Letter to Karl Marx, October 13, 1867

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To Marx in London

Manchester, 13 October 1867

Dear Moor,

I have written Kugelmann two articles about the book from different points of view and sent them to him I think they are such as almost any newspaper can take, and he can do others from them. That should help him a bit.

I shall be writing to Siebel tomorrow, I must first know where the fellow is and how his health is.

Borkheim written to.

Liebknecht is doing very well; he has retained sufficient from us to realise that the only correct policy consists in voting against everything without exception. This he has faithfully done so far. If you should be writing to him again these days, you can draw his attention to the following: the final article of the law on freedom of movement reads: this law shall not apply to the Aliens’ Police. With the consequence that what one gains as a North German citizen, one loses again as an ‘alien’. It would have a great effect here if Liebknecht were to propose: the Aliens’ Police be abolished. Only on the Continent does such an absurdity exist; the proposition would have a great effect. In fact, it would in general strengthen his position to suggest he chaff the bourgeois members with the fact that he, the communist, is obliged to champion their own interests despite their opposition. Liebknecht’s speech was much better in the Kölnische Zeitung, by the way, than in the Zukunft.

I was very pleased to read the things about Vogt. For all his manoeuvres, your attack has put paid to him entirely, and only the liberal bourgeoisie still considers him the German Véron.

All that Stumpf is asking for is that you supply him with theoretical and factual material to explain how it comes about that the petty bourgeois gradually yields to the proletarian. And you know that as well as I do, but you just want to get out of the work. Of course, good old Stumpf thinks that one page of a letter would suffice — for him to learn how to handle the question. That, however, I would doubt.

Dronke. Borkheim is just as much of a scandalmonger as the little fellow himself, and if the 2 of them say anything about each other, it will be six of one and half a dozen of the other — Dronke still has enough jus in his little head to take care to avoid direct criminal prosecution, within the periods prescribed by present extradition treaties. You know, by the way, how in commerce even the most blatantly criminal affairs can be taken care of simply as civil law cases. But the little fellow has certainly been too clever by half and much too greedy.

Strohn is the same curious old fellow as ever. Fancy him applying a remark to himself the moment that I make it, when he has made it countless times himself!

I cannot wait to see Borkheim’s ‘Pearl’. In the matter of literary vanity, the fellow is pure ‘Yid’.

Gumpert has a cousin staying here, ex-Electoral-Hessian, now Prussian lieutenant. The fellow enlisted with the Prussians, full of high expectations, but found the old pack-drill in full flower once again. Gymnastics, etc., performed by commands; parading, ramrod marching order, etc. Some of it may be exaggerated, but there is no doubt that the latest successes have also lent a certain sanction to military display. The exaggeration derives from the disagreeable impression, which the newly recruited officers have already received, that 9 out of every 10 of them will never reach the rank of staff-officer. And the fellow is just looking for an opportunity to extricate himself.

Kindest regards to your wife, the girls and Lafargue.

Your
F. E.