In your issue No. 39 you publish an announcement by Turin 
workers which contains the following: 


“We hereby publicly announce that the decision of the Grand Council in 
London to subordinate socialism to politics was communicated to us by the editors 
of the Proletario immediately after it was made and that the decision was not of an 
official nature since it was withdrawn by the Grand Council in view of the fact that 
many European associations would have rejected it outright, as would we.” 


This assertion obliges the General Council to declare: 

1) that it never took any decision to subordinate socialism to 
politics, 

2) that it therefore could not have withdrawn such a decision, 

3) that no European or American association could reject such a 
decision, or has indeed rejected any other decision of the General 
Council. 

The position of the General Council as regards the political 
action of the proletariat is sufficiently well defined. 

It is defined: 

1) By the General Rules, in which the fourth paragraph of the 
preamble runs: ““That the economical emancipation of the working 
classes is the great end to which every political movement ought to be 
subordinate as a means.”’* 

2) By the text of the Inaugural Address of the Association 
(1864), this official and essential commentary on the Rules, which 
says: 


a See this volume, p. 3.— Ed. 


To the Editors of Il Proletario Italiano 55 


“The lords of land and the lords of capital will always use their 
political privileges for the defence and perpetuation of their 
economical monopolies. So far from promoting, they will continue 
to lay every possible impediment in the way of the emancipation of 
labour... To conquer political power has therefore become the 
great duty of the working classes.” * 

3) By the resolution of the Congress of Lausanne (1867) to the 
effect that: ““The social emancipation of the workmen is insepara- 
ble from their political emancipation.” » 

4) By Resolution IX of the London Conference (September 
1871) which, in agreement with the above, reminds the members 
of the International that in the struggle of the working classes their 
economical movement and their political action are indissolubly 
united.‘ 

The Council has always followed the line of conduct thus 
prescribed and will do so in future. It therefore declares the above 
communication made by persons unknown to the editors of the 
Proletario to be false and slanderous. 


By order and in the name of the General Council 
Secretary for Italy, 
F. E. 


P. S. I have just received La Révolution Sociale from Geneva 
which says that a small group in the Jura has rejected the 
decisions of the London Conference.** The General Council has 
received no official communication as yet. As soon as it does, it 
will take the necessary measures. 


November 29, 1871