Eleanor Marx Aveling
Source: Commonweal, Vol 1 No. 10, November 1885, page 99
Transcribed: by Graham Seaman, February 2022
GERMANY. — The celebrated Chemnitz trial has at last come off — and the nine accused have had to be acquitted! And that after the Prussian Government had spent eighteen months in preparing "evidence," and the indictment alone formed an imposing volume of over a hundred folio pages. Poor Bismarck! It is quite appalling to think of the amount of brandy he will consume to comfort himself for all the labour lost. The nine prosecuted Socialists were, it may be remembered, accused of taking part a year and a half ago in the Congress held by the German Socialists at Copenhagen, and of belonging to a secret society whose aim is the overthrow of existing laws, and of circulating by millions Socialistic pamphlets, fly-sheets and the prohibited Social Democrat. Of course, the statement as to the "secret society" is absurd, and despite all efforts of the police, the verdict could be no other — even in Germany — than it was. Meantime, however, the police is "taking it out" of the Socialists. Heine has just been sentenced to six month's imprisonment; Kroecker's printing press has been seized and confiscated; Liebknecht has a month for insulting two police-agents (how policeman H 17, who thought we were disrespectful to him, must regret he isn't in Germany!) There are some eight or nine other trials pending.
I know that in England there is an idea that German prisons are not at all unpleasant places — and certainly persons condemned for "press offences" are better off than they would be here. But that political prisoners may be as cruelly tortured in Germany as Fenian prisoners were in England, the following facts prove. My readers probably remember that at the so-called "Niederwald trial," the shoemaker Holzhauer was condemned to ten years' hard labour. On the 19th of September, Holzhauer committed suicide by hanging himself in his cell at Halle. I quote from the Social Democrat: — "Holzhauer was driven to this deed of despair through continual tortures Thus — as we are informed on reliable authority — he was not occupied as shoemaker, but was set to do work of which, owing to his excessive shortsightedness, he could not do the given amount. The consequence was one "disciplinary" punishment after the other. His request for spectacles was refused. That he was also made to suffer from cold is evident from his last letter to his wife... His family, living in Barmen, only learnt his death from the local papers; the prison authorities did not think proper till five days after Holzhauer's death to communicate with his relations." ... May this poor shoemaker's name be added to the long list of the martyrs of our cause. Let all of us that are Socialists remember Holzhauer."
The English bourgeois press always has long telegrams and gushing articles anent the German military manoeuvres. I do not think any one of them has found space to record these "details." I take only a very few facts from many given: — "On the 14th of September, near Durlach, the manoeuvres of the 14th Army corps — attended, of course, by the German Emperor and many foreign officers — took place. ... On the morning of the 15th September the troops set forth from their quarters merrily and in good health — between four and five in the evening they returned — but how? The condition of the soldiers is hardly describable; they no longer walked, they dragged themselves despairingly along... Over 400 fainted. 9 men were picked up dead. On the 16th of September the number of 'fallen' was 800... At Karlsruhe over 50 men were left lying on the field, of whom 5 died." ... There can be no comment on such facts. But the soldiers in Germany are beginning to understand that they, like the workers, are victims of the hideous bourgeois society of to-day — and they are coming over to us.
FRANCE. — The elections have come, and by the time I am writing gone — though I do not know the results of the final "ballotages." To me it seems that the most important points in regard to these elections are the joining of hands of various Socialist parties, and the clean knocking over of the Opportunists. With the single exception of the followers of M. Brousse — whose Socialism is a very doubtful quantity — all other parties worked together. The number, more or less, of votes recorded, it seems to me matters very little (I confess I don't know what the numbers are) — but I think that the good propagandist work done all over France matters much. And that the Radicals à la Clemenceau — who temper their Radicalism with Socialism, and their Socialism with Opportunism — should be left practically face to face with the reactionists, is to our advantage alone. If Clemenceau kills Opportunism, or Opportunism Clemenceau, "each way makes our gain."
In the Socialiste of 10th October, Paul Lafargue gives a short account of a visit to Louise Michel. I regret that I have not space to translate it. Our heroic Louise is what she has ever been — the gentlest, tenderest, most womanly of women, while at once the strongest, most uncompromising, and determined of revolutionists. She is spending much of her time in preparing good school books for little children — surely admirable work — and suffering is as ever incapable of weakening this strong woman's heart. Lafargue tried to prove to her that she could without hesitation accept an amnesty — since she does not admit the right of the Government to condemn her, and since on coming out from prison she would carry on her good work of propaganda for the revolution. But till all her fellow-prisoners — Krapotkin and the rest — are amnestied, Louise will not hear of any "mercy" for herself. Let me just add that Lafargue could only see her behind her horrible prison-bars, and could not even touch her hand.
AMERICA. — There is much interesting news to be given from various countries, but our American news is so specially interesting this month that I am tempted to leave out many notes — space being limited — to make way for it. First, I must say that the struggle with the police at Dod Street has caused the utmost excitement and interest, all the papers — bourgeois as well as our own — giving long accounts of what occurred. As to Morris's arrest our friends all rejoice at it as the best thing that could have happened. I don't know that Morris will quite agree with them, but I certainly do. The New Yorker Volkszeitung (a daily Socialist paper with a very large circulation) gives in its issue of the 1st October, a report of a crowded meeting held in New York on the "Gagging Affair in London." A resolution — too long, unfortunately, for insertion here — was passed, stating that the "shameful events in London" only go to prove that there must be solidarity among all people of the earth; that all workers can learn a lesson from this; and that they (i.e., the Socialists at this meeting) greet with all their hearts the advance made on the heretofore unpropitious soil of England, of the eternal Socialist Idea, and that they wish their English comrades good luck in their energetic conduct." The resolution ends with the words, "May the day of our emancipation soon dawn."
A new English Socialist paper is about to be started in New York. This is good news. There are already two German Socialist papers, but since the Voice of the People ceased to appear two years ago there has been no English one.
The recent report of the Bureau of Statistics is of the utmost importance for us Socialists. But a letter has just come from San Francisco containing such interesting news that I cannot resist giving at least a few extracts from it, and. leaving over, for the present, my notes on the "report" For the many interesting facts concerning organisation in the "small scattered towns" I have not room, and I can only get in a few general ones. "The International have extended their operations ... have two lecturers afield, and are doing all they can in distributing literature. ... No comrades are working harder than those at Topeka, Kansas. ... In Stockton, California, one of our largest towns, we have got quite a footing ; have captured the leading paper, and are holding extremely good weekly meetings. ... We have sent a man specially to Seattle (Washington Territory), another to Victoria, etc., etc. From all these we have had numerous letters. We have letters from Oregon, from Canada, where there is much discontent ... but the best work is being done in Central California, the most thickly peopled portion of the State. ... A large mass meeting was held some three weeks ago to advocate Government ownership of railroads and telegraphs. Some 3000 had a lot of Socialism talked to them. ... Two of our most energetic comrades are now organising a free employment agency for the unemployed — of whom there will be in this city (San Francisco) alone some 15,000 this winter." Our correspondent goes on to say how the Chinese question is one of their greatest difficulties. We understand the difficulty in some respects, but surely that will be lessened when our American Socialists explain that not the unhappy Chinese but the exploiters who import them are to blame — that the latter not the former should be attacked. In conclusion, our comrade writes that the Commonweal "is eagerly read here, and largely quoted from in our labour papers," and he, too, says "the news of Morris's arrest has reached us, and we take that to be the best thing that has happened for a long time. That very day an attempt to suppress free speech was made here, and a League for its Defence promptly formed. We expect an enormous crowd in consequence this afternoon." All good be with our comrades in the West !
Eleanor Marx Aveling.
[Notes from Holland, Spain, and Italy must stand over for want of space.]