IN HOBOKEN“! 

London, 30 April 1890 

Dear Sorge 

If, next Sunday, a gigantic demonstration for the eight hour day takes 
place here in London, this will be thanks only to Tussy and Aveling. 
Tussy represents her Silvertown working women on the council of the 
Gasworkers’ and General Labourers’ Union and enjoys so much popu- 
larity on that Council that no one calls her anything but our mother. The 
gas workers—the best of the new Unions—were greatly in favour of the 
8 hours demonstration for, besides having fought for and secured an 8 
hour day for themselves, they had also learnt how insecure in practice is 
such an achievement, liable as it is to being reversed by the capitalists 

Katharina Sorge — * How awful! 

at the first opportunity; for the gas workers as for the Miners, the main 
thing is that it should be legally established. 

Thus it was the gasworkers and the Bloomsbury Socialist Society’ 
(the best section, which seceded from the Socialist League 2 years ago 
and of which Lessner, Tussy and Aveling are members) who initiated the 
thing, and obtained a strong following among the smaller Trades Unions 
and the Radical Clubs,”? which are increasingly splitting up into social- 
ist working men’s clubs and middle-class Gladstonian clubs. In all 
sincerity, they approached the London Trades Council>*’ and suggested 
they take part in the proposed demonstration in Hyde Park. That body 
(next year it, too, will be in our hands), consisting mainly of representa- 
tives of the old skilled Trades Unions, realised that there was no avoid- 
ing the thing and attempted to gain control of it by a coup de main. 

In collusion with the Social Democratic Federation? (Hyndman), 
they applied to the Commissioner of Works and reserved Hyde Park for 
the 4th of May, something the others had as yet failed to do. For when- 
ever a large meeting is to be held in the park, prior notice must be given 
to the Commissioner of Works, who then stipulates how many plat- 
forms may be erected, etc. Since the regulations also prohibit the hold- 
ing of any other meeting at the same time on the same day, these gentle- 
men imagined they now had the upper hand and, having monopolised 
the park, would be able to order the original committee about.*#? They 
had applied for 7 platforms, intending to allow the Social Democratic 
Federation to have two of them—thus, or so they thought, preserving a 
semblance of impartiality towards the socialists while at the same time 
gaining a socialist ally. 

Hence they decided that only Trades Societies, not political associa- 
tions (thus excluding the clubs), were to parade with banners and 
provide speakers. They edited the resolution, omitting all mention of the 
legal 8 hours day and referring only to the 8 hours to be striven for by 
means of Trades Union action. Not till they had arranged the procession, 
the routes to be taken, etc., did they call a meeting of delegates—of 
Trades Societies only. When this took place, 1. Tussy was not admitted 
on the grounds that she was not herself employed in the calling she 
represented! (and yet Mr Shipton, the secretary of the Trades Council, 
hasn’t done a hand’s turn in his trade for 15 or 16 years!!) 2. An amend- 
ment calling for the re-introduction of the legal 8 hours day into the 
resolution was not allowed to be put to the vote or debated—this matter 
having already been settled! 3. The delegates were given plainly to 
understand that the Trades Council was the man in possession, that the 

642 

Park was his for the 4th of May, and if they did not like it they could 
leave it alone. 

Much wrath and consternation among the delegates of the original 
committee. The following day the tables were turned, however. Aveling 
went to the commissioner of Works and told him that, unless the origi- 
nal committee were simultaneously awarded a sufficient number of plat- 
forms, there would be a set-to; luckily the Tories are in power (the 
Liberals would have prevaricated and conceded nothing) and cannot 
afford to make any more enemies amongst the workers—Aveling was 
awarded seven platforms, and now it was the turn of the gentlemen on 
the Trades Council to eat humble pie, for a clash at this juncture would 
really have shown how weak they were. 

Our committee then buckled to, settling the details of its plans and of 
the routes to be taken by the procession—these it published forthwith— 
and thus was first to be ready. Yesterday Aveling and Shipton met and so 
arranged matters as to preclude all possibility of a clash, which means 
that Sunday’s meeting will be one of the biggest there has ever been. 

You may get this published in the Volkszeitung and also in the 
Workmen’s Advocate; I should be only too pleased if it were to come 
back to the gentlemen in English from America. 

I am now sending you a few Stars, which will be comprehensible to 
you in the light of the above (NB each article as a rule contains news 
emanating both from our side and from the other lot, in addition to that 
obtained by the reporters themselves, all of it lumped together indis- 
criminately). 

Further, the May number of Time. Also a bundle of Combats 
(belongs to us, Guesde editor-in-chief) and with them the Vienna 
Arbeiter-Zeitung. The object of the threats of expulsion in Bebel’s arti- 
cle is Schippel—one of the chief intriguers and a great adept in sharp 
practice, whom Liebknecht discovered several years ago and introduced 
into the party but now mortally detests. Luckily Schippel is a coward, 
like Hyndman. 

This is our first major victory in London and it shows that we now 
have the masses behind us in this country too. Four strong branches of 
the Social Democratic Federation, which is to have two platforms of its 
own, will be marching with us and are represented on our committee. 
The same applies to many of the skilled trades—the old, traditional lead- 
ers side with Shipton and the Trades Council—the majority with us. The 
whole of the East End is on our side. The masses over here, though not 
yet socialist, are well on the way there and have already got to the stage 

of wanting to have only socialist leaders. The Trades Council is the only 
labour organisation of note to be still anti-socialist but already includes 
a socialist minority and, the moment the gas workers—who so far have 
been kept at arm’s length by all manner of little ruses—get into it, things 
will begin to move fast. I feel convinced that, after the 4th of May, the 
movement here will take on an altogether different character, and then 
you will hear more about Tussy’s public activities. We have shown the 
intriguers of the Trades Council and the Social Democratic Federation 
that we are a match for their wiles and ruses and, much though the chaps 
hate us, they cannot deny the facts. The English proletariat would now 
at long last appear to be entering the movement en masse and, should 
this be the case, all the petty intrigues, swindlers and would-be bigwigs 
will, by this time next year, either have been relegated to the modest 
position that is their due or else swept away. 

Another edition of the Manifesto? is now printing; we want to 
bombard Germany with another 5,000 copies before the demise of the 
Anti-Socialist Law.>? 

A superb spring day. In a week’s time the gilliflowers, white and pink 
may, laburnum and apple blossom will be out—the cherry trees have 
already been in flower for 5 days. 

I trust you and your wife will keep well—cordial regards to you 

both. 

Your 
EE. 

Did you know that the Labour Elector had gone bust? It sold 23,000 
copies during the dockers’ strike,**° but was spoilt by Tory money.>