London, 9 December 1871 
122 Regent’s Park Road, N.W. 

My dear Lafargue, 

Herewith a line or two on matters in Spain. There must have 
been internal struggles within the Spanish International, struggles 
that were finally decided in our favour. That, in my view, explains 
their continued silence and the resolution finally. taken to break it. 
I had written to Mora on the 25th,” on the 28th Mesa wrote to 
you** and on the 29th Mora wrote me a letter saying they knew 
nothing about the calumnies and intrigues against the General 
Council I had mentioned to him, etc. However, the first of the two 
issues of La Federacién that subsequently reached us carried the 
resolutions passed at the Conference,’ and the second an article on 
resolution No. IX reprinted from the Emancipacion, and with this 
we have every reason to be satisfied.** Mesa’s letter is even more 
explicit. In Spain, then, we have won our case. I replied to Mora 
immediately and trust that everything will go well from now on. 

Come to that, the others had done their work well and, as usual, 

a K. Marx and F. Engels, ‘Resolutions of the Conference of Delegates of the 
International Working Men’s Association Assembled at London from 17th to 23rd 
September 1871’. 

had had recourse to some pretty vile methods. La Révolution 
sociale of 23 November published an article which had appeared 
in the Barcelona Federacién of 19 November to the effect that the 
emissary of the Swiss dissidents, etc., had arrived down there and 
that the Barcelona sections, having satisfied themselves of the 
revolutionary character of the dissidents’ principles, etc., had 
accepted the offer of alliance made by these people. We have 
looked through the relevant issue of La Federacién but cannot find 
the article. The issue of 3 December provides the explanation: it 
says that the article did not reflect the opinion of the sections or 
even of one section, but only that of one solitary editor of the paper, 
who had slipped it in behind the backs of the editorial committee! 

The victory won in Spain has much reduced the field of conflict. 
There remain only the French branch, which is not recognised 
here (15 members),** the Geneva branch, the Jurassians, who are 
avowed adversaries, and the Italians, whose attitude is doubtful. 
But I have been working hard at Italy and we have now begun to 
shift the battleground; from private intrigue and correspondence 
we are moving into the public arena. Mazzini has given us an 
excellent opportunity, for in an article in his paper he has made 
the International responsible for Bakunin’s words and deeds. So 
here was a chance to attack Mazzini and disavow Bakunin at one 
and the same time. I did so forthwith and sent the.article to all 
our Italian journals.*** Some at least will publish it, but others are, 
I fear, too much hand-in-glove with Bakunin to do so. But with 
this article I have advised all of them of the adherence of the 
Spaniards to the Conference and of the progress of the 
International in Spain reported by Mesa. That will have an effect; 
they will see that the others have been telling them nothing but 
lies about Spain. In fact their policy was to win Spain over by 
telling her that Italy was unanimously on their side and vice versa. 
We may still have a few unpleasantnesses in Italy, but the decision 
of the Spaniards to come over to our side will decide the 
matter— UPON THE WHOLE—all along the line. As to the cANTANKEROUS 
Jurassians, we shall go for them in the very near future.*” 

I shall be much relieved when all this business has been settled 
once and for all. You wouldn’t believe how much work, 
correspondence, etc., all this has caused us. For weeks past Moor, 
Serraillier and I have been unable to turn to anything else. And I, 
poor devil, have had to write long letters, one after the other, in 
Italian and Spanish, two languages I scarcely know! 

In France we are doing famously. Twenty-six journals have 
offered to publish our documents. 

It is devilish cold here and you should be glad to be spending 
the winter in a warm climate. Otherwise we are keeping well, 
likewise the Marx family. Compared with their condition last 
winter, Moor’s health, as also Jenny’s,” has greatly improved. Moor 
is no longer coughing so much; he has had a small abscess below 
the shoulder but the carbunculosis has cleared up and not 
returned. His liver will never revert to a normal condition at his 
age, but is working a good deal better than before, and Moor, and 
this is the main thing, is leading a more sensible existence. Jenny, 
after the repeated attacks of pleurisy she has been through, will 
probably suffer permanently from mild emphysema, but she is 
beginning to understand that she must cosset herself a little and 
not try to harden herself, in good time, as she used to say, to the 
cold and the bad weather. She is singing again and her voice is 
stronger and clearer than ever before. 

I learned with great pleasure of the recovery of little Schnaps.° 
Give him a kiss from me—likewise one for your wife.‘ 

Yours ever, 

F. E. 
General