hasten to make a correction to one of the remarks in your first letter—a correction that I would ask you to pass on to the person who told you about my supposed "promise to meet." This is incorrect. I did not promise to meet, but said that we would officially (i.e., on behalf of our group) contact the Union* when we were abroad, if the need arose. G. was wrong to forget this condition, and also to forget to add that I spoke with him personally and, consequently, could not possibly promise anything, pre-empting the decision of our group. When we heard the other side** here and learned about the congress and the split, we saw that there was no need for official contact now. That's all. The Union, therefore, has absolutely no right to "claim" me, while I claim that G. passed on information about our conversation to extra people, although he formally promised me that, until our group contacted the Union, he would not tell anyone except the arrested person. Since you have passed on his claim to me, I hope you will not refuse, when in Paris, to pass on my claim to him. If "the rumor is spreading very widely"***, then G.**** is to blame for this.

* "Union of Russian Social-Democrats Abroad." Ed.

** Referring to the Emancipation of Labour group. Ed.

*** Referring to the preparation of the newspaper Iskra. Ed.

**** Secondly, a small digression from the main point: I listened to both G., whom I saw for several days, and the other side. You, however, only listened to the Unionists; you did not hear sufficiently influential and authoritative representatives of the other side. Therefore, it seems to me that the rule "audiatur et altera pars" ("let the other side be heard." Ed.) has been more violated by you.

Now, let us move on to the substance of the matter. A merger is impossible. A federation is also impossible, if we understand this word in its true sense, i.e., a certain agreement, contract, mutual obligations, etc. "The desire to render each other what assistance we can"—I think this is not bound up with a federation, it is possible without it, and it is generally possible, though I do not know how easily it can be realized. If the Union really wanted this, it would hardly have started by putting ultimatums to us and threatening a boycott (this was precisely the meaning of the words of the bearer of your letter): this cannot serve to improve relations.

We represent an independent literary group. We want to remain independent. We do not consider it possible to conduct affairs without such forces as Plekhanov and the Emancipation of Labour group, but from this no one can conclude that we lose even a part of our independence. This is all we can say at present to those who, above all, wish to know how we stand towards the Emancipation of Labour group. Those who are not satisfied with this, we can only say: judge us by our deeds, if you do not believe our words. But if we speak not of the present moment, but of the near future, of course, we shall not refuse to give more detailed information about the form of relations between us and the Emancipation of Labour group to people with whom we shall have close relations.

You may ask: what will be our relations with the Union? For the time being, there will be none, because our unalterable decision to remain an independent group and to avail ourselves of the closest co-operation of the Emancipation of Labour group arouses the distrust of the Union, which fears that we shall not be able to maintain our complete independence, that we shall fall into the "impossible" (your expression) tone of polemics.

If our activity dispels the Union's distrust, we shall be able to establish good relations; if not, then not. Voila tout*. You write: "the eyes of the Union

* - That's all. Ed.