| Author(s) | Friedrich Engels |
|---|---|
| Written | 4 March 1891 |
Dear Sorge,
Your letter of 19 February received. In the meantime you will doubtless have heard various things about the great indignation of the Social-Democratic parliamentary group at the publication in the Neue Zeit of Marx's article on the programme.[1] The matter is still taking its course. For the present I shall let the chaps make fools of themselves, an end towards which Liebknecht has materially contributed in the Vorwärts.[2] Obviously I shall reply in due course though without needless acrimony; without some gentle irony, however, I hardly think it can be done. All those who count for anything in the field of theory are, of course, on my side — I must except only Bebel who was, in fact, not altogether unjustified in feeling offended by my action — but that was inevitable. Owing to an excess of work I have not been able to look at the Volkszeitung[3] for the last 4 weeks, so I don't know whether any answering sparks have been struck in America — after all you have plenty of Lassalleian left-overs where you are, and in Europe these people are beside themselves with rage.
I now have three pamphlets to finish. The re-issue of 1. The Civil War in France — the General Council's address with regard to the Commune. I am arranging for this to be reprinted in a revised version;[4] together with the 2 addresses of the General Council on the Franco-Prussian War which are more topical today than ever before. Also an introduction by me. — 2. Wage Labour and Capital[5] by Marx which I must bring up to the standard of Capital, for otherwise it will cause confusion in working-class circles — on account of the then still imperfect terminology (e. g. sale of labour instead of labour power, etc.) for which reason an introduction is also needed. — 3. My Entwicklung des Sozialismus[6] this will be popularised if possible, but no more.
The party is publishing them, each in an edition of 10,000. This will ensure I get a bit of peace in that quarter. But I had to take the thing on because it was essential to counter the never-ending flow of rubbishy Lassalleian reprints. Luckily a new edition of Lassalle with notes, etc. is to appear under Bernstein's aegis[7] (this between ourselves).
In order that the person I recommended[8] should not lie fallow, I enclose herewith a CHEQUE for £ 10 out of which you can make him payments as you think fit, either with a view to his removal to one of the larger cities in the interior, which may be the best thing if he is to get on, or to enable him to keep his head above water where he is.
Hyndman is again inveighing against me;[9] it happens every 6 months, but he can talk till he's blue in the face and shout from every rooftop in London without eliciting a reply from me. He has also resumed his attacks upon Aveling and is again bringing up the American business. Now that Rosenberg has been chucked out,[10] do you think it might be possible to get a satisfactory statement from the party over there? All I want is your opinion; I'm not authorised to request that any sort of steps be taken.
The French are furious because the Germans and English will be celebrating on Sunday the 3rd instead of Friday the 1st of May. But there was no alternative. Last year the 1st of May celebrations in Hamburg involved the party in a strike (or rather lockout) which cost the chaps in Hamburg 100,000 marks — and now that trade is more wretched than ever, the bourgeois are longing for a pretext to shut down. And over here the Dockers are gradually being brought to heel, nor dare they grumble, for otherwise their TRADES UNION would be completely disrupted — admittedly a partial consequence of their own blunders —, and only by dint of the utmost caution will the Gasworkers be capable of saving themselves from a strike which would disrupt them too.[11] At the outset the transformation of gas works into municipal undertakings will still mean an attempt by your philistine to extract as much profit as possible so as to bring down the rates in his municipality; the point of view that the municipality should insist on the gasworkers' being well paid, precisely because they are workers, has yet to penetrate. The disruption of the GASWORKERS and DOCKERS, however, would bring with it the complete disruption of the new TRADES UNIONS which were introduced over here 2 years ago and the old conservative TRADES UNIONS, the ones that are rich and for that very reason cowardly, would then have the field to themselves.
The French are not wholly in the wrong. At the congress everyone enthusiastically supported the 1st of May.[12] But why should the French of all people, whose mighty words have so often been followed by insignificant deeds, now insist all of a sudden that no one else may pitch things a bit too high from time to time. The point is that, so far as we are concerned, the situation in France is remarkably favourable, especially now, as a result of the collapse of the Possibilists[13] and if, on this occasion, the 1st of May were to be celebrated successfully and simultaneously throughout the world it might well destroy the Possibilists completely. But that will happen either way.
So until my next. — My kind regards to your wife.[14] I hope she is now quite better.
Your
F. E.
Louise Kautsky sends you both her best wishes.