AT LE PERREUX 

London, 30 April 1889 
My dear Lafargue, 

Pére Duchéne, I see, is in a filthy temper this morning, describing 
everyone as ne’er-do-wells even when they have not done anything at 
all. The worthy fellow would do well to look about him and ask 
himself what name would be most fitting for those who allowed three 
Egalités and one Socialiste*™ to die, thus putting paid to your Party’s 

‘Fritz Kautsky — > The cemetery where Marx, his wife and their daughter Jenny 
are buried 

international existence, for a Party which can neither communicate 
with the others nor make its presence felt ceases in their eyes to exist. 

But enough of that. Can you really not see that what the Belgians 
have done has restored your freedom of action? That now, since you 
are so intent on it, you can convene your congress for whatever date you 
choose, 1 July, 14 July or 1 August? That it’s by no means too late to do 
something about it now, provided you act at once and provided, as seems 
to be the case, you have at your back a Party prepared to foot part of the 
bill? 

I have written and told Bebel that I shall no longer feel able to advise 
you not to act and that, since mistakes have been made on all sides, you 
were right to complain.* That was yesterday; today he writes*” to say 
that the Dutch intend to follow the example of the Belgians and send 
delegates to each of the two congresses; that the Germans will not go to 
the Possibilist congress, despite the votes of Auer and Schippel, who 
expressed a contrary opinion (Bonnier replied to both)**; that he, Bebel, 
is in favour of sending a delegation to your congress, which he suggests 
should be held in August; but that, in order to pass a definitive resolu- 
tion, the deputies would have to meet,*? which cannot be done until the 
next session of the Reichstag on 7 May. 

Now, having already waited long enough, you cannot wait until 7 
May for an uncertain result. I shall therefore write to Bebel saying that 
you will probably act now, in accordance with your own views, and I 
shall beg him to prevent over-hasty resolutions, should the date you 
select not be altogether agreeable to them. 

There is very good reason for the Germans’ reserve. Within the next 
day or two there is to be a monster trial of 128 Barmen-Elberfeld 
Socialists. In the bill of indictment now being drawn up, the public pros- 
ecutor has made it known that, after sentence has been passed on the 128 
and the Reichstag has adjourned, he intends to accuse all the Party 
deputies of constituting the central committee of Germany’s vast 
Socialist secret society.*!° It’s the most sinister ploy they have ever 
concocted against us. Included in the evidence is the convocation of the 
Wyden*"! and St. Gallen congresses. We knew all about this five or six 
weeks ago and it was fear of providing additional material for the indict- 
ment which inhibited Bebel from doing anything. 

As for the attitude of the Dutch, it seems a bit dubious to me, consid- 
ering the way Nieuwenhuis behaved at The Hague.*!” 

Bernstein believes that, if the two congresses meet at the same time, 
this would suffice to create a climate of opinion, especially among the 

foreign delegates, that would be strongly in favour of a merger. You will 
be able to judge whether or not this view holds water; in any case, 
supposing the above should happen, your congress might very well join 
the other, on the invitation of the whole congress and after verification of 
credentials by each congress individually. If you freely assent to voting 
by nationality, the sovereignty of the congress will be saved. 

Bernstein also tells me that, as regards propaganda in Germany in 
support of your congress, the Sozialdemokrat will do its utmost, despite 
the right honourable deputies; he says: ‘They have asked me so often to 
pursue an independent policy that would enable them to disown the 
Sozialdemokrat, supposedly their organ, that I shall oblige them for 
once. This might, of course, lead the deputies to issue a categorical order, 
but we haven’t nearly got to that stage yet.’ 

So my advice is that you assemble your committee,*? convene the 
congress, settle on the date you think best in the circumstances, and 
write a convocation circular, which Laura will translate into English and 
I shall gladly translate into German. All this will take until next week 
and if, in the meantime, further news arrives involving, perhaps, some 
minor alteration, there will still be time enough. Your circular should be 
printed in French by the end of next week and distributed forthwith. I 
shall send you the addresses you will need. Printing in English and 
German would be done over here. Your congress once convened for a 
definite date, the dispute will again revive and we shall help to keep it 
going. 

In your convocation circular you must stress the sovereignty of the 
congress and the purely provisional character of the rules laid down by 
you. You would also have to suggest some basis for representation, i.e. 
one delegate per local group—subject, of course, to confirmation by the 
congress. This has been kept open by the others in order that they might 
have three or four delegates per Paris group in the event of your being 
represented by one delegate per provincial group. By proposing a cut- 
and-dried basis, you would force the others to lay their cards on the 
table. 

‘To work then! You have a good two months ahead of you and that 
should be ample. And see that your convocation circular is concilia- 
tory—the Possibilists are not sparing of soft soap, so the more thickly 
you apply it, the better things will go. You are perfectly entitled to say 
that, while yet there was hope, you submitted to all the demands made 
by the others, but that it has now become your duty to take the initia- 
tive. But play down the Belgian betrayal as much as you can—so as not 

to give the Possibilists cause for rejoicing. Of one thing, however, we 
may be sure, and that is that, this time, the Belgians have done for them- 
selves. They won’t ever mislead anyone again. 

Yours ever, 
FE.