| Author(s) | Friedrich Engels |
|---|---|
| Written | 18 June 1892 |
ENGELS TO FRIEDRICH ADOLPH SORGE
IN HOBOKEN
London, 18 June 1892
Dear Sorge,
I don't know whether I have already acknowledged receipt of your letter with money order postmarked 28 April and your card of 3 May; what with so much correspondence and other unforeseen events, I am somewhat at sea. The money arrived all right and I have repaid Mendelson the half that was due to him.[1]
During the second half of May we had Bebel here, likewise Singer who stayed with the Bernsteins.[2] We had a very jolly time and discussed everything there was to discuss relevant to the German movement. I am in complete accord with Bebel; we see eye to eye about almost everything and, if not, are quickly agreed, as indeed has been the case for years with this clear-sighted man who not only sees things as they really are but has also acquired a remarkable grasp of theory. Nor has he ever been any trouble to me. Singer possesses considerable practical vision and dexterity in his own sphere but if he departs from it, he's apt to blunder; however, in this respect he is perfectly willing to be guided by Bebel whose superiority he freely acknowledges. Both men have not only realised, but have learnt from practical experience, that Liebknecht is only fit for the scrapheap and has become a positive impediment to the party. He has been marking time for years, whereas the party has made tremendous strides — also in the field of theory, as all its literature (even the smaller newspapers, somewhat to my surprise) goes to show. This had been known to me for a long time, but what could I do? Upon the abolition of the Anti-Socialist Law,1 Liebknecht was, quite ineluctably, editor of the Vorwärts which he now edits atrociously, and the worst of it is that they can't get rid of him without wreaking more havoc than he is doing already. I have advised them to pension him off as decently as they can but, aside from any other difficulties, he will dig his heels in. Well, we shall just have to let things take their course; luckily the party is now robust enough to withstand a good deal of stress, and in the end things will resolve themselves one way or the other.
The above is, of course, written in the strictest confidence and solely for your own consumption. You will realise to what lengths things have gone when I tell you that Liebknecht considers all the members of the Party Executive to be enemies who are intriguing against him — save, perhaps, for Singer who, however, sees just as plainly as anyone else what the position is. I feel sorry for Liebknecht, but I have seen this coming for years and he has only his own pig-headedness to blame. Any of our people would gladly make him a bridge of gold and we can only hope that he will eventually realise this.
The German and Austrian miners' delegates to the international congress here 4 9 2 have been to see me a couple of times- two Westphalians, a Rhinelander from the Saar, a Saxon and a Czech. For the most part good, sound men just as Siegel, who is now working in Scotland, was a good, sound chap. The miners make a splendid addition to our ranks — all sturdy chaps and most of them ex-soldiers and enfranchised. The only snag lies in the many Wasserpolacken 4 9 8 and other Poles (Dortmund district 22,000, Essen district 16- 18,000), Ultramontanes to a man and stupid as they come, but it's only a transitory ill; in the long run they too will become involved and will then constitute a disaffected element in Upper Silesia, Posen[3] and West Prussia.
I look forward to hearing more about the gerrymandering in your presidential elections.[4] Never before have I had such an opportunity to observe the modus operandi and this time I shall be on the qui vive. Having once thoroughly investigated the thing, one would know what was happening on subsequent occasions.
I have not yet written to Dietz about your business, firstly because your articles 500 are not yet ready, secondly because I have been having to correspond with him about his new edition, now shortly due, of the Condition of the Working-Class in England and didn't want to get the two things mixed up, thirdly because Bebel told me that he, Dietz, had not done very well out of republishing stuff from the Neue Zeit, and fourthly because I may very possibly be going to Stuttgart with Bebel in August, when I should see Dietz in person.d However, I feel sure that someone will be glad to publish your work, particularly if you include some new material and thus make it a third or half as long again. Should I fail to arrange things with Dietz (though I'm sure I won't), the Vorwärts book publishers in Berlin would take it. In my view, the additional bits should primarily aim at supplementing the factual material, while in the book you would be able to express yourself more freely about the follies of the German Socialist Labor Party 13;f than you might have deemed advisable in the Neue Zeit.
I am glad that your wife[5] is getting better. Here too the winter has taken a heavy toll, notably as a result of influenza. Our friend Schorlemmer never recovered from his attack and now has cancer of the lung so that he's unlikely ever to get up again. A fortnight ago when I visited him,[6] the poor chap's physical and mental powers were failing him and he was confined to bed, but luckily he feels no pain and we can only hope that this will last up till the end which, alas, cannot be far off.
Warm regards to you and your wife from Louise and
Your
F. Engels
I have several times heard from Florence Kelley-Wischnewetzky.