[London,] 3 February 1865 

Dear Frederick, 

Enclosed 

1. Letter from Siebel''? reporting on his meeting with Klings, 
with which I had ‘charged’ him.* My only comment on it is that I 
am not going to interfere in the affair any further. If Klings 
succeeds—without our help—in getting rid of B. Becker and his 
testamentary importance, together with the beastly old girl,’ that 
suits me. There is nothing to be done with the Workers’ 
Association as bequeathed by Baron Izzy.. The sooner it is 
disbanded, the better. 

2. Rheinische Zeitung with leading article,’ probably by Red 
Becker.‘ It amounts to an appeat ad misericordiam from the ‘men 
of Progress’.“? 

My opinion is now that the two of us must issue a statement, and 
that this crisis particularly gives us the opportunity to reoccupy 
our ‘tecrrimaTr’ position. Asour 10 days ago, I wrote to Schweitzer 
that he must stand up to Bismarck and the workers’ party must 
drop even the appearance of flirting with Bismarck, etc.’?! By way 
of thanks, he has ‘all ready’ been philandering with Pissmarck 
more than ever. 

‘Yet again’ Moses Hess is ‘all ready’ denouncing the ‘International 
Association’'”? for the second time in No. 16 of the Social- 
Demokrat, which contains the letter I wrote about Proudhon,' 
bristling with misprints. I wrote a furious letter to Liebknecht 
about it yesterday,’ telling him that this was the very last 
warning; that I do not give a farthing for ‘good will’ when its 
actions are those of ill-will; that I cannot make it clear to the 
members of the ‘Internationa, Commitee’ here that things like that 
occur in bonne foi out of pure stupidity; that while their gutter 
rag continues to eulogise Lassalle, even though they know what 
treachery he had up his sleeve, and while it conducts this 

4 See this volume, pp. 58-59. - > Sophie von Hatzfeldt - ¢ Ferdinand Lassalle - 
4 Hermann Heinrich Becker - € for mercy - £ K. Marx, ‘On Proudhon [Letter to 
J. B. Schweitzer]. - § good faith 

S* 

cowardly flirtation with Bismarck, it has the effrontery to let the 
Plonplonist ** Hess accuse us here of Plonplonism, etc. 

My opinion is now that we should take up Moses’ denunciation 
or insinuation in order d’abord* to issue a brief declaration of war 
against Bonaparte Plon-Plon, at the same time making honourable 
mention of Moses’ friend, the Rabbi Ein-Horn. Then we should 
use this to declare ourselves ditto against Bismarck, as well as 
against the rogues or fools who are dreaming or drivelling about an 
alliance with him for the sake of the working class. Then, of course, 
in conclusion the beastly men of Progress should be told that they 
have, on the one hand, run their cause into the ground by their 
political cowardice and helplessness, and that, on the other hand, 
if they are demanding an alliance with the working class against 
the government—which at the moment is, of course, the only 
correct line—then they would at least have to make the 
concessions to the workers that accord with their own principle of 
‘FREETRADE’ and ‘DEMOCRATISM’, in other words, repeal of all the 
exceptional laws against the workers, which in addition to the 
combination laws quite specifically include the present Prussian 
legislation on the press. They would ditto have to proclaim, at 
least in principle, the restoration of universal suffrage, which was 
abolished by the coup d’état in Prussia.!?* This would be the 
minimum to be expected of them. Maybe something ought to be 
put in about the military question as well. At all events, the thing 
needs to be tied up quickly. And you must get your ‘ideas’ about 
the whole statement down on paper. I will then add mine to it and 
knead it all together, will send the whole thing back to you once 
again anv so forth. The moment seems to me to be favourable for 
this ‘coup d’état’. We cannot miss this moment for our ‘restitutio in 
wntegrum ” out of consideration for Liebknecht or for anyone else. 

AT THE SAME TIME, you must not fail to let the Social-Demokrat have 
your article on the military question‘ so soon As POSSIBLE. 

I would of course write to them— quoad’ statement—that, if 
they do not accept same immediately, same will ‘all ready’ appear 
in other papers. 

If they do accept it, well and good, and it will not even matter if 
it blows them sky high. (Although Bismarck will take care not to 
resort to forcible measures at the present moment.) If they do not 
accept it, we have a decent excuse for getting rid of them.‘ At all 

2 first of all - > restitution to full rights - ¢ F. Engels, The Prussian Military Question 
and the German Workers’ Party. - 4 regarding - ¢ See this volume, pp. 79-80.