6. From the Minute Book of the General Council. Central Council Meetings (March-early July 1865)
March 7, 1865
Citizen Fox then read to the Council the report of the Committee and the resolutions recommended by it in reference to the imbroglio in Paris.[263]
It was agreed to consider the resolutions seriatim?
March 14, 1865
Citizen Le Lubez read a letter from Citizen Lefort. He also stated it was a mistake to suppose he had been or was now in any way prejudiced in favour of Lefort or Tolain. He also read a letter signed by Citizens Bocquet, Dénouai, and himself, protesting against the former decision of the Central Council in turning out Citizen Lefort, and another letter signed by Citizens Bordage, Leroux, Dénouai, Bocquet, and himself, protesting against the appointment by the Central Council of anyone not a Frenchman as the delegate to the Administration in Paris.
Citizen Marx stated the protest was unnecessary as he, Citizen Marx, was certain that Citizen Schily would not accept the appointment if there was the slightest opposition to him: it was against Citizen Schily's wish that he had been elected.[264]
The President suggested the re-opening of the whole question. This was opposed by Citizens Howell, Kaub and Cremer.
The following resolution was then proposed by Citizen Weston, seconded by Citizen Morgan and carried unanimously:
That the Central Council having the fullest confidence in Citizen Lefort, earnestly requests him to retain the card of membership he has in his possession and hopes that he will use his great influence to form a branch in France. [...]
Citizen Weston gave notice of the following propositions for discussion at the earliest opportunity:
1st. Would not an advance of wages of any particular section of industry be secured at the cost of the other sections.
2nd. Would not the supposed advantages of a general rise in wages be negatived by the corresponding advance in prices.
April 11, 1865
The situations of corresponding secretary for France, also for Belgium, having become vacant consequent on the resignation of Citizen Lubez, Citizen Jung proposed, Morgan seconded, that Citizen Marx be corresponding secretary pro tern for Belgium.[265]
Carried unanimously.
Citizen Marx proposed, Citizen Cremer seconded, that Citizen Dupont be appointed corresponding secretary for France. Carried unanimously. [...]
Citizen Marx stated that one of the 32 members who had met recently in Paris had been prosecuted by the French Government for publishing a pamphlet.(1) [...]
Citizen Longmaid proposed and Citizen Marx seconded: That the Secretary write to those members of the Central Council who have not taken their cards of membership and inform them that unless they do so on or before April 25, that they will be considered as wishing to withdraw and their names will accordingly be struck off the roll of Councilmen. This resolution was considered by the Central Council necessary inasmuch as complaints had been made that a former resolution of a similar character had never been communicated officially to absentee members.
The resolution was carried unanimously. It was then agreed to that the proposition of Citizen Weston on the question of wages (2) should come on for discussion on May 2nd and that members of the Association were eligible to attend the discussion, also that any member of the Central Council is at liberty to introduce a friend.[267] April 25, 1865
Citizen Wheeler proposed, Citizen Marx seconded,' that Continental corresponding members be ex officio members of the. Central Council. Carried unanimously. [...]
Citizen Marx read a letter from Ernest Jones on the suffrage,[268]
he also read a letter from Citizen Fontaine asking for a declaration of principles. Questions in said letter referred to Sub-Committee.[269] He also read a letter from the compositors at Leipsic referring to their strike and expressing a hope that the London compositors would assist them.
Citizens Fox, Marx and Cremer were deputed to attend the Compositors' Society.
May 2, 1865
Marx gave a report from Paris stating there were changes about being made there in the Administration which when made would be fully reported to the Central Council.[271][...]
Cremer referred to the assassination of President Lincoln and proposed that an address should be drawn up and sent to the American people expressing the views of the Central Council on recent events in America, more particularly referring to the murder of Mr. Lincoln.
The resolution was seconded by Lucraft and carried unanimously.
Weston then read a portion of his paper on the question of wages; the remainder was adjourned to the next sitting.
May 9, 1865
Citizen Fox read a letter from Citizen Vinçard who had been appointed on the Paris Administration, stating that the state of his health would preclude him from accepting the appointment, also expressing his best wishes for the success of the Association and regretting that he could not assist to make it so.
Jung proposed, Marx seconded: That the General Secretary write to Citizen Vinçard thanking him for his past services and hoping that he will, as far as [is] consistent with his health, do his utmost for the interest of the Association. Carried unanimously.
Citizen Marx read the address to President Johnson in reference to the assassination of Abraham Lincoln/(3) Cremer proposed, Weston seconded: That the address be adopted, written on parchment, signed by the Central Council and transmitted to President Johnson through the United States Legation. Carried unanimously.
Citizen Howell, who had been appointed to attend with Citizen Cremer the Reform Conference in Manchester on the 15th and 16th of May, having been elected by the Reform League as its secretary and being deputed by that body to attend said conference,[2]'[2] his appointment from this Council was therefore on the proposition of Citizen Wheeler, seconded by Citizen Marx, cancelled and Citizen Odger was elected in his stead. [...]
Citizen Fox proposed, Bolleter seconded: That Weston's question for discussion stand adjourned to Saturday, May 20th, at 8 o'clock, the entire sitting to be devoted to the discussion.[2]'' Carried unanimously.
May 16, 1865
Cit. Marx stated that he had sent to the New-York Tribune a copy of the Society's address to President Johnson.[2]'(4) He also mentioned that there had been an immense public meeting in Geneva in regard to the assassination of the late lamented President of the United States; that the Society's correspondent, Philipp Becker, had spoken at the same, and remarked upon the international character of the meeting.
Cit. Becker then proceeded to state that the Working Men's International Association was at the head of the new movement for popular rights,[3] which statement was received with cheers by the meeting.
May 23, 1865
Citizen Weston resumed the adjourned debate on his proposition regarding wages. He was followed by Citizen Marx who opposed Citizen Weston's views as did Citizen Wheeler, after which Cremer proposed the adjournment of the debate till the 30th.(5)
Carried unanimously.
.367
May 30, 1865
Citizen Marx recommended that the Council should concentrate its efforts upon promoting the success of the Working Men's Congress to be held in Belgium this year.[2]"
June 6, 1865
Citizen Marx stated that when Citizen Weston's propositions are again discussed he should read a paper in reply and propose a series of counter-resolutions.
June 20, 1865 Citizen Marx then read a part of his paper in reply to Citizen Weston's propositions on the question of wages:'
Citizen Weston thought that in the part of the paper read by Citizen Marx nothing had been advanced or proved which in any way affected the principles he affirmed.
Citizen Cremer thought Citizen Marx had given two or three practical illustrations or rather facts which completely destroyed the positions affirmed by Citizen Weston.
The question was adjourned till June 27th at 9 o'clock. Citizen Marx will then read the latter part of his paper and propose a series of counter-resolutions.
June 27, 1865 Citizen Marx then, after recapitulating the principal points in the first part of his paper which lie had read at the last sitting, proceeded to read the latter part, at the conclusion of which Citizen Cremer said there were many who would like to have both papers — of Citizen Weston and Citizen Marx's reply — printed, but he hardly knew how the expense was to be met.
Citizen Weston questioned the correctness of the statement contained in Citizen Marx's paper having reference to agricultural labourers.
On the motion of Citizen Eccarius the debate was adjourned to the next sitting to be opened by Citizen Eccarius.
July 4, 1865 Citizen Eccarius resumed the adjourned debate on Citizen Weston's propositions, arguing against Citizen Weston's views.
Citizen Fox slightly differed with Citizen Eccarius as to the continued intellectual progress which Citizen Eccarius asserted had been made by mankind.
Citizen Carter altogether ignored the statistics of political economists and preferred to look at and judge man by what we knew of him.
Citizen Kaub proposed the adjournment of the debate till the next sitting. Carried unanimously.[276]
Endnotes
[263] On the conflict in the Paris Section, see this volume, pp. 330-36 and Note 60.
[264] Schily informed Marx of his refusal to accept the appointment as the Council's official representative on the Paris Administration in a letter dated March 20, 1865.
[265] \farx acted as Corresponding Secretary for Belgium, while remaining Corresponding Secretary for Germany, until November 6, 1866, when these functions were entrusted to the Council member Alexander Besson.
[267] On the discussion of the question of wages in the Central Council and Marx's report "Value, Price and Profit", see Note 87.
[268] A reference apparently to one of the two letters Jones wrote to Marx, on April 22 and 24, 1865, in which he informed Marx of the headway being made by the electoral reform movement in Manchester.
[269] It soon became clear that Léon Fontaine, a Belgian democrat, had not established contacts with the workers, although he was empowered to do so, and had taken no steps to publicise the International in Belgium. In the letter, which Marx read at this meeting, Fontaine tried to justify his inactivity. The first section of the International in Belgium was founded on July 17, 1865 with the participation of the Belgian socialist César De Paepe.
[271] Marx communicated the news about the reorganisation of the Paris Administration on the basis of Schily's letter to him of April 27, 1865. As a result of the reorganisation, the Administration strengthened its ties with workers and drew several new members, among them Louis Varlin and Zéfirin Camélinat, into its activities.
[3] Garottes—robbers who strangled their victims. In the early 1860s such attacks often occurred in London and were a subject of special debate in Parliament.
[276] On July 11, 1865 the Central Council did not discuss this question. On July 18 the desire was once again expressed to publish the materials of the debate in the press, in particular in the columns of The Miner and Workman's Advocate. However, the report of the debate was not printed. The German refugee Karl Kaub made an attempt to resume the discussion of the question at the Council meeting on August 15 when he read his paper refuting Weston's theses. Thi.s was the last report on the subject recorded in the Minute Book of the General Council.
[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.