London, 30 November 1867 

Dear Frep, 

Regarding Moses,‘ I shall follow your prescription exactly. At all 
events, we must make use of the man and, at the same time, 

@ See this volume, pp. 479, 481-82. - > Ibid., p. 478.- © Deutsches Museum - 4 See this 
volume, pp. 463-64. - © Moses Hess (see this volume, p. 484). 

prevent him from misusing us. Regarding Hilberg, it would 
indeed be a good thing if we could keep a hold on this Revue 
being the only one still open to us, but how? is not yet clear to me. 
This morning I received a copy of Schorlemmer? anp senp HIM MY 
THANKS FOR IT. 

If you have read the papers, you will have seen that 1. the 
INTERNATIONAL Council, sent Memoria for the Fenrans°*? to Hardy, 
2. the debate on Fenianism (a week ago last Tuesday‘) was public and 
The Times carried a report on it.4 There were also reporters there 
from the Dublin Irishman and Nation. I did not arrive until very 
late (I have been suffering from a fever for about 2 weeks, and 
have only got over it in the last 2 days) and had not im fact 
intended to speak, first on account of my uncomfortable physical 
condition, and second because of the delicacy of the situation. 
However, the Chairman Weston wanted to force me to, so I moved 
ADJOURNMENT, Which obliged me to speak last Tuesday.“ What I had 
in fact prepared for Tuespay Last was not a speech but rather the 
points for a speech.! However, the Irish reporters did not come, and 
by the time we had finished waiting for them it was 9 o’clock, 
whereas the premises were only available to us until 10'/o. At my 
suggestion, Fox had prepared a long speech (because of a Quarrel 
on the Councn. he had made no appearance for 2 weeks, and 
furthermore sent in his. resignation aS MEMBER OF THE Counc. 
containing furious outbursts against Jung™’). When the séance 
opened I therefore declared that, on account of the Betarep Hour, | 
would yield the floor to Fox. In fact—because the executions in 
Manchester had intervened—our subject ‘Fenianism’ was bound up 
with the passions and heated emotions of the moment, which 
would have compelled me (though not the abstract Fox) to unleash 
a revolutionary thunderbolt, instead of the intended objective 
analysis of the situation and the movement. The Irish reporters 
thus did me a great service by staying away and so delaying the 
opening of the meeting. I do not enjoy getting embroiled with 
people like Roberts, Stephens, and the like. 

Fox’s speech was good, first because it was delivered by an 
Englishman, and second insofar as it dealt only with political and 
international asrecrs. However, for that very reason he only skated 
over the surface of things. The resolution he brought forward was 

a Internationale Revue - > H.E. Roscoe, Kurzes Lehrbuch der Chemie... Deutsche Ausgabe, 
unter Mitwirkung des Verfassers bearbeitet von Carl Schorlemmer. - © 19 Novem- 
ber -4¢ ‘London Meetings’, The Times, No. 25974, 21 November 1867. - 
¢ 26 November - f K. Marx, ‘Notes for an Undelivered Speech on Ireland’. - 
& meeting 

silly and pointless.* I opposed it and had it referred back to the 
Sranpinc Commirer.”! 

What the English do not yet realise, is that since 1846 the 
economic content and hence the political purpose of English rule 
in Ireland as well has entered an entirely new phase, and that for 
that very reason Fenianism is characterised by socialist (in the 
negative sense, as directed against the appropriation of the soi) 
leanings and as a Lower ORDERS MOVEMENT. What could be more absurd 
than to lump together the barbarities of Elizabeth or Cromwell, 
who wanted to drive out the Irish by means of English colonists 
(in the Roman sense), and the present system, which wants to 
drive out the Irish by means of sheep, pigs and oxen! The system 
of 1801-1846 (evicrions in that period were exceptional, particular- 
ly in Leinster, where the soil is especially suited to cattle-raising) 
with its rackrents and middlemen, collapsed in 1846. The Anti-Corn. 
Law-Repeal, in part a consequence of or, at all events, hastened by 
the Irish raming,”*” took from Ireland its monopoly of supplying 
England with corn in normal times. Wool and meat became the 
watchword, hence conversion OF TILLAGE INTO pasture. So from then on, 
SYSTEMATIC CONSOLIDATION OF FARMS. The Encumperep Estates Acr which 
made Lanp.orps of a mass of former mipptemen who had grown rich, 
hastened the process.” Ciearine or THE Estates oF IreLanp! is now the 
sole meaning of English rule in Ireland. The stupid English 
government in London naturally knows even nothing of this 
IMMENSE CHANGE since 1846. But the Irish do. From Meagher’s 
Proclamation (1848) **’ down to Hennessy’s election address (Tory and 
Urquhartite) (1866) the Irish have been expressing their awareness 
of it in the clearest and most FORCIBLE MANNER. 

The question now is, what advice should we give the English 
workers? In my view, they must make Repear of the Unron (in short, 
the farce of 1783, only democratised and adapted to meet present 
circumstances) an article of their pronunziamento;*** This is the 
only legal and hence the only possible form of Irish emancipation 
which can be adopted by an English party in its programme. 
Experience must later show, whether mere personal union 
between the 2 countries can continue to exist. I half believe it 
could if it comes about in due time. 

What the Irish need is: 

1. Self-government and independence from England. 

2. Agrarian revolution. With the best will in the world the 

4% manifesto 

English cannot do this for them, but they can give them the legal 
means to do it for themselves. 

3. Protective tariffs against England. From 1783-1801 every branch 
of industry in Ireland flourished. By suppressing the protective 
tariffs which the Irish parliament had established, the Union 
destroyed all industrial life in Ireland. The litte bit of linen 
industry is in no way a substitute. The Union of 1801 affected 
Irish industry exactly as did the measures for the suppression of 
the Irish wool industry, etc., on the part of the English parliament 
under Anne, George II, and others. As soon as the Irish became 
independent, necessity would turn them, like Canada, Australia, 
etc., into protectionists. Before I put forward my views at the 
Centrat Counc. (next Tuesday, this time fortunately without 
reporters being present),*? I would appreciate it if you would let 
me know your opinion in a few lines. 

Salut. 

Your 
K. M. 

Since Moses? is a cousin of Hirsch,” I am not surprised that he 
himself has a set of antlers. He Bears iT PROUDLY.‘