{[London,] 29 March 1869 
Dear Frep, 

Best thanks for the cheque and the stamps. I paid Lucraft last 
Tuesday.* Have you seen the short report about the demonstration 
in The Times or Saturpay .ast?? It states that a German group (‘of 
our people!’) carried a red flag inscribed Proletarier aller Lander, 
verunreiniget Euch!, which they said in English, means ‘Racamurrins 
OF ALL REGIONS, BEFOUL YOURSELVES!’ 

As you correctly assume, I am cold-maddened and _ cold- 
stupefied. 

The children left on Friday‘ evening (to the horror of the 
English, on Goon Fripay). We received a letter from them this 
morning. They arrived safely in Paris, but had a stormy crossing. 

I am not yet a FReEsoRN Briton. One resists such a step as long as 
one can.” 

Nothing could be more gallant than the way Wilhelm the 
Honourable is extracting himself from the affair of the Vogt 
copies.* At my instigation, Kugelmann wrote to him about it. No 
reply to the first letter, and to another letter he received the 
enclosed screed, which may be summed up as follows: If I 
(Liebknecht) announced [the despatch of] 60 copies, but only 6 
arrived, you should be aware that I always lie, so there the matter 
must rest. If, however, C. Hirsch of Berlin advised you of the 
number (he naturally does not know that I advised Kugelmann), it 
is a different matter and must be investigated. 

The sort of artful dodges the fellow gets up to is displayed in a 
letter from Hirsch to Kugelmann. Hirsch writes to Kugelmann*": 

‘Liebknecht probably hopes for nothing more than that you should circulate 
the books IN QUESTION in Hanover, in order to enlighten the Democratic Party there 
about the doings of Herr Vogt, etc.’ 

Thus Wilhelm kept it secret from Hirsch that I had demanded 
information about the state of affairs, and an assured place for 
storing those copies still available. 

Kugelmann writes: 

a 23 March - » ‘The Demonstration in Trafalgar Square’, The Times, No. 26396, 
27 March 1869. -¢ 19 March - 4 The reference is to K. Marx, Herr Vogt (sée this 
volume, pp. 208 and 231). 

‘The coming clash of words between Liebknecht and Schweitzer reminds me less 
of Luther and Eck than of Pater José and Rabbi Juda....’ ‘But it seems to me, as 
well, that the rabbi and the monk, both of them to heaven smell’ 

With regard to this clash of words, I received (today) the 
enclosed letter from Bebel.*"' Since the 60-copy letter,** Wilhelm 
himself does not dare write to me—until more water has flowed 
under the bridge. 

They are amazing fellows! First they wilfully get themselves into 
a situation where they are bound to get a drubbing. Then I am 
supposed to intervene as deus ex machina and elegantly reject 
Schweitzer’s resolution on the acceptance of the programme of the 
International, should Schweitzer’s general meeting pass it!*'? And 
all this after Wilhelm and Co. have not taken one single step about 
the International since the Nuremberg Congress,*° have done 
absolutely nothing so that those poor devils in Lugau found it 
necessary to turn directly to London.” I believe Bebel to be useful 
and able. He only had the particular misfortune to find his 
‘theoretician’ in Mr Wilhelm. 

Something else demonstrates the fellows’ carelessness and 
sloppiness: to date they have not informed me of a single Fracr to 
prove the charges of high treason, etc., levelled against Schweitzer. 
Fine businessmen. 

Lloyd’s Paper, in the Sunday number a week ago,‘ carried long 
hymns of praise about our reso.utions and the INTERNATIONAL 
Association in general. 

I have received a letter from Dietzgen, who is a prosperous 
tanner in Siegburg.*” I shall send it to you as soon as it is 
answered. Dietzgen’s ideas will be published by Meissner, for 
whom he has guaranteed the printing costs, under the title: Die 
Kopfarbeit, dargestellt von einem Handarbeiter usw. 

Salut. Greetings to Mrs Lizzie and the two accomplices *. 

Your 
K. M.