3. From the Minute Book of the General Council. Central Council Meetings (January-February 1865)
January 3, 1865
Dr. Marx handed in a German translation of the Address and Rules of the Association and stated that 50,000 copies had been circulated in Germany[253]; he also stated that a branch of the Association was being formed in Switzerland. [...]
Dr. Marx resumed the adjourned debate on the Address which it is proposed to send to the National Government of Poland, and in a very able historical resume argued that the traditional foreign policy of France had not been favourable to the restoration and independence of Poland." The Address of Dr. Marx was pregnant with important historical facts which would be very valuable in a published form.
Mr. Fox in reply stated he did not defend the foreign policy of modern France; all he contended for was that the foreign policy of old France had been favourable to the Independence of Poland.
The following was then proposed by Mr. Jung, seconded by Le Lubez and unanimously adopted:
That the views expressed in the address concerning the French foreign policy towards Poland not being borne out by historical facts, that it be amended so as to accord with the truths of history.
January 24, 1865
Correspondence was read [...] by Dr. Marx from the Compositors' Society of Berlin, also from the General German Working Men's Association, both expressing their entire concurrence with the principles of the International Working Men's Association and
See this volume, pp. 311-27.— Ed.
regretting that there were legal impediments which prevented them from becoming affiliated members of the Association, but promising to send representatives to the congress.3
Dr. Marx also read a very interesting letter from the military commanderb of St. Louis,[254] and a letter from M. Tolain having reference to the position they occupied in Paris in relation to International Working Men's Association.
A discussion then took place concerning certain statements or rumours in regard to M. Tolain, and it was agreed that before any cards of membership were sent to Paris that the truth of such rumours should be investigated.[255]
January 31, 1865
A discussion then took place regarding the period when the subscriptions of members should begin and end when Citizen Marx proposed and Citizen Whitlock seconded: That subscriptions begin on the First of January and end on the 31st of December.
Citizen Cremer then proposed and Citizen Fontana seconded: That those who have been elected members of the Central Council but have not taken out their cards of membership by the 1st of March next, shall after that date be considered as excluding themselves from the Central Council. [...]
Citizen Marx then read an extract from the St. Louis Daily Press eulogistic of our Address and Rules and expressing their regret at not being able to publish the whole.c256 [...]
The Secretary*1 then introduced the question of the suffrage, stating there was an attempt being made to organise a meeting for manhood suffrage and he thought the Council ought to watch the preliminary proceedings and for that purpose would propose that a deputation be appointed to attend the preliminary meeting which will be shortly held.
A long discussion took place in which Citizens Marx, Whitlock, Wheeler, Le Lubez, Carter took part. Citizen Wheeler seconded the resolution which was carried unanimously.[257]
February 7, 1865
Citizen Cremer gave the report of the Sub-Committee; they recommended to the Central Council the following:
[1] That separate cards be issued to societies forming the Association, such cards to be of a general character stating that the society whose name it bore had affiliated itself to the International Association(1);
2nd. That all the money subscribed in England for individual cards be sent to the Central Council, but if any branch of the Association shall incur any legitimate expense, the Central Council may, if they deem it judicious, grant a sum for the liquidation of such debt;
3rd. That our Continental brethren be supplied with cards at Is. each, which sums to be sent to the Central Council.
They were proposed by Citizen Cremer, seconded by Citizen Marx and carried unanimously. [...]
Citizen Marx then proposed and Citizen Wheeler seconded, that Citizen Lefort be appointed as our literary defence in Paris. Carried unanimously.
February 14, 1865
Citizen Marx then stated that a branch of the International Working Men's Association had been formed in Manchester, he also read a letter from Mr. Ernest Jones on the subject of manhood suffrage.[2]"[8]
The letter was fully discussed. Citizen Marx also read an extract from the German Star(2) which stated that the Swiss were interesting themselves on behalf of the Association and that a meeting of the Republican League and French Swiss Society had been held; they had accepted the rules and would form branches throughout Switzerland with a central council in Geneva.
February 21, 1865
On the motion of Whitlock, seconded by Citizen Marx, Citizen Le Lubez then read some correspondence from Paris which referred to unpleasant proceedings having taken place there, and as it was generally agreed that it would be difficult to settle the differences by correspondence, it was decided on the proposition of Citizen Whitlock, seconded by Fontana, that Le Lubez be sent to Paris to investigate the differences existing between Citizen Lefort and Citizen Fribourg.
Citizen Marx proposed, Citizen Lessner seconded, that Mr. Schily be appointed to co-operate with Citizen Le Lubez in settling the differences.3 Carried unanimously.
It was also agreed that the delegates be invested with power to act as circumstances may determine.
February 28, 1865
Citizen Marx read correspondence from Manchester regarding the suffrage,[259] he also stated that he had withdrawn from any connection with the Social-Demokrat!"
Endnotes
[253] The reference is to the "Inaugural Address of the Working Men's International Association" published in Der Social-Demohrat, Nos. 2 and 3, December 21 and 30, 1864, under the title "Manifest an die arbeitende Klasse Europa's". T h e G e r m a n translation of the Address was made by Marx.
[254] A reference to Joseph Weydemeyer's letter of January 2, 1865 in reply to Marx's letter of November 29, 1864, in which Marx wrote about the foundation of the International Working Men's Association. Weydemeyer was glad to hear the news and informed Marx of his intention to publish the Inaugural Address of the Association in the local workers' newspaper, St. Louis Daily Press, as well as in the democratic newspaper World.
[255] A g r o u p of bourgeois republicans who claimed to be the leaders of the French organisation of the International, accused Tolain and other members of the Paris Administration of being in contact with Bonapartist circles. T h e underlying reason for these rumours was the conflict which was maturing in the Paris Section and which became the subject of discussion at many Central Council meetings (see this volume, pp. 82-83, 329-36 and Note 60). The proposal temporarily to postpone the sending of membership cards to Paris was made by Marx at this meeting, as his letter to Engels of January 25, 1865 indicates (see present edition, Vol. 42).
[257] 2a7 A discussion ensued on the participation of the Central Council's delegation in the preliminary electoral reform conference to be convened in the London Tavern on February 6, 1865 by a group of radicals. The conference was to prepare a larger meeting to be held in St. Martin's Hall on February 23, 1865 with a view to founding a mass organisation for the reform campaign (see Note 141). The minutes of the meetings do not reveal the character of the debates and the content of Marx's speech. However, his letter to Engels written on February 1, 1865 shows that he managed to convince some Council members who objected to participation in the preliminary conference and the mass meeting to be convened by the radicals to give up their sectarian views. Marx proved the importance of the workers' joint action with the radicals in the reform campaign and, moreover, explained the terms on which an effective bloc with them was possible (recognition of the demand for universal suffrage, and participation of Central Council representatives in the leading bodies of the mass reform organisation which was being established). The tactical platform proposed by Marx was approved by the Council (see present edition, Vol. 42).
[2] This presumably refers to the articles "The Trade and Navigation Returns" and "Pauperism.—July 1850 and 1849", published in The Economist, August 10, 1850.
[8] Marx has in mind the polemical articles by the Chartist leader Ernest Jones, published in the weekly Notes to the People in 1851 and 1852 and aimed at Christian socialists and bourgeois advocates of the co-operative principle who asserted that social evils could be eliminated under the existing bourgeois system by setting up workers' co-operative societies. In contrast to them, Jones proved that co-operatives could be a powerful means of social transformation if introduced on a national scale by a working class which had won political power. Jones wrote some of the articles jointly with Marx (see present edition, Vol. 11, pp. 573-89).