Marx: The dispute has its origin in the formation of the 
Alliance of Socialist Democracy in Geneva, founded by Bakunin 
and others. He reads the two communications from the General 
Council to the Alliance of 1868 and March 1869,’ in the second of 
which the dissolution of the Alliance and the communication on 
the number of its sections and their numerical strength are laid 
down as conditions for their admission into the International. 
These conditions were never met, the Alliance was never really 
dissolved; it has always maintained a sort of organisation. The 
organ of the Geneva sections, L’Egalité, 11 December 1869,° 
blamed the General Council for failing to do its duty by not 
replying to its articles,© whereupon the General Council replied 
that it was not its duty to join in newspaper polemics, but that it 
was prepared to answer requests or complaints made by the 
Romance Federal Council, and this circular was communicated to 
all the sections*; every one of them approved the conduct of the 
General Council. The Swiss Council disowned L’Egalité, with 
whose editorial board it had broken off; the editorial board was 
changed, and subsequently the organ of the Alliance adherents 

b P. Robin, “Réflexions”, L’Egalité, No. 47, December 11, 1869.— Ed. 

was the Progrés and later the Solidarité. Then came the Congress of 
Locle where the two parties, the Romance Federation of Geneva 
and that of the mountains (the Alliance), were openly divided.” 
The General Council left things as they were, only forbidding the 
new council to set itself up as a Romance council alongside the 
other. Guillaume, who had preached abstention from all politics, 
contrary to our Statutes,” the moment the war broke out published a 
proclamation demanding in the name of the International the 
formation of an army to come to the aid of France,” which is even 
more contrary to our Statutes.