Letter to Victor Le Lubez, February 15, 1865

Author(s) Karl Marx
Written 15 February 1865


First published abridged in the language of the original (English) in: I. Tchernoff, Le Parti républicain au coup d'état et sous le Second Empire, Paris, 1908 and in full in: Marx and Engels, Works, Second Russian Edition, Vol. 31, Moscow, 1963
Reproduced from the text of Tchernoff's book, verified with the manuscript copy in French written in an unknown hand
Published in English in Marx-Engels Collected Works, Volume 42


MARX TO VICTOR LE LUBEZ1

IN LONDON

London, 15 February 1865

My dear Lubez,

The very success of our association warns us to be cautious. In my opinion, M. Beales joining our council would spoil the whole affair." I believe him an honest and sincere man; at the same time, he is nothing and can be nothing save a Bourgeois politician. He is weak, mediocre and ambitious. He wants to stand for Marylebone at the next Parliamentary election. By that single fact he ought to be excluded from entering our committee. We cannot become le piédestal for small parliamentary ambitions.

You may be sure that if Beales is admitted le ton cordial, sincère et franc[1] that distinguishes now our Debates, will be gone, and make place to word-mongering. In the wake of Beales will follow Taylor, this unbearable nuisance and tufthunter.

In the eyes of the world, Beales' admission will change the whole character of our society, we will diminish into one of the numerous societies which he favours with patronage. Where he has driven in the wedge, others of his class will follow, and our

[2]

efforts, till now successful at freeing the English working class movement from all middle class or aristocratic patronage, will have been in vain.

I know beforehand that if Beales be admitted, there will arise questions mainly of a social sort, which will force him to tender his demission. We will have to issue manifestos on the land question, etc., which he cannot sign. Is it not better not to let him instead of giving him afterwards an opportunity of denying us.a

I know that after the foolish step taken by Mr Dell,[3] there will be certain difficulties in ensuring this candidature.

I would think that by means of quiet talks with the chief English members, the whole question could be [settled][4] before it is put before the committee again.

Yours fraternally

K. Marx

Apropos. For all his enthusiasm for Poland, Mr Beales has as yet done nothing other than follow the Duke...[5] in throwing all the demonstrations for Poland into confusion. Yesterday, he attempted the same trick again, under similar instigation.

  1. ↑ the cordial, sincere and frank atmosphere
  2. ↑ See this volume, pp. 109-10.
  3. ↑ See this volume, p. 110.
  4. ↑ The rest of the letter, missing in the English original, has been translated from the extant French manuscript.
  5. ↑ An omission in the original; Marx presumably means Duke Townshend.