AT LE PERREUX 

London, 13 [-14] January 1895 

My dear Lafargue, 

I am glad to see that you have already arranged matters with Adler and 
have at last found a translator who does you justice. *”” 

Things are going well. If the year ‘95 finishes as it has begun we may see 
some strange happenings. In Germany, young William* has fallen into the 
hands of the ‘agrarians’ (the big aristocratic landowners of the Eastern 
provinces, the Junkern)’ who want to make sure of their control over this 
young ninny and who can only do so by compromising William to the point 
of no return. Thus they are hinting at a dissolution of the Reichstag, which 
will emerge from fresh elections more refractory than ever and then, his 
throne and his honour being at stake, there will be nothing for it but a coup d’ 
état to give William the means of obtaining new soldiers and ships, and the 
Junkers new import duties on agricultural produce and subsidies on the 
export of sugar, spirits, etc. That seems to be these gentlemen’s idea; 
impossible to say how far it will materialise. In the meantime, they are 
playing with fire—the War Minister“ openly inviting our people in the 
Reichstag to come out on to the streets by jeering at them—they are 
absolutely determined to create an opportunity for firing on the people. *”* 

And in your country there are the scandals of bourgeois corruption which 
go beyond anything and are driving towards a crisis: certainly if the Ministry 
threatens to bring the majority to court unless it votes against Gérault- 
Richard, matters cannot go on much longer. *” The 

* William II — > Junkers - © Bronsart von Schellendorf 

victory of the bourgeois, who have succeeded in electing a model bourgeois* 
President of the Republic, may well bring about the collapse of the whole 
bourgeois régime; the climax is approaching when they will be overthrown. 
As I see it, it is the bourgeoisie itself which, in your country, takes 
responsibility for doing socialist propaganda amongst the peasants. It is a 
long and wearisome task to enlighten peasants on political matters, but they 
will not be so stupid as not to realise at this juncture that they are being 
robbed. But once they have spotted that, there is nothing for them but to turn 
to the Socialists, the only party which is not involved in the thefts; for the 
Radicals *° are well and truly done for. 

So you see we can jolly well shout: Prosit Neujahr 

Speaking of the new year: your credit account of sixty pounds has been 
opened, if you want a cheque for twenty pounds, you have only to let me 
know. 

I have sent Laura some working-class papers from here, Blatchford’s 
(alias Nunquam) Clarion and Keir Hardie’s Labour Leader. Since the end of 
the Workman’s Times, this is the only literature of the Independent Labour 
Party. ''* Sad but true. 

A fortnight ago I received a letter from Vaillant enclosing some of his 
Bills. “*° I promised I would examine them critically as soon as I had the 
time.° Meanwhile I told him~* that Wroblewski, in Nice, has written asking 
me for money, that he has had an accident, broken his arm, has been in 
hospital and is in great distress; that I have given him as much help as I could 
but that it is beyond my means and that in my view the Communards and the 
socialist deputies owe it to their honour not to let him die of starvation. He 
replied that they had tried to get up a public subscription for Wroblewski but 
that he, W., was against this and that there is nothing to be done. 

Do you know anything about this? Wroblewski as a true Pole does not 
understand the handling of money, he spends it lavishly when he has it; 
perhaps he has done similar things in relation to Vaillant and others who 
would have been able to help him. What he needs is a little regular pension, 
paid out once a month in small amounts. But in my view it is a matter of the 
honour of French socialism which cannot claim credit for the Commune of 
1871 if they allow the last general of the Commune to die of hunger. What 
do you and the others—Guesde, the National 

by 

* Gean Casimir-Périer - ° Happy New Year! -° See this volume, pp. 453-5 

Council—think? Is there no way of making these former Communeux feel 
some shame? **! 

Kiss Laura for me. 

Ever yours, 
F.E. 

Monday [14 January 1895]*: received Le Temps and copies of Petite 
République. Thanks. First Gérault-Richard and now Rouanet, that’s nice! “*” 
What luck if this leads to a crisis, to a dissolution and a more and more 
revolutionary situation in your country and in Germany! 

Monday: Aveling told us yesterday that the Labour Leader is on its last 
legs, the chief backer (said to be Passnevre Edwards, a rich Liberal Unionist) 
will not put up any more money. 

Louise asks me to thank you for the charming card of congratulation 
which you and Laura sent her.