London, 5 August 1872 

My dear old Friend, 

The fact that the Congress is to be held in The Hague*” is due, 
above all, to your unfortunate split* on the question of revising 
the constitution.”° We could not foresee where that would lead 
and had no time to waste. However, there are also the following 
considerations to be borne in mind: 

1. We have not overestimated the strength of the Jurassians. On 
their own count, and this is confirmed by their membership dues, 
they number 294, including Section Longemalle with 62, and also 
74 newly joined graveurs and guillocheurs.” But we know their 
tactics. Of the 62 Longemallers every one would have managed to 
obtain an illicit mandate by some means or other; then there are 
the people from the Jura itself, say a dozen, and then some 20 
Italians and 6 Spaniards—which makes more than enough. In 
these circumstances some of the Belgians would have gone over to 
their side. 

2. As for the forged mandates, they would have around 30-40 
from America (from the Woodhull people), around a dozen from 
here (from the sections forming the Universat Frperauist Councit 4!” 
which have never been affiliated to the International), around 
50-60 from the German Schweitzerians who joined the Federalist 
Council directly, and if they play their cards well, they would also 
receive a fair number from Spain. I shall deal with Italy in a 
moment. So there was every chance that when the mandates are 
scrutinised—and this time everything depends on that—the 
societies which wish to force their way into the International 
without ever having belonged to it would have been able to gain 
entry with a majority, particularly when you remember how 
tolerant the workers usually are in such matters and how things 
worked out at all previous Congresses. Moreover, it should not be 
forgotten that there will be enough sections on our. side, too, 
whose dues are not in order and which will have to take an 
indulgent line in voting so as to ensure that they too may be 

a See this volume, pp. 395-96. - > engravers and etchers 

treated indulgently. And if that were to happen we would have 
had no choice but to take our hats and leave the Internatio- 
nal. 

3. You underestimate the power of the Alliance’ in Italy. In 
the whole of Italy we have only one section, Turin, of whose 
quality we are certain; and perhaps Ferrara. Milan has been, since 
Cuno’s departure, completely in the hands of the Bakuninists, 
Naples always was and the Fascio Operaio in Emilia, the Romagna 
and Tuscany ** is wholly under Bakunin’s influence. These people 
constitute an International of their own, they have never applied 
for membership, have never paid dues, but they act as if they 
belonged to the International. Directed by members of the secret 
Alliance, they are very numerous and at a rate of 1 delegate for 
50 members they could easily elect 40 delegates, 15-20 of whom 
would be sent from there and the rest would come from 
Longemalle, provided with blank mandates. 

4. The Belgians will not swamp The Hague, they are reluctant 
to pay. Moreover, the last Congress in Brussels has proved 
that when matters come to a head, they are not so bad at all. They 
have resolved that only sections that have been properly recog- 
nised can be represented in The Hague, and that is the main 
thing. 

5. Finally, you should have read Schwitzguébel’s hypocritical 
letter* complaining that the Congress is not to be held in 
Switzerland and already giving a gentle hint of a future protest.> 
If nothing else had shown me that we were pursuing the right 
tactics, this would. 

At all events, pack your things and come, you will see that all 
will be well. But only if we, too, turn out in force. The others” are 
fanatics, they have a number of wealthy bourgeois on a string who 
are willing to pay, and they have no expenses themselves the 
whole year through. If our friends were half as active as they, 
matters would never have deteriorated to such a point. From 
America Sorge and Dereure are coming, the others (the Woodhul- 
lers) are sending 3, including a petticoat. All of us will come, 
of course. See to it that the Swiss spare no expense this time and 
that they are properly represented. Especially the Swiss Ger- 
mans. 

Incidentally, we shall be launching a bombshell tomorrow 
evening which will cause no small panic among the Bakuninists. It 

a A. Schwitzguébel, ‘Au Conseil général de l'Internationale 4 Londres’, Bulletin 
de la Fédération jurassienne, No. 13, 27 July 1872, Supplement. - > the Bakuninists 

is a public statement about the continued existence of the Alliance 
de la démocratie socialiste as a secret society.’ We have at long last 
received the necessary material and the proof of this from 
Spain and are launching an attack without delay on the Spanish 
Federal Council, which has 5 members of the Alliance on it.* The 
Emancipacién in Madrid opened fire last Saturday week? and 
there should be quite a battle. Of course, you will receive a copy 
for the Egalité without delay. Those swine imagined that with 
their secret organisation they could direct the entire International 
from Locarno. But this revelation will break their necks, and if 
Switzerland and Germany exert themselves just a little bit so that 
the Alliance people do not get a majority after all through the 
negligence of our friends, then the whole bubble will burst and we 
shall have peace and quiet at last. 

I shall pass on your instructions to Frankel and Lessner 
tomorrow. 

Vaillant is jogging along here as always, he is busy with 
chemistry and Rule-revision,””” something in which he takes a 
great interest. 

Regards from Marx. 

Your 
F. Engels