| Author(s) | Friedrich Engels |
|---|---|
| Written | 21 March 1894 |
ENGELS TO FRIEDRICH ADOLPH SORGE
IN HOBOKEN
London, 21 March 1894 122 Regent's Park Road, N. W.
Dear Sorge,
I have today sent back to you with many thanks The Holy Family by BOOK POST, REGISTERED, following its safe return from the trip to Rome.[1]
Immediately after Easter I shall send you a parcel containing the Bax-Morris book[2] and Bernstein's Berlin Complete Edition of Lassalle Works.c
Auntie Motteler has just been here in company with Gertrud Liebknecht. Apparently the latter wants to move in temporarily with the former. What Liebknecht intends to do about her (she says he wants her to go back) remains a secret—doubtless also to himself. His eldest daughter, Mrs Geiser, is living in the worst possible circumstances and his wife and Gertrud are at daggers drawn. I don't in fact believe he has actually insisted that she return.
Have you seen the novel Helena by old Mother Kautsky in the Vorwärts? She has peopled her stage with a crowd of living party members, including Motteler and his wife. It is a poor imitation of the popular novels of Gregor Samarowd (Spy Meding). I shall be interested to see whether it is passed over in silence and am somewhat surprised that the Vorwärts should have taken it. The paper's feuilleton is censored by Mother Natalie Liebknecht.
The Pionierkalender received with thanks. Over here the dissolution of Parliament draws on apace. At the new elections 345 more Labour candidates will be put up than ever before, though not nearly enough, and I'm not sure whether a whole crowd of them won't again be put up with the help of TORY money. The Liberals, like the TORIES, are both of them firm supporters of the indirect property qualification which consists in the candidate's being burdened with the entire costs of the election—ranging from £100 minimum up to between £400 and £600 and even more for the official expenses alone, e.g. POLLING PLACES, etc. So if the working men fall into the clutches of Champion, who is offering £100 per constituency (he got the money from Hudson, the soap manufacturer), the Liberals will have no cause for complaint. All in all their approach to the elections is characterised by a curiously obstinate refusal to face the facts. They act as though they wish to abolish the Upper House but refuse to remodel the Lower House (by increasing the power of the workers) in such a way that it would be capable of tackling something of the kind on its own. The TORIES, on the other hand, are more stupid than they ever were and that is saying a good deal. For the past couple of years they have been playing Old Harry with the Liberal government in the Upper and the Lower House. To this the Liberals have calmly submitted, while the philistines, who have been turning Conservative in droves, have rejoiced, since it was done on the pretext of removing the treasonable, anti-Empire HOME RULE BILL HOME RULE Government. Now, however, that serious domestic legislation is on the agenda, they are continuing to play the same game, and that might be rather too much of a good thing for your peace-loving philistine. So things remain very uncertain and the new elections will at all events produce some surprising results. Whatever happens, Labour will be strengthened and the Liberals will be compelled to make further concessions to the working man.
In Austria, Belgium and Holland electoral reform has also been the order of the day. Before long there will be no European parliament without labour representatives. In Austria the cause is progressing very well. Adler is leading the movement with quite outstanding address and the Party Conference on Sunday will also help.
Once the tariff business has to some extent been sorted out on your side of the Atlantic and the duty on raw materials been abolished, the crisis will probably recede and the superiority of American industry over that of Europe will undoubtedly make itself felt. Only then will matters take a serious turn here in England, but then they will go with a bang.
I finished the first two thirds of Volume III of Capital sooner than I had expected and, since printing was rapidly forging ahead (twelve proof-sheets have already come back), I was compelled to make a brief announcement.[3] The final editing of the final third is not yet quite done, but next week I shall be getting down to it again.
Louise Kautsky has told you of her marriage to Dr L. Freyberger from Vienna. He is a young physician who in my opinion has a major scientific career ahead of him. He is practising in hospitals here and has since moved in with us. Apart from the name, therefore, Louise's address is unchanged.
Yours,
F. Engels
Warm regards to you and your wife from Louise and myself. I trust your health has improved.