{London,] 15 January 1866? 

Dear Frep, 

Laura quite forgot to send you the Tribunes which I had put 
out ready a week ago. She is today making amends for her 
negligence. Ditto a Workman’s Advocate. 

I am enclosing with this letter: 

1. Communication from the publisher in Vienna.“ (You musi 
send this back.) *?*! 

2. Dr Kugelmann. 

3. Meyer from Berlin. (I have only written back to these pe- 
ople today. Time is so very short.) *% 

In the meantime, we have crushed the wretched plot hatched by 
Vésinier in Belgium’ and by Le Lubez in London. The editor of 
the Rive gauche and friend of Rogeard, Longuet, also Mr 
Crespelle—the two most intelligent members of the branch 
founded by Le Lubez?’”’—have joined our Central Committee. His 
branch has declared itself against him, for us. The Central 
ComMitreeE HAS SUMMONED VESINIER “To SUBSTANTIATE HIS ACCUSATIONS OR TO BE 
expelled. The fellow reproaches us in the Echo de Verviers among 
other things for: 

‘IY (le comité) ‘a été chargé d’un des plus grands intéréts de ’humanité et il 
abandonne de gaieté de coeur le but sublime pour dégénérer en comité des 
nationalités a la remorque du bonapartisme. © 

And this degeneration was in fact made manifest in us by our 
statement in favour of Poland, against Russia.?** 

‘Cédant 4 des influences facheuses’! (the idiot imagines the Polish § of the 
programme originated from the PARIS DELEGATES, whereas the latter sought in 
every possible way to get rid of it as ‘inopportune’), ‘il a inscrit dans le programme 
du Congrés de Genéve des questions en dehors du but de l'association et contraires 
au droit, a la justice, a la liberté, a la fraternité, 4 la solidarité des peuples et des 

a The original has: 1865. -> La Tribune du Peuple containing a series of articles by 
H. Denis, entitled ‘La question polonaise et la démocratie’. - © Arnold Hilberg 
- 4 Sigfrid Meyer - ¢ ‘They’ (the Committee) ‘were charged with one of mankind's 
greatest concerns but are frivolously abandoning their lofty goal in order to 
degenerate into a committee of nationalities in tow to Bonapartism.’ - § ‘Succumbing to 
pernicious influences’ 

races, telles que celles: “D’anéantir l’influence russe en Europe etc.”, et cela juste 
au moment ou les serfs russes et polonais viennent d’étre émancipés par la Russie, 
tandis que les nobles et les prétres polonais ont toujours refusé d’accorder la liberté 
aux leurs. On conviendra au moins que Ie moment est mal choisi. Avant 
d’approuver ces articles, les membres anglais du comité auraient bien dd se 
demander s'il ne serait pas aussi urgent de mettre un terme aux progrés effrayants 
du paupérisme anglais, de la prostitution des ouvriéres, et de la misére des ouvriers 
de la Grande Bretagne, de la famine et du dépeuplement de I’Irlande etc.! Quant 
au membre allemand du comité, qu’il nous dise aussi si ’influence de la politique 
de M. de Bismarck n’aurait pas aussi besoin d’étre anéantie en Europe; la Prusse et 
lAutriche ne sont-elles pas copartageantes de la Pologne et solidaires du crime de 
la Russie contre cette nation malheureuse? Et quant aux prétendus délégués de 
Paris, sont-ils bien venus de flétrir influence russe, alors que les soldats de 
Bonaparte occupent Rome qu’ils ont bombardée, massacrant les défenseurs de la 
république mexicaine aprés avoir détruit la république francaise? Que l'on compare 
les fautes et les crimes commis par les gouvernements, et ]’on sera convaincu qu'il 
ne faut mettre aucun peuple au ban de lhumanité pour les forfaits de ses 
oppresseurs, que le devoir du comité central était de proclamer Ja solidarité, la 
fraternité entre tous les peuples, et non d’en mettre un seul d’entre eux au ban de 
l'Europe. ? 

He then appended this lie: 

‘Cette faute énorme a déja eu de fatales conséquences: Jes Polonais ont 
demandé en masse a faire partie du Comité, et sous peu ils seront en immense 
majorité.’> (CAPTAIN Bobczyniski is the only one who is on it— Holtorp doesn’t count 

a ‘they included in the programme for the Geneva Congress questions not 
concerning the goal of the Association and contrary to law, justice, liberty, 
fraternity and the solidarity of peoples and races, such as: “the elimination of 
Russian influence in Europe etc.”; and this they did at the very moment when the 
Russian and Polish serfs had just been emancipated by Russia, whereas the Polish 
nobility and priests have always refused to grant freedom to their own. It will at 
least be agreed that the moment was ill-chosen. Before approving these articles, the 
English members of the committee should have really asked themselves if it was not 
a matter of equal urgency to put an end to the frightening increase in English 
pauperism, in the prostitution of working women and the misery of working men 
in Great Britain, in famine and depopulation in Ireland, etc.! As for the German 
members of the committee, let them also tell us whether the influence of Mr 
Bismarck’s policy in Europe does not equally merit elimination; do not Prussia and 
Austria have an equal share in the partitioning of Poland, are they not equally 
responsible for Russia’s crime against that unfortunate nation? As for the self-styled 
delegates from Paris, does it come well from them to condemn the influence of Russia, 
when Bonaparte’s soldiers are occupying Rome, which they have bombarded, are 
massacring the defenders of the Mexican republic, having already destroyed the 
French republic? If one compares the misdeeds and crimes committed by 
governments, one is persuaded that no people should be put beyond the pale of 
humanity for the infamies of its oppressors, and that it was the duty of the Central 
Committee to proclaim solidarity and fraternity among all peoples, and not to put one of 
them alone beyond the pale of Europe” -» ‘This enormous error has already had dire 
consequences: the Poles have asked to join the Committee en masse and before long 
they will represent the overwhelming majority.’ 

and is himself conspiring with Le Lubez.) ‘Déja ils ne se font pas faute de dire 
qu’ils se serviront de l’Association pour aider au rétablissement de leur nationalité, 
sans s’occuper de la question de l’émancipation des travailleurs.’ 

The Poles—they had just sent a deputation to see us—burst out 
laughing when these passages were read out. We are commemorat- 
ing their revolution on 23 January.?* 

You will be amused by wiseacre Denis’ concluding prayer to 
Proudhon This sensational writer has done great harm with his 
little bit of learning and with his Lassalle-like trumpeting of 
scholarship, of which he had no conception, with his spurious 
critical superiority over the soctaist sectarians. 

Le Lubez is of no account. Fox rightly calls him ‘Le pére 
enfantin’,” but Vésinier is just the fellow for the Russians. Of little 
merit as a writer, as his Vie du Nouveau César and his other 
pamphlets attacking Bonaparte show. But with talent, great 
RHETORICAL Power, Much energy and above all unscrupulous through 
and through. 

Ut. 
Salut Your 
K. M.