The Hague Congress

The International Workingmen's Association, 1872

Statements by Rudolf Schramm


Written: in French;
Translated: by Richard Dixon & Alex Miller, for Progress Publishers, 1976.
Transcribed: by director@marx.org.

The Cuno-Schramm incident is described in detail in Schramm's book Die Internationale vor dem Reichstage und die Sociale Frage, Milano, 1878


I

After hearing Mr. Cuno's account of the treatment he had to put up with in Italy, I find his anger against those responsible for this treatment justified, and, assuming that the facts he told me are true and that the Consul, David Mack, has received his letters, I shall certainly take the view that M. Mack is incapable and unworthy of representing the German Empire in Italy. I have not the slightest desire to be involved with this person, and I consider it very bad that they have just castigated me, instead of first ascertaining who I am and who M. Mack is.

R. Schramm

The Hague,
September 6, 1872

Submitted to the Congress at the tenth sitting,
September 6, 1872

II

On March 22, 1866 I wrote to the Prussian Ambassador Count d'Usedom in Florence that in view of the political situation in Europe my honour did not permit me any longer to act as Austrian Consul.

I have never received a letter from Mr. Cuno, either from Milan, from Düsseldorf or from Liège -- probably they were delivered to Mr. David Mack, the present Consul of the German Empire. It seems to me that Mr. Cuno addressed his letters rather to the representative of Germany than to me personally. However, it seems to me that Mr. Mack should have informed me of the letters in question if he received them himself. I do not think that these letters have been seized by the Italian police, but that they duly reached Mr. Mack. I shall write to Mr. Mack for an explanation.

Rudolf Schramm

I resigned as Consul-General of Prussia in September 1866 and my resignation was accepted by the Minister in the same month. Since then I have had nothing to do with the business of the Prussian Consulate. Before 1866 the Prussian consuls were the Austrian chargés d'affaires in all places where there was no Austrian consul.

Submitted to the Congress at the eleventh sitting,
September 6, 1872