Letter to Friedrich Engels, June 26, 1860

Author(s) Karl Marx
Written 26 June 1860


First published abridged in Der Briefwechsel zwischen F. Engels und K. Marx, Bd. 2, Stuttgart, 1913 and in full in: Marx and Engels, Works, First Russian Edition, Vol. XXII, Moscow, 1929
Published in English for the first time in Marx-Engels Collected Works, Volume 40


MARX TO ENGELS

IN MANCHESTER

[London,] 26 June 1860

Dear Frederick,

I didn't read about Izzy's adventure.[1]

You will see from the enclosed letter from Weber how rottenly the Prussian scoundrels are behaving.[2] It now seems that there is nothing to be expected from the High Court, either.

What splendid jurisprudence! First, I'm forbidden my 'libel action' because it is not in the interests of the Prussian government. And then the 'action for injuria' is not allowed to proceed in public because there is no 'indictable offence' to hand. This is tantamount to 'pleading' on behalf of the National- Zeitung.

How liberal, by contrast, Bavaria turned out to be with regard to Vogt.[3] That's 'Prussian progress' for you.

Get Heckscher to publish another short notice in the Reform. The way the Prussians handled the case must at least be brought to the attention of the public.

From the evidence I sent Weber and which Weber included in his indictment it was apparent to the scoundrelly gang that the National-Zeitung would inevitably have been convicted had the case been allowed to 'come up'. Hence all this dirty chicanery.

Salut.

Your

K. M.

  1. ↑ See this volume, p. 164.
  2. ↑ This refers to the letter of Legal Counsellor Weber of 22 June 1860 informing Marx of the rejection by the Berlin Royal Municipal Court, on 8 June 1860, of his libel suit against the National-Zeitung (see Marx's Herr Vogt, present edition, Vol. 17, p. 271).
  3. ↑ Vogt had brought his suit against the Allgemeine Zeitung in the Bavarian city of Augsburg (see Note 22).