Manchester, 9 February 1865 

Dear Moor, 

Manuscript enclosed, now swollen to the dimensions of a 
full-sized pamphlet* and no doubt now quite unsuitable for the 
little paper.” So far, it has only been very cursorily revised and will 
have to be gone through again. Regarding the military question, 
some statistics about the population fit for military service have yet 
to be inserted, and some more about the petty bourgeoisie at the 
end, which I quite forgot in the ‘heat of battle’. You will notice, by 
the way, that the piece has been thrown together straight out of 
my head, without any kind of literary sources, since it had to be 
finished quickly. I now await your comments on it. 

But where next with it? To Liebknecht or to Siebel, to find a 
publisher? What do you think? Best outside Prussia, probably, or 
do you think there is nothing in it that might lead to confiscation? 
I have lost all my instinct for the publishing situation in Prussia. 
Let me know your opinion on this point, too—the possibility of 
publication in Prussia. 

Another S. D. (Sow’s Dirt)‘ has just arrived. What a lot of feeble 
whining about the position of the party. No cut or thrust at all. 
For ever keeping the little back-door open for Bismarck. Peaceful 
collaboration! And then Moses,‘ who has come round to the point 
of view that the bourgeoisie and the government in France are 
vying with each other to do the right thing by the workers. France 
these days is a real paradise for Moses. It is a bit too much even 
for Schweitzer to stomach, he has put a ? after it. 

Should I leave that section in IIT in, about the present workers’ 
movement? 

It seems to me that Roon’s speech really does imply compro- 
mise. The man is prepared to negotiate.'”’ For that reason, the piece 

4 The Prussian Military Question and the German Workers’ Party- > Der Social- 
Demokrat - « Engels is referring to Der Social-Demokrat, No. 19, 8 February 1865, 
containing Schweitzer’s article ‘Die deutsche Social-Demokratie’ and Hess’ article 
‘Paris, 4. Febr. [Neue Gesetzvorschlage betr. Cooperativ-Associationen. Die 
internationale Arbeiter-Association. Unterrichtsfrage]’. - 4 Moses Hess