| Author(s) | Friedrich Engels |
|---|---|
| Written | 28 June 1889 |
ENGELS TO LAURA LAFARGUE[1]
AT LE PERREUX
London, 28 June 1889
My dear Laura,
As to your 'free and easy' translation of my aufgeschoben[2] etc., I am afraid I can, in this tropical heat, muster no more energy than to entirely leave to you the responsibility of the same and to do so, as lawyers say, 'without prejudice'. All I know is that if this weather lasts, I don't envy you the Congress; the only congress I care for is one with Nim over a bottle of beer from the cool cellar.
As to this Congress of yours I see, from your letter to Maggie Harkness, that it is intended to keep the administrative sittings in private. Now I am fully convinced that this question can only be decided by the Congress itself, and after having heard the Germans, Austrians, etc. But as far as the order of the day questions are concerned, I do not see any necessity for insisting upon private meetings at all, and should think the Germans themselves would prefer public sittings all through— unless there is in some quarters a hankering after a restoration of the International in some form or other, and that the Germans would and ought to oppose with might and main. Our people and the Austrians are the only ones that have a real struggle to go through, real sacrifices to make, with always a hundred men or so in prison, and they cannot afford to play at international organisations which are at present as impossible as they are useless.
On the other hand, the Possibilists and Co. will do everything to give retentissement[3] to their congress, will probably have no private meetings at all, after the vérification des pouvoirs[4] and perhaps not even for that— and with the odds in their favour in their connection with the bourgeois press in France and here, they will get the pull of us—handicapped heav- ily as we are—unless we act boldly and have the press admitted as often as ever possible.
From all this, I conclude that it will be best not to have any settled opinion upon this or other questions connected with the Congress, but to wait until the others have been heard and then come to a conclusion. This I would apply also to what Paul writes about making the fusion of both congresses impossible.[5] It strikes me that when that question crops up, there will be so many practical difficulties that, unless the Possibilists give way on every point, nothing is likely to come of it. But the Possibilists won't give way, and as they are sure to make up by Trades Unions what they lack in Socialists, and will have a pretty fair show of French and English (which two nations, as you know, make up, in their own opinion, the whole civilised world) and as they will have one Knight of Labour,[6] representing, on his own statement, at least 500,000, and one American Federationist of Labor,[7] representing 600,000, they will represent, on paper, an immense number of working men and expect us poor Socialists to give in. All I fear is that they may make a sham move to put us in the wrong before the public (a trick they understand to a T) and that Liebknecht will fall into the trap. In that case I reckon upon you especially, upon Tussy and D. Nieuwenhuis to open Bebel's eyes and to prevent the success of Liebknecht's Vereinigungswut[8] .
Tussy has replied to Paul's question about Lavy; I was not there, she knows all about it.[9]
In my opinion the two congresses might sit side by side without any harm—they are essentially different in character, the one of Socialists and the other chiefly of aspirants to Socialism, and I do not think Bebel would under these circumstances be prepared to go in for union at any price. He wrote to me that the fusion could only take place on the foot- ing of perfect equality, and that will no doubt be the minimum of his conditions. But he has never lived outside Germany, and is no judge of English or French conditions of life or ideas—and there Liebknecht may become dangerous, especially as he is unfortunately, for want of a better informed man, the foreign minister of the Germans. One point you must press upon Bebel is that the Possibilists and SDF intend using the Congress as a means of restoring the International, a thing the Germans cannot countenance without calling down upon themselves prosecutions innumerable; and that therefore the Germans had better keep away from such a congress.
My congratulations to Paul for his double candidature[10] —at Avignon he is sure to win, c'est la ville de Laura[11] he ought to have cards engraved Paul Lafargue, candidat, successeur (plus heureux) de Pétrarque.[12] But I suppose you have heard these bad puns long and often enough at Paris without me.
I suppose our people in Paris are preparing a projet de règlement[13] for the Congress? That is absolutely necessary to save time, and it should be very short and leave all details to the chairman.
If I have time I shall send Paul a few lines on the question of national armament and suppression of standing armies.
Sam[14] will be about Senegal or Gambia now, we expect to have a few lines from Madeira in a day or two.
Of Schorlemmer not a word. Shall try and stir him up a bit. But perhaps he has written to you, he has said to M. Harkness that he intends to be at the Congress in Paris.
Parnell has had a letter published in the Labour Elector that he did sign in his quality of Hon. Sec. of Labour Elector Association - e cio basta[15] .
Love from Nim. Ever yours
F.E.
5 p.m. Just received your letter to, and from, Tussy, she writes the enclosed on the subject of the private meetings which I fully endorse. I shall also write to Bebel tomorrow on the same subject.