IN GENEVA‘ 

London, {about 13 January 1866] 
1 Modena Villas, Maitland Park, 
Haverstock Hill, N. W. 

My dear friend Becker, 

If you are vexed with me, you have ‘every right’ and at the 
same time ‘no right’ to be so. (You know from Heinzen that I am 
a ‘sophist’.) Apart from having some 1,200 pages of manuscript? 

a Der Vorbote -» ‘Young France’ -¢ The letter bears the stamp: International 
Working Men’s Association / Central Council / London. - 4 of Capital 

to copy and my publisher? grumbling at me for a long time 
now, and apart from the fearful waste of time which the Central 
Committee, the Sranpinc Committze”! and the Committee of Di- 
rectors of The Workman’s Advocate commit me to in this 
Babylon, I have had the most exceptional aggravations and 
difficulties in my ‘private circumstances’ which obliged me to leave 
London for a while #9 and are still unresolved, etc., etc. 

You will see from the enclosed note, which I received today (or 
rather my wife did), that a parcel, which I sent to you asour 14 
days ago, has been most commendably confiscated by the French 
police. It contained chiefly ‘Manifestoes of the Communist Party’.” 
Also a note from me briefly answering your questions and telling 
you that Bender agreed that I should publish your appeal in 
English in The Workman’s Advocate, ditto a report on activity in 
Switzerland, etc.?” 

The reason why we decided not to publish any official report on 
the conference *“—apart from lack of money and the fact that the 
Rules oblige us to present a general report to the Congress, such 
double emploi* thus to be avoided — was basically that to initiate the 
public in the situation, especially the very ‘fragmentary’ nature of 
the conference, would do us more harm than good and provide 
our opponents with a useful weapon. We knew that two members 
of the Central Committee, Le Lubez and Vésinier, were just 
waiting to seize this opportunity. Events have confirmed this. 
Firstly, Vésinier’s denunciation of the Central Committee and the 
conference in L’Echo de Verviers?” Directly following that, in the 
same paper, came Le Lubez’ declaration of principles and draft of 
statutes *” that he hoped to impose on the Association in the name 
of the French branch he had founded in London as a 
counterweight to ourselves.” This plot has meanwhile been 
frustrated. The branch has deserted its founder. Its two best men, 
Longuet (editor of the Rive gauche) and Crespelle, have joined 
the Central Committee. The latter has resolved that Vésinier must 
either substantiate his slanders or be expelled. 

I cannot send you any articles pro nunc. I have not an hour to 
spare. Engels, however, will do so, as soon as he has seen the first 
number“ and knows where and how. Liebknecht will as well, from 
Leipzig. I will ditto write to Dr Kugelmann in Hanover about it. 
Ditto to Stumpf in Mainz. 

No. 1 of Dupleix’s paper’ is weak. Jung has written to him about 
it. 

@ Otto Meissner - > by K. Marx and F. Engels - © double work - 4 for now - © of Der 
Vorbote -£ Journal de l’Association Internationale des Travailleurs 

Liebknecht is living at 2 Gerichtsweg, Leipzig (address J. Miller’). 

In one way the movement here has progressed well, but badly in 
another respect. The Reform League we founded has held a mass 
meeting for universal suffrage, bigger than I ever saw here in 
London.”*” All the speakers were working men. The Times itself 
was shocked and published 2 leading articles about the ‘ugly’ 
incident.” The obverse side is that this movement is demanding far 
too much of our best working-class forces. 

The Workman’s Advocate is weak. It will improve now that 
Eccarius is editor. But there are enormous difficulties in raising 
the money for it. 

I have received a letter from Berlin, signed by Vogt, Metzner 
and other workers, in which they give a perceptive and critical 
assessment of the present state of the workers’ movement in 
Germany. The only uncritical thing about it is their demand that I 
should come to Berlin and take the matter in hand. Surely they 
must know that the Prussian government has ‘forbidden’ me to 
settle in Prussia.* 

Before I hear from you by what way I can let you have the 
‘Manifestoes’, I am going to send one experimentally via Mainz. 
You may be able to make use of some things in it for your paper. 

The best thing the German sections can do is for the time being 
to register in Geneva and keep in continuous contact with you. As 
soon as some such arrangement is made, let me know, so that at 
last I can announce at least some progress in Germany here?” 

I am sending this letter under cover to Dupleix, on account of 
the ‘French confiscation’. The Empire seems to me to be tottering. 
D’abord* the business with Mexico and the Unrrep Srares.?”° Then 
the mutiny of 3 French regiments.””? Then the student unrest. 
Bonaparte’s losing his head, as manifested in his row with England 
about the renewal of the ‘extradition treaty’? and his banning of 
the lickspittling ‘Indépendance belge’. Finally, the trade crisis, which 
will be greatly hastened by the present English, resp, European, 
overimporting to the Unirep Srarts. 

Best greetings from wife and children. 

Your 
K. Marx