AT LE PERREUX 

London, 19 September 1890 

My dear Lafargue, 

Thank you for your good news.°? If that’s how things are, it would 
be truly idiotic of us not to do everything in our power to attend 
a congress where the very fact of our presence would give us the up- 
' per hand. 

So far as we are concerned, the following conditions are vital: 

1) Convocation of the joint congress by the mandatories, and on 
the strength of the mandates, of the two 1889 congresses.? The Bel- 
gians and the Swiss would either sign one convocation only, or else 
the Belgians and the Swiss would convene on the strength of our man- 
date, and only the Belgians on the strength of the other mandate. 
This ought to be laid down in advance, as also the text of the convo- 
cation. 

2) The absolute sovereignty of the congress, for which no preced- 
ing congress would have force of law.— Nor would it be bound in any 
respect whatever by any committee, whether nominated by one of 
the earlier congresses, or as the result of negotiations over a merger. It 
will establish its own rules and agenda and will alone determine the 
manner in which the verification of credentials is to be carried out. 

3) The manner and the proportions in which the various associa- 
tions are to be represented at the congress to be laid down in advance. 

4) An international committee, appointed as soon as a merger has 
been decided upon, will prepare draft rules and agenda on which the 
congress will pronounce. 

Ad 2): The complete freedom of the congress is vital to ourselves 
because, once in a position to haggle over the agenda, rules, etc., the 
Possibilists and the Belgians would diddle us; our negotiators have al- 
ways been more naive than theirs and the consequence would be an 
unending discussion of which everyone would lose the thread, thus 

making it impossible for us to lay the blame on the Possibilists. To the 
objection that the congress will be wasting valuable time, our rejoin- 
der will be that it behoves us first to create a joint congress which of it- 
self would be of vastly greater significance than any resolutions it 
might pass; that we do not have a mandate to constrain the future 
congress; that, once assembled, the congress may do away with re- 
strictions previously imposed upon it, etc. And, eventually providing 
the conditions laid down are satisfactory, we might after all make 
some concessions to the Belgians on that score. 

Now, if you Frenchmen would amend, complete and fill out the de- 
tails of the above draft, you would be doing a worthwhile job. 

This was the gist of my letter to Bonnier,’ though I can assure you 
that I never try to settle anything with him. My chief aim in writing 
to him was to make the idea of a merger acceptable to you all; now 
I have had your letter the whole discussion has become otiose. 

I therefore wrote at once to Bebel, suggesting that the question be 
discussed at an informal international gathering at Halle.*? If, to- 
gether with the official representatives of some of the smaller national- 
ities, we should then succeed in laying the foundations of a merger, it 
might be possible to approach the Belgians about it.?* In fact, I 
asked Bebel to arrange, if possible, for a Belgian — preferably from 
Ghent—to be present. 

Meanwhile I await your news on the opinion of Guesde, Deville, 
etc., and also the Blanquists. 

The /dée nouvelle has sent me a list of subscriptions what shall 
I do? 

A Monsieur Ch. Caron, 8 rue du Croissant (thus evidently from 
the /dée nouvelle), has sent me a prospectus for the republication of so- 
cialist brochures and asks me for permission to publish my writings as 
well as those of Marx. Judging by these efforts, one might say that the 
French and particularly the Parisians are on the point of performing 
a miracle. But has this gentleman the wherewithal to publish even 
a single brochure? Please let me know, for I must reply within 4-5 
days.” 

Sonnenschein has sent me his account: £5.4—of which 1/5 for 
Laura = £1.-.9, 1/5 for the children, 1/5 for Tussy and 2/5 for the 
translators.* Here is the cheque for Laura. Meissner’s account will 

* F, Engels, ‘The International Workers’ Congress of 1891’.- See next letter. - 
* Longuet’s children - “ Samucl Moore and Edward Aveling 

probably arrive soon, but if the expenses of the 4th edition are al- 
ready included in it, which I do not know, there will be little or noth- 
ing. 

The Boulangist revelations could not be more edifying. Congratu- 
late yourself on having been able to resist when the Boulangists tempt- 
ed you. But what idea does that give you of the political capacity of 
the Parisian public! To have been duped, what am I saying, freneti- 
cally egged on by this simple ne’er-do-well who gives his word as a soldier 
to the royalists provided that they pay him the expenses of his good 
fortunes! Pfui Teufel!” Fortunately the province is there to make 
amends for Parisian foolishness. It’s incredible! *+ 

Hyndman celebrates the immortal Joffrin in Justice, and says that 
it is him and the Possibilists who have crushed Boulanger and saved 
the republic.** He ought to know that the case of the Possibilists is 
too desperate in Paris to come and lie.so impudently. 

Give Laura a kiss from Nim, myself and Schorlemmer who arrived 
the day before yesterday. 

Yours ever, _ 
F.E. 

Will send you the last number of the Soztaldemokrat in a day or 
two. Ede Bernstein is staying here to send reports on England, partic- 
ularly to the Neue Zeit. Fischer is going to Berlin to join the Vorwarts, 
and will get a seat in the Reichstag as soon as occasion arises. 
Tauscher is going to Stuttgart. As for the great Julius Motteler, no 
one yet knows what is to be done with him. He is the party’s greatest 
incubus— in his own eyes an unrecognised genius, in those of every- 
body else ineptitude personified. 

See if you can arrange for Guesde and Vaillant to go to Halle‘; 
Guesde will have to take Bonnier as interpreter.