Letter to Karl Kautsky, April 2, 1891

Author(s) Friedrich Engels
Written 2 April 1891


First published in Aus der Frühzeit des Marxismus. Engels Briefwechsel mit Kautsky, Prag, 1935
Published in English for the first time in Marx-Engels Collected Works, Volume 49


ENGELS TO KARL KAUTSKY

IN STUTTGART

London, 2 April 1891

Dear Kautsky,

In great haste on the most urgent matters. At last a letter from Bebel, quite amiable, though with sundry reservations, but the tone is as warm as ever and he expresses the wish to let bygones be bygones.[1]

I have written Meissner a most peremptory letter about the 4th edition[2] and again asked him to send it to you. Also about the clean proofs for you of my concoction on Brentano[3] —if I don't get them[4] soon I shall send you—enfin,[5] I'd better do it straight away—I shall send you the master proof corrected by me so that you'll at least be able to see what the thing is like in the raw.

No doubt you will have got the introduction to the Civil War; it went off a few days ago. Perhaps you would be so good as to write the introductory note.

Everything has been straightened out with Lafargue. I pointed out to him that his arguments from Ricardo and A. Smith had been anticipated long before in the Critique[6] and my preface to the 2nd volume,[7] whereupon he seems to have promptly calmed down.

Schorlemmer is here and sends you his best wishes. It's now time for our meal and Aveling is coming—he is a grass widower, as Tussy is in Norwich drumming up support—so adieu.

Your

F.E.

  1. ↑ In his letter to Engels of 30 March 1891 Bebel said that he was prepared to forget the conflict that had developed between the two over the publication of Critique of the Gotha Programme (see also Note 232).
  2. ↑ of the first volume of Capital
  3. ↑ F. Engels, In the Case of Brentano Versus Marx.
  4. ↑ In the ms., the first, deleted version of this sentence reads: 'I don't believe that I shall ever again find myself in the position of taking a step immediately affecting the German party without first having consulted you.'
  5. ↑ in short
  6. ↑ K. Marx, A Contribution to the Critique of Political Economy.
  7. ↑ of Capital