London, 27 January 1874 

Dear Liebknecht, 

I am glad you give me an occasion to write to you; what with 
the many different things I have had to deal with recently, our 
correspondence would otherwise just come to a halt. Ad rem, then. 

A short while—perhaps a week—before the Geneva Congress,” 
we received a little pamphlet of 16 pages from Geneva. It was 
signed by Perret, Duval and about another 6-8 names,° for the 
most part, like the two referred to, leaders of the Geneva 
International and the noisiest opponents of the Jurassians. The 
pamphlet contained the statement that the Hague Congress was in 
the wrong, that it was necessary to weaken the General Council, 
abrogate its powers of suspension, transfer it back to Europe and 
at the same time debar London for two years (the fools—as if we 
were pining to have it here!), etc., etc. This was followed by a 
letter from Perret. Although it was he above all who instigated and 
conducted the whole row with the Bakuninists, he declared that 
these concessions would have to be made since this would ensure 

a Polish name: Wroctaw. - > after all, that this is a dry fruit. 

that ‘des sections jurassiennes—by which he means the one in 
Münster-Moutier—joined forces with them.—Both Perret and the 
other Genevans had left us in the dark about this new 
development right up to the very last moment; they had failed to 
reply to our enquiries about the situation in Geneva and hence 
omitted to dispel the illusion they themselves had fostered that we 
could rely on unconditional support in Geneva— particularly since 
it was their doing that the London General Council had joined in 
the quarrel with the Bakuninists and become more and more 
deeply embroiled in it. Indeed, Perret had misled us only two 
weeks before, when he wrote telling us that the membership of the 
Comité Romand had been changed and that he had resigned! We, 
since all the information pointed to the fact that the Congress 
would be a purely local event in Geneva, or at most a Swiss 
Congress with negligible participation from abroad, we FINALLY 
decided not to attend.* Subsequent events proved us right, and 
Becker” was able to tell these sudden Genevan converts to 
‘anti-authoritarianism’ that they could pass whatever resolutions 
they liked, but that no one would pay any attention and 
everything would be overturned at the next congress. 

In the meantime, however, the whole intrigue came to light. 
Behind the affair was none other than that adventurer Cluseret, 
who had also inspired their celebrated pamphlet. The fellow 
imagined the moment had arrived for him to place himself at the 
head of the International and have the General Council transfer- 
red to Geneva. This latter notion had flattered the local bigwigs, 
who hoped to convert the International into a local Swiss gossip 
shop in which they could all play first violin. At the same time, 
M. Perret was in constant touch with Jung here, who, in the 
manner he had adopted since The Hague, told him a heap of lies 
about the powerful support they could count on here if they 
reduced the International to an organisation concerned only with 
rendering support to STRIKES, etc. 

The Geneva faiseurs followed his lead, and this resulted in the 
establishment of the Union des Travailleurs, a paper without 
anyone behind it but Cluseret, Perret & Co., together with their 
projected Ligue universelle.” So the whole thing was a new, 
somewhat modified scheme to make the International serve the 
Genevans’ ends. 

But the project was still-born. The paper published reports 

« See present edition, Vol. 44, pp. 523-25. - > Johann Philipp Becker - © mounte- 
banks 

3* 

from Germany, Belgium and France, all of which were written in 
Geneva; only the London reports were by Jung, and those were as 
full of lies as only Jung has learnt how to lie in the last fifteen 
months. When they tried to have their little plans adopted in the 
Geneva sections they failed everywhere without exception. The 
Belgians would have nothing to do with them, and now the Sheffield 
Congress has also given them short shrift, as could have been 
foreseen by anyone who knows anything about English Trades 
Unions.* So that spells the end of their little plan, and M. Perret 
can now resign indeed. 

So you can see how the very same little jackasses who 
deliberately ruined the Geneva Congress became turncoats im- 
mediately after it, and tried out a new swindle, which luckily has 
come to nought. 

The pamphlet.on the Alliance,* incidentally, has achieved its 
aim. The entire dissident press, which was an artificial phenome- 
non, sustained only by the prestige of the International, has now 
collapsed. The Brussels Internationale and probably also Le 
Mirabeau have folded up, not to mention the Liberté. The same 
thing has happened to the plethora of Spanish and Italian papers. 
I cannot say with assurance whether La Federacién and the Bulletin 
Jurassien are still appearing, but I think not. This sectarian press 
will be replaced by a better one sy ann sy, but it will take time and 
that will do no harm. The bad elements will have to wear 
themselves out completely before better ones can come along. 

Over here the whole mass of workers’ leaders in the pay of the 
bourgeoisie, and in particular of Samuel’ Morley, are trying 
their hardest to get the bourgeois to elect them to Parliament as 
Working Men's Candidates. They won’t succeed, though I would 
gladly see the whole crew there and for the same reasons as I 
welcome the election of Hasenclever and Hasselmann and still 
only regret the absence of my Télcke. The Reichstag ruined 
Schweitzer, and it will ruin them too. It is the end of swindling 
and forces one to show one’s colours. 

The elections in Germany* place the German proletariat at the 
head of the European workers’ movement. It is the first time that 
the workers have voted for their own people en masse and have 
put themselves forward as a party in their own right, and 
throughout the whole of Germany at that. It can hardly be 
doubted that measures to restrict the franchise will follow, though 

aK. Marx and F. Engels, The Alliance of Socialist Democracy and the International 
Working Men’s Association. - » In the original: John. 

not for a year or two. How right that feudal socialist R. Meyer? 
was in his contention that the General Association of German 
Workers would become increasingly international—despite its 
bosses—was confirmed by the second ballot in Frankfurt when the 
jackasses finally had to vote for Sonnemann and acted quite 
correctly: first vote for our own man, and then, if it is clear that 
he won’t get in on the second round, vote for the opponent of the 
government, whoever he happens to be. This was a very bitter pill 
for the bosses. But history has its laws, and even the mighty 
Hasenclever cannot prevail against them. 

You have already had news of Marx. He is better, but still needs 
to take care not to overwork. This morning we went out walking on 
Hampstead Heath, something he ought to do every day; however, 
it shows you that there is no question of his having to remain 
indoors, etc. 

I assume that the Reichstag will just let you serve out your 
sentence, so it would be very good if Jacoby were to be elected.° 

I intended writing something about Germany for the Volksstaat, 
but have been so involved in economic and statistical material that 
it threatens to become a small, or even a full-size, book.!° 

Best wishes to Bebel. 

Your 
F. E.