Page:William-morris-and-the-early-days-of-the-socialist-movement.djvu/216

Rh 2nd, I will make every effort to keep the League together.3rd, we should treat Parliament as a representative of the enemy.4th, we might for some definite purpose be forced to send members to Parliament as rebels.5th, but under no circumstances to help to carry on their Government of the country.6th, and therefore we ought not to put forward palliative measures to be carried through Parliament, for that would be helping them to govern us.7th, if the League declares for this latter step, it ceases to be what I thought it was, and I must try to do what I can outside it.8th, but short of that I will work inside it.

You can show this letter to any of our friends, to each and all of whom I send fraternal greetings.

July 27th, 1888. —You must not be too downcast because of my London views of the movement; but you can easily see that from the time when the Parliamentary section in the League made up their minds to press the question to extremities the League was practically split. Of course I shall do all I can to prevent a formal split, and shall work my hardest whatever happens, either in the League or out of it; nor is there any probability of the really active amongst the section of principle being discouraged or separating. But you will see that the whole of the work in London is now on our shoulders, and since we were but shorthanded before, you may imagine that it is hard work now. By the way, I am writing a paper on the policy of abstention, which I should like to read in an informal manner to Socialists only when I come your way.

As to Commonweal, here are the hard facts: with the present circulation of say about 2800 we are losing ₤4 per week, supposing the number sold are all paid for. There are monies owing to us of about ₤40, but about half that must be written off as bad, owing to a bad habit that those branches and individuals have got into of not sending up the money for the sales they made and accumulating a