Letter to Ferdinand Jozewicz, February 24, 1872

Author(s) Karl Marx
Written 24 February 1872


First published in Die Gesellschaft, No. 3, Berlin, 1933
Published in English for the first time in: Karl Marx, On the First International Arranged and edited, with an introduction and new translations by Saul K. Padover. McGraw-Hill Book Company, New York, 1973
Also published in Marx-Engels Collected Works, Volume 44


MARX TO FERDINAND JOZEWICZ[1]

IN BERLIN

[London,] 24 February 1872

Citizen Secretary,

I can only write a few words today. Because of the conspiracy of the 'international police' with certain faux frères[2] within the International, the General Council has heaped so many tasks upon me that I have even been compelled to put aside my theoretical work. So to business:

1. A resolution of the General Council, based on the four- month-long delay in printing the stamps (itself due to unforeseen obstacles in London), has set back the date by which unsold stamps should be returned from 1 March to 1 July. (Be kind enough to inform Liebknecht of this since I have no time to write to him at present.)

2. As far as double payment for the stamps is concerned, you have only to state in your report on 1 July that such-and-such a proportion of the money being forwarded stems from that source.

3. As far as the 'corresponding secretary' is concerned, the General Council leaves it to the Berlin section to arrange the matter as it thinks fit.

4. The Berlin section falls into the category of countries where 'legal obstacles' exist to regular organisation and in such countries the sections have absolute freedom to constitute themselves in a manner appropriate to the law of the land, without thereby forfeiting any right possessed by the other sections.[3]

5. The next Congress will be held in September 1872. The General Council has not yet decided on a location for the gathering.[4] The Social-Democratic Party would be well-advised to let us know without delay when they intend to hold their Congress.

6. The periodic reports of the General Council have been replaced by its weekly reports in The Eastern Post, the first despatch of which you will receive today.

6.[5] The Volksstaat is one of the organs in question.

7. The General Council thanks the Berlin section for having already appointed a statistical commission.

8. The Council enquires through me in what relationship the Hamburgers (i.e. the Committee of the Social-Democratic Party)[6] stand towards the General Council. Up to now we have not had a word from them.

9. The General Council requests the Berlin section to declare its approval of the resolutions of the last Conference of delegates of the International (in London).[7]

With fraternal greetings,

K. M.

  1. ↑ When this letter was first published in Die Gesellschaft magazine (from the manuscript copy kept in the Prussian Secret State Archives), it was erroneously believed to be addressed to Fritz Milke. It is in fact a reply to Jozewicz's letter of 10 February 1872.
  2. ↑ traitors
  3. ↑ The reference is to Resolution X of the 1871 London Conference, 'General Resolution as to the Countries Where the Regular Organisation of the International Is Interfered with by the Governments' (see present edition, Vol. 22, pp. 427-28).
  4. ↑ On 11 June 1872, on Marx's suggestion, the General Council resolved to convene a regular Congress in Holland on 2 September 1872 and decided on the principal item on the agenda, the consolidation of the International's organisation (revision of the General Rules and Administrative Regulations). At its next meeting on 18 June the Council decided on The Hague as the venue for the Congress and appointed a special commission (Engels, Edouard Vaillant, Joseph MacDonnel) to prepare an official announcement of the forthcoming Congress. The announcement was written by Engels and despatched to The International Herald, which published it on 29 June 1872 (see present edition, Vol. 23, pp. 170-73).—325, 366, 372, 374, 376, 392, 396, 398, 401, 404, 407, 409, 411-13, 415, 417, 418, 422, 425, 426
  5. ↑ '6' occurs twice in the handwritten copy.
  6. ↑ The Dresden Congress of the German Social-Democratic Workers' Party held between 12 and 15 August 1871 decided on Hamburg as the Party Committee headquarters.
  7. ↑ Marx is referring to the planned publication of the proceedings of the third court martial, which was to try a group of Paris Communards (see Note 268). Owing to financial difficulties the proceedings were not published.