League keeps an eye on him. That the Central Authority did not 
regard the new group as a danger to the League was due to the fact 
that a quite trustworthy League member’ belonged to its central 
committee and had been instructed to watch and keep us informed 
about the plans and measures resolved upon by these people insofar 
as they were directed against the League. The Central Authority has 
also sent an emissary to Switzerland” to assist the above-mentioned 
League member to attract useful people to the League and in 
general to organise the League in Switzerland. All this information is 
based on quite reliable documentary evidence. 

Another attempt of the same sort was made earlier by Struve, Sigel 
and others, who were united in Geneva at the time. These people 
were impertinent enough to pretend that the organisation they had 
tried to form actually was the League and to misuse the names of the 
League members for this purpose. Of course, their lies deceived no 
one. Their attempt was so futile in all respects that the few remaining 
members of this abortive organisation in Switzerland were finally 
forced to join the group already mentioned. But the more impotent 
this coterie became the more imposing were the titles they gave to 
themselves—like “Central Committee of European Democracy”, 
etc. Here in London, too, Struve continued his efforts in this 
direction together with other disillusioned great men. Manifestos 
and invitations to join the “Central Bureau of the United German 
Emigration” and the “Central Committee of European Democra- 
cy”*” were sent all over Germany, but once more without the 
slightest response. 

The alleged connections between this coterie and French and 
other non-German revolutionaries simply do not exist. All its 
activities are confined to a number of petty intrigues among the local 
German refugees. They have no direct effect on the League and 
represent no threat. It is easy to keep an eye on them. 

All attempts of this sort either have the same goal as the League, 
i.e. the revolutionary organisation of the workers’ party. In this 
case they destroy the centralisation and strength of the party by 
fragmenting it and so they are definitely to be regarded as harmful 
separatism. Or they can only aim at misusing the workers’ party for 
purposes alien or directly opposed to it. The workers’ party can use 
other parties and party factions for its own purposes on occasion but 
must never subordinate itself to any other party. But those people 
who were in the government during the last movement* and who 

used their position to betray the movement and to suppress the 
workers’ party wherever it wanted to act independently must be kept 
at a distance under all circumstances. 

We have the following to report about the state of the League. 

I. Belgium 

The organisation of the League as it existed among the Belgian 
workers in 1846 and 1847 has, of course, disappeared since 1848, 
when the chief members were arrested, condemned to death and 
had their sentences commuted to imprisonment for life.?”? In 
general the League in Belgium has lost much of its strength since the 
February Revolution and the expulsion of most of the members of 
the German Workers’ Society””* from Brussels. The present policy 
of the police has not permitted it to reorganise. Despite this a 
community has managed to survive in Brussels to this day and it 
functions to the best of its ability. 

II. Germany 

It had been the intention of the Central Authority to give in this 
circular a special report on the situation of the League in Germany. 
But this is not possible at the present time as the Prussian police is 
investigating a widespread organisation among the revolutionary 
party.’ This circular will be sent to Germany by a safe route but 
copies may possibly fall into the hands of the police here and there in 
the course of distribution within Germany. It must therefore be so 
formulated that its content will not give the police any evidence that 
could be used against the League. For the moment then the Central 
Authority confines itself to the following remarks. 

The chief centres of the League in Germany are Cologne, 
Frankfurt am Main, Hanau, Mainz, Wiesbaden, Hamburg, Schwe- 
rin, Berlin, Breslau, Liegnitz, Glogau,” Leipzig, Nuremberg, 
Munich, Bamberg, Wurzburg, Stuttgart and Baden. 

The following are appointed leading districts: Hamburg for 
Schleswig-Holstein; Schwerin for Mecklenburg; Breslau for Silesia; 
Leipzig for Saxony and Berlin; Nuremberg for Bavaria; Cologne for 
Rhineland and Westphalia. 

For the time being the communities in Gottingen, Stuttgart and 
Brussels shall remain in direct communication with the Central 

Authority until they have extended their influence to the point 
where new leading districts can be formed. 

The position of the League in Baden will not be determined until 
receipt of the report from the emissary sent there and to Swit- 
zerland.* 

Where, as in Schleswig-Holstein and Mecklenburg, there are 
peasants’ and labourers’ associations, League members have been 
able directly to influence them and in part to gain complete control. 
The workers’ and labourers’ associations in Saxony, Franconia, 
Hesse and Nassau are also for the most part under the leadership of 
the League. The most influential members of the Workers’ 
Fraternity”’”’ also belong to the League. The Central Authority 
would point out to all communities and League members that such 
influence on the workers’, sport, peasants’ and labourers’ associa- 
tions, etc., is of the very greatest importance and should be achieved 
wherever possible. The Central Authority requests the leading 
districts and the communities which correspond directly with it to 
make special mention of what has happened in this respect in their 
next reports. 

The emissary to Germany,” who has received a commendation 
from the Central Authority for his efforts, has everywhere admitted 
only the most reliable people as members to the League and has left 
the further expansion of the League in their hands, relying on their 
greater knowledge of local conditions. Whether it will be possible to 
recruit resolute revolutionaries to the League will depend on the 
situation in the various localities. Where this is not possible a 
second class of League members should be formed from among 
people who do not yet understand the communist consequences of 
the present movement but who are useful and reliable. This second 
class must be told that their organisation is purely local or provincial 
and it must constantly be under the supervision of the actual League 
members and authorities. For with the aid of these additional 
contacts it will be possible to gain a firm grip on the peasants’ and 
sport associations. The detailed organisation can be left to the 
leading districts and the Central Authority looks forward to their 
reports on these matters as soon as possible. 

One community has proposed to the Central Authority that a 
League congress be convened immediately on German soil. The 
communities and districts will realise themselves that in the present 
circumstances it is not advisable to convene even provincial 

congresses of the leading districts everywhere. A general League 
congress is quite out of the question at the present time. But as soon 
as circumstances permit the Central Authority will convene a 
congress of the League in a suitable place.—Prussian Rhineland 
and Westphalia have recently been visited by an emissary? of the 
Cologne leading district. The report on this tour has not yet been re- 
ceived in Cologne. We request all leading districts likewise to 
send out emissaries to tour their regions as soon as possible and to 
report back on the results. Lastly, we report that in Schleswig-Hol- 
stein contacts have been established with the army; we are awaiting 
an account of what influence the League may hope to gain there. 

III. Switzerland 

We are still awaiting the report of our emissary” and so we shall 
return to this in greater detail in our next circular. 

IV. France 

Contacts with the German workers in Besangon and other places 
in the Jura will be re-established from Switzerland. In Paris, 
Ewerbeck, the League member who has been the leader of the 
communities there, has announced his resignation from the League 
as he thinks that his literary activities are more important. In 
consequence, contact has been disrupted for the time being and must 
be. re-established with all the more caution as the Parisians have 
admitted a number of people who are quite useless and who in the 
past have even been directly hostile to the League. 

V. England 

The London district is the strongest in the whole League. It has 
distinguished itself above all by the fact that for some years now it has 
financed the League and in particular the emissaries’ journeys 
almost unaided. It recently strengthened itself still further by 
admitting new elements and it continually provides leadership for 
the local German Workers’ Society?” as well as the most energetic 
section of German refugees here. 

The Central Authority maintains contact with the resolutely 
revolutionary parties among the French, English and Hungarians 
through a few members delegated for the purpose. 

Dronke wrote to Engels about the League’s affairs on July 10, 1850.— Ed. 

Of the French revolutionaries the really proletarian party, led by 
Blanqui, has joined forces with us. The delegates of the Blanquist 
secret societies are in regular and official contact with the League 
delegates whom they have entrusted with important tasks in 
preparation for the next French revolution. 

The leaders of the revolutionary Chartist party are also in regular 
close contact with the delegates of the Central Authority.?” Their 
journals are at our disposal. The breach between this revolutionary 
independent workers’ party and the more conciliatory faction led by 
O’Connor was substantially hastened thanks to League delegates. 

Similarly the Central Authority is in contact with the most 
progressive party of the Hungarian refugees. This party is important 
as it boasts a number of excellent military leaders whose services 
would be available to the League in a revolution. 

The Central Authority requests the leading districts to distribute 
this circular among their members as quickly as possible and to 
report soon. All members are urged to make the greatest possible 
efforts, especially at this moment when the situation is so critical that 
the outbreak of a new revolution can no longer be very far away.