| Author(s) | Friedrich Engels |
|---|---|
| Written | 1 February 1894 |
ENGELS TO RICHARD FISCHER
IN BERLIN
London, 1 February 1894 122 Regent's Park Road, N. W.
Dear Fischer,
Discussed the matter with Aveling yesterday. 330 After the Erfurt Party Conference, 331 and armed with the documents provided by you, Aveling again went to the Daily Chronicle and notified them of the facts (he had already been there once before and denounced Reuss as a spy, whereupon they had said they would get rid of him). But now all of a sudden the story was that the proprietor of the paper wished to keep Reuss on and so there was nothing they could do about it. But if Reuss nevertheless asserts that he gave notice himself on 9. Nov. 1891, i.e. immediately afterwards, it shows that, as a result of what Aveling had told them, they treated him in such a manner as to force him to give notice—the fact remains that he was made to go.
However you cannot publicly ventilate any of these matters because you would risk a public denial by the Chronicle people, since etiquette in this country strictly precludes publication of a newspaper's internal affairs and the chaps can thus tell any lies they choose and do so with complete impunity. If I were you I should drop the matter altogether since it is no longer of any importance whatever. The very most you could say would be that the Erfurt Conference took place in October 1891, immediately after which the information about Reuss was sent to London and that, as early as 9 November Reuss had, by his own admission, found it necessary to give notice—and let the reader draw his own conclusions. Should you venture one step further, the Chronicle will state that, so far as it is concerned, the thing simply is not true, and neither it nor any other London paper will print a line of rectification from you. Such is the etiquette of the press over here.
We know nothing about Reuss being pilloried for the second time in the Vorwärts; you will have to look for it yourselves.
Would you pay my fee 332 to the party treasurer who can receipt it in the monthly account with the initials F. E. in L.