Manchester, 24 September 1868 

Dear Moor, 

So that is the reason for the sycophantic letter from Schweitzer! * 
The fellow obviously knew what was in store for him when he 
wrote to you. On the one hand, it may not be altogether 
unwelcome to him that he can drop the strict Lassallean religion, 
but fundamentally the loss of the ‘tight’ organisation and of the 
possibility to play at dictator is certainly fatal to him. Of course, 
this is the end of the Lassallean sect’s self-important pretence that 
it is ‘the party’ in Germany, and the sect will gradually expire; it 
will continue to twitch the longest in the Bergisches Land, the real 
home of sects. 

Incidentally, as Wilhelm? rightly guesses, his associations will 
also come under attack.’ So much the better. The petty-bourgeois- 
people’s-party-federalist fad of these fellows is not worth a penny. 
And it is a good thing that the government really stirs up the 
workers, once it sees that the workers won’t let themselves be used 
by it against the bourgeoisie. Some form or another will surely be 
found. 

But what a comrade Wilhelm is! Less than 4 months since he 
entered into a ‘sort of alliance’ with Schweitzer,’ and today they 
are again at loggerheads, and he is too sturpery for him. He knew 
that before, didn’t he—but what about the fine lads he had 
‘assigned to watch him’! 

What is this proclamation that you are supposed to issue by all 
means?’ And these fine phrases in it about ‘persons’ which 
Wilhelm might construe against Baptist and Baptist against 
Wilhelm! The South German democrat is impossible to get rid of, 
once you have him in your system. One might think Wilhelm was 
writing to Struve. 

Schl6ffel (the elder) has turned up again in Silesia. I am folding 
into the returned Social-Demokrat some curiosa from the Zukunft. 

If you had only gone to Nuremberg! You would have been 

a See this volume, pp. 105 and 107-08. - > Wilhelm Liebknecht; see this volume, 
p. 109. - ¢ Baptist Schweitzer 

compensated and afterwards been able to start again from the 
beginning with the surrerincs. I tell you the fellow still can’t 
distinguish you from Struve. 

Apropos the dissolution of the General Association of German 
Workers '*’ Wilhelm could now reprint the pertinent passages 
from my pamphlet,* in which all this was predicted for the 
Lassallean gentlemen. What do you think about it? I could 
prepare the muck for him, as I still have a few copies here.’” 

Your 
F. E.