Letter to Regina Bernstein, July 25, 1892

Author(s) Friedrich Engels
Written 25 July 1892


First published, in Russian, in Marx-Engels Archives, Book I, Moscow, 1924
Printed according to the original
Published in English for the first time in Marx-Engels Collected Works, Volume 49


ENGELS TO REGINA BERNSTEIN

IN ZURICH

London, 25 July 1892

Dear Gine,

We were delighted to get your and Ede's letter and showed it to Tussy yesterday. From the picture the château[1] has the appearance of a really splendid little castle; a garden restaurant for some 500 people and, next to a couple of giant poplars, a few mysterious trees that look like unassuming palms; on the slope below the vines whence comes the sour wine.[2] Still, one gets used to that too and in any case it's better than London ALE, while the air up there must be a lot better than in Highgate. I'm glad it's doing Ede good and that you can hope to bring him back with his nerves functioning in such a way that he is no longer conscious of them.

Here too the summer holidays have started. Louise left for Cologne yesterday afternoon and by now — 5 p.m.— will doubtless be very close to Berlin. The day after tomorrow I set off for a fortnight's stay with Pumps,[3] after which I shall pay another visit to the dear fatherland about the time you will be preparing to leave; indeed it is not impossible that I may venture as far as Zurich shortly after you have gone — that, however, is entirely between ourselves. But why did you buy those confounded return tickets? They are the main obstacle that prevents us from sauntering along the lake together. I'm glad to hear that your mama is still such a doughty mountaineer. If I really do get to Berlin — alas, the dream is far too beautiful for one to believe it might come true — I shall in any case see her there.

Tell Ede that Louise was so overwhelmed on hearing that he had said Massel and Broche[4] three times on her behalf that I had to administer a potent draught of cognac before she set off on her journey to help her recover from the shock.

What follows next is for Ede. Namely, in the first place, Tussy's and Edward's article[5] was ready by Sunday (a week ago yesterday) and was sent off to Stuckert.[6]

Secondly, our successes in the elections[7] have now been generally acknowledged over here. The present situation is that, in view of the marked preponderance of the Radical wing in his party, Gladstone must largely rejuvenate his cabinet if it is to survive;

further, that his HOME RULE BILL will at once be thrown out by the Upper House;

but that to be able to dissolve with any certainty of success, he must at the same time introduce ONE MAN ONE VOTE by drawing up a sensible electoral register which will ensure the workers do in fact get what was promised them on paper in general terms in 1867 and 1884 but was subsequently retracted in matters of detail,[8] i.e. a 1-1½ million increase in the Labour electorate — and perhaps a SECOND BALLOT;

and that not until this has gone through will he dissolve. So it is a splendid situation so far as we are concerned. Many regards to Ede and you yourself,

Yours

General

  1. ↑ In the original: Schlossli (Swiss dialect).
  2. ↑ In the original: sure Wiichiimml (Swiss dialect).
  3. ↑ Engels came to Ryde for a holiday on 27 July 1892. Illness made him stay on until 6 September.
  4. ↑ good fortune and blessings
  5. ↑ E. Aveling and E. Marx Aveling, 'Die Wahlen in Großbritannien', Die Neue Zeit, 10. Jg. 1891/92, 2. Bd., Nr. 45.
  6. ↑ Stuttgart
  7. ↑ The summer 1892 parliamentary election in Britain was won by the Liberals. The campaign brought success to the workers' and socialist organisations, which had put up a considerable number of independent candidates. Three of them—James Keir Hardie, John Burns and John Havelock Wilson — were elected.
  8. ↑ This refers to the second and third electoral reforms in Britain.
    Under the reform of 1867 the suffrage in urban areas was granted to all house-owners and house tenants, and also to apartment tenants who had resided at the place in question for no less than a year and paid no less than £10 rent. The property qualification for voters in the counties was reduced to £12 rent a year. As a result of the reform a section of the industrial workers obtained the vote. In 1872 balloting was introduced. The 1884 reform extended the provisions of the 1867 reform to the rural constituencies, thus making part of the rural population eligible to vote. However, even after these reforms the voters made up only 13 per cent of the country's population. The urban and rural poor and all women still had no access to the ballot box.