London, 4 August 1872 

Dear Cuno, 

The Belgian Federal Council could not have done us a greater 
favour than by ‘taking action against the German section in 
Verviers.™” By doing that it shows how necessary it is to have a 
General Council in order to defend the autonomy of the sections 
against the Federal Councils. The Belgian Federal Council, how- 
ever, cannot exclude the German section from the International, 
but only from the Belgian Federation: 

‘Administrative Regulations Section IV: Federal Councils or Committees, 
Article 4. Any Federation may refuse to admit or may exclude from its midst 
societies or branches. It is, however, not empowered to deprive them of their International 
character.’ * 

Thus as an independent section, the German section in Verviers 
has, under Art. 7 of the General Rules (end of the Article), the 

a See present edition, Vol. 23, p. 12. Engels quotes in French; the italics by 
him. 

right to correspond directly with the General Council. Please draw 
their attention to this fact and urge them to write to us; up to now 
nothing has arrived here. 

Has Schlehbach in Verviers received my letter* and why does he 
not reply? 

I am sending you an issue of the Emancipacién and a circular in 
Spanish by Lafargue (Marx’s son-in-law)” and would like you to 
study it carefully. You will see from it what was at stake for 
Bakunin: a secret society within the International to gain control 
of the latter. Fortunately, the plan has now come to light and just 
in time. This business will break Bakunin’s neck. The General 
Council will issue an Address devoted to it on Tuesday, also 
indicting the Spanish Federal Council, which has 5 members of 
the Alliance sitting on it.” 

In all haste—I have to edit this Address and have a terrible 
amount of other work for the International in preparation for the 
Congress.*”° 

Yours, 
F. E. 

Tell Herman that I have looked around for work for him, but 
have not come up with anything yet. There is no point in going 
to Jackson & Sons after my last experiences there in February. 
Tell Herman to write to his friend Prigneaux here: he is the right 
man.