AT LE PERREUX 

London, 4 May 1891 

My dear Lohr, 

Yesterday was glorious, both as to weather and demonstration. 
Louise, Sam Moore and I went there at 2,?*° the platforms extended 
in an immense arc across the Park,* the procession began to march in 
at 2.30 and had not done by 4.15, indeed fresh processions came in up 
to 5 o’clock. I was on Edward’s platform with Sam, Louise on Tus- 
sy’s. The crowd was immense, about the same or more even than last 
year. 

Now a little gossip about the history of the affair. It has been al- 
most exclusively Edward’s and Tussy’s work, and they had to fight it 
through from beginning to end. There was of course a deal of friction, 
but the Trades’ Congress last September at Liverpool?’ and the 
changed majority (in favour of legal 8 hours) had considerably 
smoothed the way. Shipton was awfully polite to Edward, but ob- 
structive in many small matters, and threatened to throw up every- 
thing ifhis right (divine?) to be Marshal in command of the procession 
should be ever questioned. Well, they let him, it will probably be the 
last time he will appear hoch zu Ross.” 

The principal thing was that the resolution was passed in the form 
proposed by our people, and that they carried in the joint committee 
(5 from the Trades Council, 5 from the Demonstration Com- 
mittee). 

Now for the fun—the Social Democratic Federation.?° At first 
they sent 3 delegates to the Demonstration Committee where Edward 
was Chairman. But after a few meetings they remained absent, and 
were struck off the rolls. Then the Social Democratic Federation ap- 
plied to the Trades Council for 2 platforms for themselves, as they 
had last year. But Shipton himself suggested to the Joint Committee 
that this would never do, and it was rejected, as in the same way 
every Trades Union might have asked for 2 platforms. Then the So- 
cial Democratic Federation announced in their Moniteur“ that they 

* Hyde Park-” on horseback -‘ official newspaper 

would hold a meeting of their own with four platforms and red flags.’ 
Unfortunately they had to join our procession from the Embankment 
in order to get into the Park in an orderly and showy manner, and 
once there, marched off about 100 yards and held there their prom- 
ised meetings — without proper platforms, we had big carts, they only 
chairs. They were just near enough to reckon upon some stragglers 
from our overflow, and just far enough to show how few of them they 
were able to attract. 

The decisive thing had been, for them, the resolution of the 
Demonstration Committee: that every association affiliated to them 
should pay 5/- for every branch towards general expenses. Thus, the 
Social Democratic Federation would have had either to pay 5/- for 
the many bogus branches they exhibit in their Moniteur, or else own 
they were bogus. And that decided their final retreat. 

They have been made to feel their real position, and that is: the 
same position which the Germans of the Socialistic Labor Party in 
America !?3 hold there, that of a sect. And that is their position, 
though they are real live Englishmen. It is very characteristic of the 
Anglo-Saxon race and their peculiar mode of development, that both 
here and in America the people who, more or less, have the correct 
theory as to the dogmatic side of it, become a mere sect because they can- 
not conceive that living theory of action, of working with the working 
class at every possible stage of its development, otherwise than as 
a collection of dogmas to be learnt by heart and recited like a con- 
jurer’s formula or a Catholic prayer. Thus the real movement is going 
on outside the sect, and leaving it more and more. The Canning 
Town Branch of the Federation sticks to Edward and Tussy in spite of 
Hyndman and marches with our people, and that is their strongest 
branch. Since the Dockstrike '!9* the Social Democratic Federation 
had for a time profited by the general socialist revival, but that is over 
now, they are fast for cash for their new Hall in the Strand, and the 
decline has set in again. And as their friends and allies the Possibi- 
lists ? are eating each other up as fast as they can, they cannot even 
brag with their grand foreign connexions. 

Sam Moore was very much struck with the immense progress made 
here during the 2 years of his absence. He, by the bye, is very well, 
likes the climate and easy life amazingly and will, I am almost sure, 
be homesick for Africa after a while. 

* ‘Eight Hours’ Demonstration, Sunday May 3rd, 1891’, Justice, No. 381, 2 May 1891. 

Jesal fis Pours Pemonsteation 
+> Hyde Park, May $ré, 1891 <« 

oe 
»* PRESS - TICKET « 

Admit aur, Fag, 

Paper represented Sus... f 

Platform No 26. Re RcRnnnee | 

By order, §=Gaeonae SHieton 
Eowaro Avama |G 

Engels’ press ticket to the platform in Hyde Park 
during the demonstration on 3 May 1891 

I saw Cunninghame Graham on our platform (No. 6, Edward’s, see 
Chronicle*) but he could not tell me much more about Paris than was 
said in Paul’s letter Friday afternoon.” After all I hope the Commit- 
tee’s demonstration in the evening was not a failure, as, Graham says, 
was that of the Broussists. If we cannot work together, we have all an 
interest in having as much of a demonstration as possible. 

It’s no use crying over spilt milk, but I cannot help thinking that 
our friends made a slight mistake, thanks to the usual French inclina- 
tion of miscalculating the strength of the relative forces. A very heroic 
disposition sometimes, ‘mazs ce n’est pas la guerre’.©?*! After all we in- 
tended to work as usual with the Blanquists, and they were not bound 
by the resolutions of Calais and Lille.?°° These resolutions could only 
bind our people; the Blanquists too might have passed resolutions as 
to the Ist of May and then said they were bound by them. Why then 
determine beforehand by our own selves and without our only allies, 
how the demonstration was to be arranged in Paris where we are in 
an, at present, decided minority? Why thus /froisser‘ our only allies? 
Froisser them still more by the plan of delegations to the mairies* and 
summonses to all the éus' to meet the delegates there? a plan which 
on the face of it they were sure to repudiate? I am not at all aston- 
ished that they fell into the arms of the Allemanists °° after this. At 
least that is the view I came to from the information I possess, there 
may be another side to the case but I do not know it. 

We have very little news from Germany to-day. Hamburg had 
a splendid procession, 80,000 according to Daily Telegraph. From 
Berlin very little news; the Havas of Berlin, Wolff, has orders from 
Government to suppress everything, and the London correspondents 
are all under the influence of the Freisinnigen,?*? and do exactly the 
same. 

When we came home last night, we wound up with a Maibowle 
the Maikraut" of which Percy had sent us from Ryde. We put in 4 bot- 
tles Moselle, 2 claret, 1 Champagne, and finished it — we, Bernsteins 
and the Tussy’s.’ Late in the evening Cunninghame Graham came in 
and actually had two or three glasses of it—-he seems to have left his 
teetotalism at Tangiers. There is a slight but rather agreeable Kater; 
kept in proper bounds this morning by a bottle of Pilsener. 

* ‘Eight Hours Day.—Demonstration in Hyde Park.—Enormous Gathering’, The 
Daily Chronicle, No. 9092, 4 May 1891.-° 1 May-° but this is not war- 
4 offend -° town halls-! municipal councillors -* punch-" woodruff (a plant used for 
making punch) -' Eleanor and Edward Aveling -! hangover 

Why did not Paul turn up? Graham says he was too tired — his 
name figures as a speaker on platform 8, with Jack Burns.* 
Viele Grüsse von Louise. 

Dein alter 
F.E.