| 17 June 1871

My dear Sir

I am much obliged to you for the address of the International. I look on it as a most valuable history of the last 12 months. The facts are admirably grouped & stated in forcible & eloquent language. I presume versions of it will appear in foreign languages & therefore | I think that as far as English workmen are concerned it would have been an advantage if some expressions & allusions had been somewhat less foreign in style. But on the other hand it is undoubtedly much to be desired that our workmen should be familiarised with continental terminology & ideas.

There is only one place | where your manifesto becomes in my opinion indistinct & unsatisfactory. I mean the middle sentence on p. 22. I think it is not superfluous but on the contrary imperative upon you to state clearly not only what immediate economic measures you proposed to take, but also what ulterior course you wish to follow. As a matter of policy you | can lose nothing by it with public opinion, since you are already credited with the most extreme revolutionary designs in respect of property.

Your projects, even the mildest of them, are of course certain to be criticized by the middle class from the point of view of absolute rights & justice to individuals. I suppose you know enough of Positivism to be aware that no such metaphysical objections will come from us. Let it once be shewn that any measure is for the good of society as a whole, & we call upon individuals to be silent.

| We are also quite ready to distinguish between the normal condition which concerns the thinker & the temporary or revolutionary expedients which must be left to the judgment of the practical leaders.

I dare say some sale for your manifesto will be found at 6d just at present. Still it is among the workmen that it ought to be distributed, so I hope you will be | able to reduce the price soon. I wish it could be in the hands of every thoughtful workman in London. I think if you had the little page of your address struck off on thin paper, adding “Price 6d or 4s/. a dozen” Truelove might distribute it as an advertising bill & I & other friends could do the same & a demand would be caused. People | don’t know where to go for it.

 Die Beilage ist nicht überliefert.
Schließen I enclose a copy of a letter I sent lately to G. Potter. I always thought the Eastern Post was a country paper. If it has a good circulation among East End workmen I would rather write in it than the Beehive. Please return the letter to Potter  Ein Brief von Beesly an Marx ist nicht überliefert
Schließen whenever you happen to be writing to me.

The turn(?) of Lyons appears to be coming. M. Valentin according to | the Times is a dangerous Red. Perhaps he will now have an opportunity of trying what a reactionary bullet through the legs feels like.

A friend of ours is going to Paris this week so we need not trespass on your kindness for the conveyance of messages.

Yours sincerely
E S Beesly