London, 15[-22] May 1872 

Dear Liebknecht, 

Thanks for the letter from Verviers.*’° It confirms our 
information from other sources and, as far as Hins is concerned, it 

0 

a See this volume, pp. 356-57. 

is agreeable to learn that his preference for the Neuer* not only 
makes itself felt in the Liberté but is also expressed directly. In 
this Hins, as a Bakuninist thanks to his wife, is quite consistent. 
It is good that all the scoundrels should meet up with each 
other. 

I passed on the relevant information to Eccarius, who replied: 
Tell Liebknecht that I shall discuss corresponding with him again 
once he has answered my letter of last July— What Sorge writes to 
you" is at present the subject of charges levelled at Eccarius, who 
has lost much ground here thanks to his repeated indiscretions. 

It goes without saying that nothing can be decided at present 
about the location of the Congress.” 

I am delighted to hear that the Volksstaat is selling so well.””? As 
soon as time permits I shall contribute articles more frequently, 
but you can have no idea how hard-pressed we are, because Marx, 
myself and 1 or 2 others have to do absolutely everything. 

We shall attend to the Preface for the Manifesto” at the first 
possible opportunity.“ Marx has a terrific amount of work to do 
on the French translation‘; much has to be altered in the opening 
part.“ And then he has also to read the proofs of the 2nd 
German edition.** 

The article on the housing shortage will be done today or 
tomorrow. 

The Fédération Jurassienne publishes a swinish little paper: 
Bulletin de la Fédération jurassienne, subscription obtainable from 
Adhémar Schwitzguébel, Sonvillier, Jura Bernois, 4 frs per 
annum, 2 frs a half-year. You should take it and hit them hard 
from time to time, it is Bakunin’s Moniteur. In the last issue 
Lafargue, who is in Madrid under an assumed name, was directly 
denounced to the Spanish police.*” 

Enclosed is a cutting from The Eastern Post—you will probably 
be sent the first edition, in which, thanks to Hales’ indolence, the 
most important things are missing, as usual. If that is the case, 
drop me a couple of lines for the publisher so that he can send you 
the second edition. Otherwise you will still be in the dark. What I 
said about the Saragossa Congress is accurate enough, but 
Lafargue forgot to tell us that at the same time a resolution had 
been passed recognising and adopting the resolutions of the 
Belgian Congress (of 25 December 1871).*% So that the victory was 

514 

a Neuer Social-Demokrat -> K. Marx and F. Engels, ‘Preface to the 1872 Ger- 
man edition of the Manifesto of the Communist Party’.-* of Volume I of 
Capital - 4 F. Engels, The Housing Question. 

by no means as complete as he described it to us. I am awaiting 
further details about this last resolution. 

That the Alliance has survived as a secret society, in Spain at 
least, is proved and recognised. Our own people were in it, 
because they knew no better and thought they had to be. This is a 
very serious matter for Mr Bakunin. 

Don’t forget to publish Lafargue’s 2nd report on the Saragossa 
Congress from the Liberté.°’ It has put the Jurassians into a fury 
and their last issue contains a public attack on Lafargue, myself, 
Marx and Serraillier. But they are as quiet as mice on the subject 
of the revelations about their secret society. This is the tell-tale point 
and so we must noise it abroad as much as possible. I am 
convinced that this secret organisation of the Alliance has branches 
in Switzerland and in Italy too. It will not be easy to obtain proof, 
however.— The next issue .of Egalité will include a statement by 
Lafargue against the Jurassians.* 

22 May. In the interim I have been writing the enclosed article 
on housing. Your Proudhonist” will be satisfied with it. 

I shall write to Wigand about my Condition of the Working- 
Class.” But there can be no question at all of my attending to it 
before the Congress is over; my hands are full until then. 

The Deutsch-Franzésische Jahrbticher are unobtainable, except, 
perhaps, second-hand; that should be perfectly clear to you. The 
same goes for the Misére de la philosophie (although Vieweg in 
Paris, Frank’s successor, may stil} have a few). A collection of 
essays is an old plan of ours but it also needs time. Mr Knapp will 
find sufficient instruction in Capital; once he has digested that he 
will doubtless know whether he is on our side or not, and if he still 
does not know, not even Moses and all the Prophets will be able to 
do anything for him. The crux of the matter is to be found in 
Chapters II and III of Capital and he should know where he 
stands on that before calling for further nourishment. 

Your request for clarification about Proudhon should be 
satisfied for the moment by the enclosed article. 

Enclosed the report on Spain in The Eastern Post, which you are 
unlikely to have received. Please do not publish it. It was based on 
Lafargue’s letters, but since the Jurassians are interpreting another 

a P. Lafargue, ‘Aux citoyens rédacteurs du Bulletin de la Fédération jurassienne. 
Madrid, 17 mai 1872’, L’Egalité, No. 11, 1 June 1872; Bulletin de la Fédération 
jurassienne, No. 10-11, 15 June 1872. - > Arthur Mülberger - ¢ Account of Engels’ 
speech on the Saragossa Congress and the situation of the International in Italy. From 
the newspaper report on the General Council meeting of 7 May 1872. 

. 5 : 1 . 
resolution of the Congress in their own favour,” and since 

Lafargue’s initial reports of victory were somewhat exaggerated in 
any event, it would be desirable for them not to circulate with a 
seal of approval from the General Council. I am not sending it to 
Italy or Spain either. 

I shall now see what can be done about the Preface to the 
Manifesto. Marx is in the City checking on the quotation from the 
Concordia; those gentlemen have got a big surprise coming to 
them.*” 

Best wishes and hopes for a speedy quashing. 

Your 
F. E. 

What view does the ‘Committee’ in Hamburg*” take of the 

International? We must now try and clear up the situation there as 
quickly as possible so that Germany can be properly represented at 
the Congress.**° I must ask you straight out to tell us frankly how 
the International stands with you. 

1. Roughly how many stamps have been distributed to how 
many places, and which places are involved? The 208 counted by 
Fink*!” are surely not all there are? 

2. Does the Social-Democratic Workers’ Party intend to be 
represented at the Congress and ir so how does it propose to place 
itself en régle* with the General Council in advance so that its 
mandate cannot be queried at the Congress? This would mean 
a) that it would have to declare itself to be the German Federation 
of the International in reality and not merely figuratively and 
b) that as such it would pay its dues before the Congress. The 
matter is becoming serious and we have to know where we are, or 
else you will force us to act on our own initiative and to consider 
the Social-Democratic Workers’ Party as an alien body for whom 
the International has no significance. We cannot allow the 
representation of the German workers at the Congress to be 
fumbled or forfeited for reasons unknown to us, but which cannot 
be other than petty. We should like to ask for a clear statement 
about this quickly. 

Receipt for Fink shortly. 

Notabene. It would perhaps be a good idea, if at all possible, to 
send me proofs of the article, but I leave it up to you. However, 
an essential prerequisite for my collaboration is 1) no marginal 

2 to arrange matters