Letter to Wilhelm Liebknecht, April 6, 1866

Author(s) Karl Marx
Written 6 April 1866


First published in: Marx and Engels, Works, First Russian Edition, Vol. XXIX, Moscow, 1946 and in the language of the original, English, in: Wilhelm Liebknecht. Briefwechsel mit Karl Marx und Friedrich Engels, The Hague, 1963
Reproduced from the original
Published in English in Marx-Engels Collected Works, Volume 42


MARX TO WILHELM LIEBKNECHT

IN LEIPZIG

Margate, 6 April 1866
5 Lansell's Place

My dear Miller,[1]

You see from the address that I have been banished to the seaside by my medical adviser.[2]

After having received your last letter, and some letters on the part of our Berlin friends,[3] my sickness assumed a really dangerous character. For some time it was very doubtful whether or not that decomposition of the blood, under which I labour, should get the better of me. It was only towards the middle of March that I was bodily enabled to remove myself to this place. I am now restored, and shall very soon return to London. But again a quarter of a year has been lost!

Write me immediately under my London address. After my return, I shall regularly send you The Commonwealth (under which altered title The Workman's Advocate is now published).[4] It is only since a few weeks that it has been registered for Transmission for abroad. Eccarius is no longer the editor, but only a contributor. It was to be foreseen, that so soon as the paper should get some sort of standing, a Foreigner would not be allowed to retain the nominal leadership!

Write me

1) about the state of 'our' movement in Germany, 2) about the state of German politics.

Yours truly

K. M. My best compliments to Madame.[5]

  1. ↑ Liebknecht's conspiratorial pseudonym
  2. ↑ From 15 March to approximately 10 April 1866 Marx stayed in Margate where he took treatment and had a rest.
  3. ↑ August Vogt, Sigfrid Meyer and Theodor Metzner
  4. ↑ The Workman's Advocate (see Note 230) was renamed The Commonwealth on 10 February 1866. Despite the reorganisation the newspaper remained the official organ of the International Working Men's Association. It continued to publish reports of the Central Council meetings and other documents of the International. Marx remained on the Board of the Industrial Newspaper Company which owned the paper until 9 June 1866. Thanks to his efforts Eccarius, who became the editor of The Workman's Advocate not long before, retained his post. However, the reformist leaders of trade unions managed to paralyse the influence of Marx's supporters. In April 1866 George Odger was appointed its editor-in-chief. In issue No. 183, 8 September 1866, the newspaper declared itself to be the organ of the Reform League (see Note 155) and in fact fell under the influence of the radical bourgeoisie. It ceased publication on 20 July 1867.
  5. ↑ Ernestine Liebknecht