Manchester, 21 April 1870 

Dear Moor, 

Enclosed, returned, the Swiss letters. The Genevans are, at all 
events, rather sluggish, otherwise they would not have got into this 
unfortunate position with the Bakuninists formally having the 
rules on their side with regard to them. This does not, of course, 
alter the fact that the Genevans must remain in the right; but, for 
the time being, the General Council has no reason to intervene, 
since the Genevans have appealed for a ballot in the sections, and 
you will have to wait for the result of this, one way or the other, 
before making a decision. The Bakuninists will probably not let 
themselves in for this referendum, since their réglement fédéral? 
probably makes no mention of it, and they will, thereby, expose 
their weak point in wishing to sacrifice the unity of the 
International, and the International itself into the bargain, to their 
empty formalism. Then there would be reason enough to 
intervene. On the other hand, the Genevans themselves must see 
to it this time that they gain the majority in their plebiscite. Till 
then, the General Council could, at the most, suspend both central 
committees, and replace them by a neutral provisional one 
(Becker,” etc.). 

In the matter itself it is clear that the Alliance, even if tolerated 
by the General Council, has no place in a local organisation like 
the Suisse Romande ,* since it wishes to correspond with all countries 
and maintain sub-sections there. Thus it should either stay out of 
it, or abandon its international character. Whereas, if the business 
in Switzerland continues to develop, the result will be either that it 
leaves the International completely, or can be thrown out. But it 
must be impressed on the Messrs Genevans that they cannot be 
helped unless they help themselves. If Bakunin were to get a 
majority of the workers of the Suisse Romande on his side, what 
could the General Council do? The only conceivable point is that 
of the total abstinence from all politics, but even this action would 
not be so certain. 

a Statuts pour la Fédération des Sections Romandes adoptés par le Congrés Romand... - 
b Johann Philipp Becker - © Romance Switzerland 

The Messrs Genevans might have kept their God in the bag 

too! 

Your 
F. E.