Untitled

BATTLE BETWEEN MARX AND BAKOUNIN 169
atheism and schoolboy declamation. Altogether, the policies
and projects of Bakounin seemed so vulnerable that
the General Council evidently felt that little preparation
was necessary in order to defeat them. They seemed to
have forgotten, for the moment, that Bakounin was an
old and experienced conspirator. In any case, he had
left no stone unturned to obtain control of the congress.
Week by week, previous to the congress, I'Egalite, the
organ of the Swiss federation, had published articles by
Bakounin which, while professedly explaining the principles
of the International, were in reality attacking them ;
and most insidiously Bakounin's own program was presented
as the traditional position of the organization.
Liberty, fraternity, and equality were, of course, called
into service. The treason of certain working-class politicians
was pointed out as the natural and inevitable result
of political action, while to those who had given
little thought to economic theory the abolition of inheritances
seemed the final word. Nor did Bakounin
limit his efforts to his pen. All sections of the Alliance
undertook to see that friends of Bakounin were sent as
delegates to the congress, and it was charged that credentials
were obtained in various underhanded ways.
However that may have been, the "practical," "coldblooded"
Marx was completely outwitted by his
"sentimental"
and "visionary" antagonist. Instead of a great
victory, therefore, the Marxists left the congress of Basel
utterly dejected, and Eccarius is reported to have said,
"Marx will be terribly annoyed." (18)
That Marx was annoyed is to put
it with extraordinary
moderation, and from that moment the fight on Bakouninism,
anarchism, and terrorism developed to a
white heat.
Immediately after the adjournment
of the
congress, Moritz Hess, a close friend of Marx and a.