Citizens! The Lyonese section of the International Working 
Men’s Association, in virtue of a resolution passed at the Congress 
of Basle, 1869, to the effect that the General Council shall act as 
umpire in cases where differences arise between members of the 
Association,* has appealed to the Council to decide between Albert 
Richard on one side and Schettel, Cormier, A. Blanc, Chanoz and 
Vindry on the other side, the latter being members of the old 
section of Lyons. 

The General Council, having examined the documents sent by 
that section, declares the accusations made to be without the least 
foundation and confirms the verdict of the two special commis- 
sions appointed on that subject: the first at the Congress of 
Lausanne, 1867, and the second at Geneva, 1869, and maintains 
Albert Richard in the post of Corresponding Secretary of the 
International Working Men’s Association conformably to the Rules 
and Regulations. 

Considering also that the call made by the old members upon 
the radical burgesses to give a decision in this case which ought 
only to have been known to the members of the Association is 
contrary to the Rules, spirit, and interest of the Association and of 
a nature of profiting the enemies, the General Council censures 
energetically the conduct of the old members of the section. 

The General Council takes advantage of the position in which it 
is placed by this misunderstanding to remind all the members of 


a Marx refers to the resolution of the Basle Congress adopted on September 9, 
1869 (see Report of the Fourth Annual Congress of the International Working Men’s 
Association, London [1869], p. 21).— Ed. 


Concerning the Conflict in the Lyons Section 109 


the Association that before any publication or any public action it 
should be apprised of it, as this mode of proceeding is calculated 
to excite personal animosities which should be carefully avoided at 
all times, and produces divisions in our ranks, and can only be 
useful to our adversaries at a time when all the activity, all the 
strength, and all the energy of our members should be concen- 
trated for the speedy triumph of the principles of the Internation- 
al Working Men’s Association.