Friedrich Engels to Hermann Jung in London; [London,] 10 May 1871. Written in English. Text after the manuscript, MEGAdigital (MEGA², Section III, letters of 1871, no. 164), Berlin-Brandenburgische Akademie der Wissenschaften, CC BY-SA 4.0, without the editors’ apparatus. Underlining in italics; deletions omitted; editorial additions in square brackets; […] illegible word(s). Traducción al español
10 May 1871.
Dear Jung
The subject in question has been talked over many times previously between M & myself & again tonight—we cannot come to any other conclusion but that there are only two candidates likely to take the place that can be taken into consideration viz Hales or Mottershead. What you say about H. is quite correct & if he was proposed, it might be made a condition that he should get himself cleared in a more satisfactory way than he has done hitherto—as to his being an overlooker, so is Dupont, & so long as he behaves straight otherwise, that, though a little unpleasant, should not be an absolute bar. We think him, on the whole, preferable to M. whose temper does not perhaps fit him so well for successful agitation among the London masses & that ought to be the principal occupation of the Sec.—As to the ignorance of languages, that is a thing that cannot be helped so long as you yourself are not in a position to take the office which I am affraid you are not; so we shall have to take an Englishman. On the one hand I do not consider the absence of linguistic knowledge a serious impediment under our present organization; on the other this very circumstance might be the means to define more clearly the position of the Sec which hitherto appears to be rather uncertain. To draw up the minutes & to carry on the correspondence with the English branches; at the same time to spread the Assoc. amongst the masses of London & to render it independent of the aristocracy of the working classes & its acknowledged leaders,—if we could find a man capable & willing of doing that, we should probably get more consideration for our 15/- than hitherto. We must not forget that the office to be filled up is not that of “General Sec.” to the Association, as Ecc chose to call himself, but merely Sec. to the Gen. Council, an office which confines his official duties to those performed in the Council Meetings & to the Correspondence with English branches (English-Americans only by special resolution as far as I know); that is to say he is at the same time Sec. for Great Britain & as such has to keep up the agitation in this country which Ecc. never did & which yet is very important. This latter portion of his duties M. & I consider the most important.
However you will have to talk the matter over & see what can be done. At all events here you have our opinion (confidentially of course), as you asked for it; there is no knowing, perhaps it might be as well merely to come to a provisional arrangement, but that will be for your Committee to decide, as well as all the rest.
Very truly yours
F. Engels.
Those fellows that ran away from Fort Issy without being attacked deserve to be shot. The military situation has become much worse through this piece of cowardice.