| Author(s) | Friedrich Engels |
|---|---|
| Written | 19 April 1892 |
ENGELS TO LAURA LAFARGUE
AT LE PERREUX
[London,] 19 April 1892
My dear Laura,
At last — ouf, je respire.[1] When Sonnenschein saw that Edward's translation of Socialisme Utopique etc. after all possible leading of type did look awfully meagre for a 2/6 book (what I told him from the beginning) he insisted on my writing a lengthy preface. And as I had promised to write a preface, and had various matters on my mind which I felt a liking to explain to the British philistine, I set to work, and at last, it is done. It's I dare say about half as long as the whole book, and had to be done carefully, for the British philistine hates being made fun of by foreigners, yet I could not help it.
By the bye, have you heard anything of Rave and his translation?[2] the thing ought to be out by this time.
Now to your last letter. I think that these two things ought to be kept separated: 1) our relations to the Blanquists' old school, and 2) those to the Boulanger-Blanquists.
First. I cannot help thinking that our differences with Vaillant began last April,[3] and that our people are not quite blameless. At that time Vaillant and we pulled together, the Allemanists being third party, and wanting a full recognition by us. Then, our people, without consulting the Blanquists, started the plan of processions to the Mairies and Palais Bourbon[4] with deputations to interview the élus[5] .
To that the Blanquists naturally objected as they would not meet their t r a î t r e s[6] . But our people insisted, and thus, as far as I can see, drove the Blanquists into the alliance with the Allemanists. It strikes me our people in that case did a bit of rather sharp practice which after all availed them nothing, for the whole plan fell through.
What happened since, I know very little of, but no doubt, this final cause of mistrust between the Blanquists and our people once established, it would be easy for the tag-rag and bobtail of the Blanquists, the Allemanists helping, to widen the breach and to fortify the alliance between Blanquists and Allemanists, which again set us down in a hopeless minority in Paris. Now that would be no great misfortune provided we conquered in the provinces, and for that purpose Paul and Guesde have worked splendidly and we may expect, I hope, great successes on 1st May,[7] and let Blanquists and Allemanists cuire dans leur jus.[8]
But then comes this alliance with the ex-Boulangists of the Chamber. As I said before,[9] when the masses have been led into such a glaring mistake as that was with Boulanger, the break-up of the delusion makes them all the fitter for listening to sense, and coming round to us. That inheritance of Boulangism we were entitled to. But it appears to me, that it is a very different thing to accept, at the same time, the leaders of that movement, and not as private individuals, but at their own valuation and with the rank they held in the Boulangist crew. I cannot help holding in considerable contempt the men that allowed themselves to fall into that trap — on no matter what pretext. There is nothing that has damaged the reputation of the French, abroad, so much as this infatuation for a new saviour of society, and such a one! And had it been the bourgeois alone — but the great mass of the working class too went down on their knees before this windbag! What reliance can anyone in his senses place on the men that cast in their lot with this jouisseur[10] who intrigued with extreme Republicans, Clericals, Monarchists all at once and must have been quite as much of a 'constitutional liar' as S. Sonnenschein said to Bax he, Sonnenschein, was! These men must be either deficient in character or in intellect or both, and certainly not worth having. What possible good can they be to us?
1) We cannot rely on them for a day. 2) If we form a party with them in the Chamber, they outnumber us and can pass the most absurd resolutions over our heads which we must either be bound by, or else secede again from them — which leaves us in a worse position than before. If I am to knuckle under a majority, after all I'd rather do so to one commanded by Vaillant, than to one led by Granger and Co.
3) As all these men got into Parliament on false pretences, they are almost sure to be kicked out next election — so was it worth while for us to identify ourselves with them?
And if Argyriades raves against the Germans, how about Rochefort and his paper[11] which evidently receives Russian money (at least some of the rédacteurs) and Russian articles?
The breach with the Blanquists' old school may have been unavoidable, and may be swallowed; but I do fail to see the slightest real advantage that can accrue to us from an alliance with the ex-Boulangist Radicals in the Chamber. Have we not, for the mere show of a group of some 25 men in Parliament, sacrificed very serious future chances?
However the thing is done and cannot be helped. I only hope our friends will not place too much confidence in their new allies. And I believe our party in France is now strong enough to bear without serious damage the consequences of a mistake or two.
That our new allies do not bring us any real strength in Paris, is shown by the fact that Paul and Guesde both go to the North on May 1st, which seems tantamount to our leaving the 1st of May in Paris entirely to the Blanquists and Possibilists. As I said before, there would be no great harm in that, if we can beat them in the provinces; but if our new allies are not strong in Paris, where in the name of dickens are they strong?
Your article on the religious interference in factories seems to have been too much for the Austrian press law practice. Your last one on night-work[12] has appeared — Louise requests you not to blame her for one or two blunders they have put in in Vienna.
We expected Bebel here for Easter, but he fell ill (catarrh of the stomach and intestine) and was stopped by the doctor. He expects to come about middle of May. This is the third attack within a year and he has received a serious warning from the doctor — a specialist. He wants him to go to Karlsbad,[13] which I think would set him up again. John Bull showed himself yesterday again in all his brutality at Hampstead Heath station, about 5 o'clock, rain threatening, a crowd rushed down the steps, and crushed eight people to death, mostly women and children, injuring a dozen more. Imagine a French crowd being guilty of that!
Ever yours,
F. Engels
Love from Louise. How about a delegate or two to May 1st here? The Possibilists will have two men here (see Chronicle we sent you with Adolph Smith's letter to Shipton 463). Edward wrote to you about it, if you cannot send a man, try to delegate Bonnier from the Conseil National of the Party and to send a letter. Don't allow the Possibilists to walk over the course as the representatives of France. But let it be done officially.