Letter to Paul Lafargue, November 19, 1893

ENGELS TO PAUL LAFARGUE

AT LE PERREUX

London, 19 November 1893

My dear Lafargue,

Liebknecht will have written telling you that they want to take you on as correspondent for Vorwärts and the Hamburg Echo, one letter a week, identical and sent simultaneously to the two journals, but they want it in German and suggest that Laura should translate it.

Herein the reason why they want it in German, and it is a very important one. The two papers could publish the identical report on the same day, so that it would be an original article in each of them. If publication is not simultaneous, if one of the two papers prints it a day later, it will be suspected of having taken the article from the previous day's issue of the other, like so many other news items taken from that issue.

Now there might be someone in Hamburg who would translate you— don't ask me how!—but in Berlin! There Liebknecht has established the custom of all translations being done by Mme Liebknecht or by one of his sons. The manuscript goes to Charlottenburg and into Liebknecht 's house and God alone knows when the translation reaches the newspaper office. So there would be perpetual delays and, what is worse, delays of unpredictable length.

Therefore, the possibility of using your letters for the two papers and paying you a correspondent' salary depends entirely on your letters being sent in German. Furthermore this would safeguard you against editorial criticism; Bonnier tells me that Liebknecht rather overdid it with Guesde, which is what finally sickened him. The Hamburg editorial board, being entirely independent and, what is more, not knowing what goes on in Berlin and vice versa, your articles would be printed without being cut either in the one or the other paper, or, which is most likely, in both.

The question now is, will Laura be willing to do the translation? I hope so; that would enable you to clinch the matter at once. I am sure that with a little practice she would write as well in German as in English and French.

But, if this fails, would there be no way of having the translation done? Is there nobody who, in consideration of a small share of your fees, would do this job for you? Let us say 10 francs a letter for the translation and two copies, which would leave you 40 francs a letter, and would still provide an incentive to the translator. What about Frankel? But perhaps he himself is a Vorwärts correspondent (I have no idea at all who provides the Paris letters which I see in it from time to time). Anyway, think about it and try to arrange something. You realise that our Berlin people are doing their utmost, try to facilitate the business for them. And don't forget that this will enable you to speak to 60,000-70,000 subscribers, i.e., at least 250,000 readers without counting the readers of other papers who borrow their articles from these two organs, the most important ones that our Party in Germany has.

In any case, make a start with Vorwärts and leave the arrangements for the Echo and the translation for later. But it would be wise not to lose time over it. And further: Bebel as well as Liebknecht insist upon a regular contribution which will give them the outstanding events and your reflections and reports on the general situation. One letter a week, and on a fixed day, determined by yourself (I do not think they will lay down the day for you).

My love to Laura from whom I am still awaiting adamant^[1] and other news.

Greetings from Louise.

Ever yours,

F.E.