Account of the London Circle to the Central committee of the Communist League in Cologne

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London, June 18, 1848

Quarterly Account of the London Circle to the Central Committee.

Brothers!

Since the Central Committee left London, three full months have elapsed. We therefore discharge our duties by forwarding our quarterly report.

I. General Overview

When the Central Committee was transferred from London in the last days of February and a Committee appointed, it was to be expected that the situation in the circle would be critical. The London Circle was cut off from the centre of the movement. All were intent upon the forthcoming events. Many thought that what had been possible in France must and could at once be carried out in Germany. On the other hand, some sought to smother the enthusiasm with empty phrases. (In this respect, the well-known Heilberg distinguished himself in the discussions of the Workers' Educational Society.) The task was to keep the flame of enthusiasm so gaurded that the steps taken by the Central Committee in Paris would also be the wishes of the London Circle. Within the League itself, people were exceedingly excited and discussed nothing but the French and German revolutions, the French Republic, and current politics in general. The meetings of the Workers' Educational Society were interrupted because the venue was closed. The League made every effort to reestablish these meetings, so that only a few evenings were lost. Suddenly, the then-erroneous reports arrived: “King Fritz has been driven off”—“the Republic has been proclaimed in Berlin”—“all Germans are marching from Paris to Germany as an armed corps.” These reports were contested, and the League took action by appointing a commission of 5 members within the Society to raise funds for the purpose of transporting the League members to Germany, should the occasion require it. On all these points, however, our comrades in Paris were to be asked first for fuller particulars of the movement, etc.

In this way, the League strove to align itself with the Central Committee in every respect and at the same time to keep the non-League members of the Society in check. The next day, the delegate of the Central Committee, Schapper, arrived here with full authority and news, etc. The aforementioned commission raised funds and dispatched individual League members with support, specifically to those parts of Germany where they were needed and where they would be most effective.

Even prior to Brother Schapper's arrival, general meetings had been held, which now served Brother Schapper, and later Bauer, to deliver their reports and provide an overview of events in Paris. The zeal of the League members was great, almost too great. Since then, some have become seemingly apathetic, but the majority, on the contrary, have gained a clearer view of the whole movement and stronger hopes in the interest of the principle.

With regard to the English Chartist movement we have only the following to report:

The individual members of the League, the Circle as a body, sought to support the Chartists, and especially our English brothers, in public meetings. The reactionary decisions of Parliament have rendered public life impracticable. Through the results of April 10th, etc. (the consequences of which some members of the League foresaw), our brothers of the London commune have realized what was lacking. A radical clandestine propaganda campaign could restore Chartism and bind the masses more firmly together. As long as the Chartists do not seek to support the external movement through internal cohesion, no decisive result can be expected. The clandestine propaganda campaign must and will be established in a short time.—The London Circle met on April 10 to be ready to support the Chartists in case of need.

That is the general situation. Let us now turn to the particular circumstances of the Circle. At the end of February the League in London comprised ten communes. Nine of these communes consisted of Germans, Danes, Swedes, Hungarians, etc.; the tenth commune was made up of English people. Of the nine German communes, one commune had its headquarters in the eastern part of the city and ran the local Workers’ Educational Society. The members of the East-End commune repeatedly requested that the local commune and Educational Society be dissolved. The application was repeatedly rejected. However, when it was seen that the East-End Educational Society did not flourish despite the efforts of individuals, the Educational Society was dissolved and the commune was distributed among the various West-End communes. Since it was impossible to establish a permanent location in the End End of the city, the former members there now participate in the West-End Educational Society.

At that previously mentioned time the London Circle comprised 84 League members. Although many League members have departed, the number of League members at the present moment is ...

The following disciplinary decisions were taken from the minutes:

1. Kuck I, Kuck II, Hart I, Hart II, and Blau were removed by the League (for negligence).

2. Th. Mayer from Alsace, who compromised the League by his dishonourable elopement, was excluded, and the Circle will move for his expulsion at the next Congress.

As the leading circle, as was previously assumed, we are required to submit the following reports.

1. Letters from America from our emissaries in New York indicate that they have not been idle, although they have yet to deliver any significant results. The members of the Educational Association in New York have lagged far behind the movement. The French Revolution has there too breathed new life into it.

W. Weitling seems to be making a great effort to instill his system into the people, but he has been significantly surpassed by younger, better people.

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