| Author(s) | Friedrich Engels |
|---|---|
| Written | 30 December 1893 |
ENGELS TO FRIEDRICH ADOLPH SORGE
IN HOBOKEN
London, 30 December 1893 122 Regent's Park Road, N. W.
Dear Sorge, Your postcards of 29 November and 17 December received with
thanks. First of all a Happy New Year to you and your wife from Louise Kautsky and myself.
You will have noticed, not without some surprise, that a Socialist group of between fifty-four and sixty men (they themselves don't seem to know exactly how many) has established itself in the French Chamber. Immediately after the elections 208 they numbered, at a generous count, twenty-four, twelve of whom had been elected on the strength of the Marxist platform. However, of these only six presented themselves at the Paris Party Congress and hitherto only four have agreed, in accordance with the congress resolution, to pay a part of their parliamentary salary into the party treasury. 283 (Which is not yet the same thing as actually paying it in—in France it was being said as early as 1870 that les cotisations ne rentrent pas![1] ) Well, thanks to the adhesion of the radicaux socialistes[2] of the Millerand-Jaurès group, there are now all of a sudden nearly sixty who have resolved to include the socialisation of the means of production as one of the aims—more immediate for some, for others, however, very remote—of their programme. Concentration is now the battle-cry in France. If in the past this meant a concentration républicaine (i.e. the subordination of all Republicans to the right wing, the Opportunists 87), it now means a concentration socialiste and I only hope this does not mean the subordination of all Socialists to the Millerandists whose practical programme is assuredly more radical than socialist.
The first result of this alliance is that our people have as good as lost the chance of acquiring a daily of their own. Millerand's Petite République Française already occupies that position, so it will be difficult to produce an organ to compete with it—finance is more difficult to obtain and the others would complain that it would mean splitting the party! The more so as the Petite République Française is crafty enough to open its columns to any socialist group.
The second is that in the group's meetings the Millerandists command an absolute majority (ca. 30 against 24 at the most—Marxists (12), Allemanists
21 (3-5), Broussists 30 (2) and Blanquists 20 (4-6)).
Nevertheless messieurs les Français, intoxicated once again by victory, are crowing away for the benefit of all and sundry and would like to resume their place at the forefront of the movement. They have tabled a motion demanding that the standing army be changed into an army of militia (Vaillant), while Guesde intends to table one on a European disarmament congress.[3] The plan is that the Germans and Italians shall table similar motions in their own parliaments, thereby naturally giving the impression that they are following in the footsteps of their French 'leaders'. What the handful of Italians—and an exceptionally muddle-headed handful at that—may do is of no consequence, but whether our Germans will consent without more ado to be taken in tow by the French seems doubtful to me. If, after twenty-five years of hard struggle, you have won for yourself a position of power and have two million voters behind you, you are entitled to take a closer look at the scratch lot who propose all of a sudden to assume command. The more so as messieurs les Français get exceedingly touchy the moment anyone commits the slightest breach of etiquette in respect of themselves.
Well, we shall have to wait and see. With these unpredictable Frenchmen it is always possible that lasting progress will result from this sudden and momentary success. But it would really be better for us to wait and see.
Next, I have to tell you—but this is strictly between ourselves—that yesterday the first third of the ms. of Volume III[4] was packed in strong oil-cloth (as was in its day that notorious forgery, the Cologne minute-book 315) and will shortly be sent to the printers. The last two-thirds are still in need of the final—mostly technical—editing. If all goes well the book will come out in September.
Now for something else. Prof. Labriola[5] of Rome, with whom I have corresponded for several years and whom I met in Zurich, 189 is giving a course of lectures at the university there on the genesis of Marxist theory. He is a strict Marxist. To this end he has procured all the necessary literature but has never managed to set eyes on the Holy Family, although he has advertised in the Leipzig Buchändlerblat[6] and elsewhere to the effect that he will pay 'any price' for it. There was some prospect of his getting a copy on loan from Switzerland, but its owner[7] has suddenly vanished and is said to be travelling in Hungary. He is now urging me to do whatever I can to procure him a copy for three or four weeks. But I myself have only one and if that is lost it will be absolutely impossible for me to arrange for the inclusion of the new, later edition in the projected Collected Works. 316
Hence I cannot, on any account, let this one and only copy out of my hands. Now, a few years back, I sent you my spare copy. Would you be so good as to lend it to me for the above purpose for five or six weeks? You could send it to me as a BOOK-PACKET by registered post or, if you prefer, through an express agency insured for any sum you choose, and I should return it by whichever medium you may direct. I would, if that could somehow be arranged, send it to Rome through an agency, heavily insured (for 410 say) or, if that is not possible, by registered post. It should be stipulated that Labriola might have the use of it for a maximum of four weeks. I need hardly tell you that without a knowledge of this book he will be unable to hold the proposed course of lectures, still less realise his intention of publishing them at a later date. There are fewer than six copies in the whole of the German party and who has them I don't know. So please think the matter over.
My Feuerbach is being translated into French by Laura Lafargue and will shortly be coming out in Paris. 310
Warm regards to your wife and you from Louise Kautsky and yours,
F.E.
I hope your health has improved. Louise Kautsky asks me to say that the paper[8] you send to Vienna arrives regularly. Thank you for the greetings card.