The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1927-08-02
arx-Engels Institute
.Invades New York in Its
Hunt for LabOr's Treasure
By ]. LOUIS ENGDAHL.

By j. LOUIS ENGDAHL.
THE Boshevik Revolution in Russia has brought about
new kind of treasure hunt 1t is being carried on
by the Marx Engels Institute at Moscow, u 5. S r.
and reaches into many parts of the world
The hunt is for the literary treasures left behind by
Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels The writings Of
Marx and Enges appraised at their real worth
until the workers power in Russia and the Soviet
Government thru special decree, established the Marx
Engels Institute Research workers, under Communist
direction assigned the task of unearthng these
and bringing them, in form or other to
Moscow.
The hunt reached to New York City because during
the 1O-year period 1852-62, Marx frequent con-
tributor the New York Tribune, edited by Horace
Greedy. Marx was deeply interested in the Civil War
period in the United States his letter to Abraham Lin
coin the Civil War president being often quoted to show
the attention that he paid to American developments.
The casual reader would conclude that there would be
little difficulty in getting set of the files OF the New
York Tribune for this period and clipping the articles
bv Marx from it's pages. But it isn't easy. In the
first place it was discovered that there is only file
of The Tribune for this period and that is located IN
the New York library An effort made to purchase
it. But this where Soviet Gold" was
rejected
The photographer therefore, had be resored to- in
order to make duplicates photostats, not of articles
that could be easily found but of whole pages, in du
plcate size, because to reduce them would make the
reading ilegble.
There were other obstacles however The Tribune,
with real American newspaper technique of its
liabilities did not always give Marx credit for his con-
trbutions.
Sometimes the articles would be given date line and
run as news story At other times the tired editorial
writer would take of the articles sent in by Marx,
change the introduction little, work the conclu-
sions reached and make first editorial out of it.
Those were days American journalism when editorials
were famous for their length So when the ship came
in with its articles from Marx who at that time
living in London it considered big day, If not
holiday for the editorial writer of The Tribune.
1t is only by making thoro study of the contents
of The Tribune, page by page with a keen knowledge
of the many characteristics of the style of writing used
by Marx that the literary treasure hunter is rewarded
with any degree of success. That hunt is not being
carried its final conclusion here in New York The
photostas of thousands of the editorial and pages
of The Tribune taken in New York and then for
warded the Marx-Enges Institute in Moscow, where
the hunt proceeds, conducted by experts in Marxsm
While in Moscow, 1 was shown thru the treasure
chambers of the Engels 1sttute where these and
thousands of other photostats being kept in spe
cialy prepared vaults and cabinets, more carefully
watched and highly treasured than the contents
of the safety deposit sections of New Yors great nan
cia institutions.
There are ALSO in the New York Library 400 original
letters of Marx written friends in this country and
dealing with events of that time Photosats
have been made of 200 of these letters and sent to
Moscow.
1t was with great pride that custodian of these
treasures showed the photostat duplicates of the
writings of Marx and Enges still held by the German
Social-Democratc Party in Germany. When Enges died
In 1895 this literary heritage turned over to the
German Social-Democracy with Eduard Bernstein and
August Bebe executors 1t has already been shown
Bernstein took advantage of this opportunity to
fasify the writings of Engels.
The German socialists refused to surrender this
teral the MarxEnges Institute. But they allowed
photostats be taken 1t will not be easy, there
fore for the Socialist traitors to issue faxed blue
pencied articles by Marx and Enges in the future in
support Of their treason
There are about $50 members of the staff of the
Marx Engels Institute These include 30 librarians, so
technicians and 40 scientific workers.
Two facts illustrate the thoroness with which the
work proceeds Here is to be found the marriage license
of Karl Marx and Jenny Westphaen But here also
are 900 titles the Revolution of 1848 in Germany
Attached to "The Institute" is Abraham Deborin the
philosophical writer all of whose writings philosophy
are based the materalstc conception of history He
is one of the editors of "Under the Banner of Mars
He also of the vice presidents of "The Institute
The aim of the department of philosophy, headed by
Deborin is to give out the works of the German ideal
lists, Haegel Fichte, Schelling and Kant. The Kant
section includes than 700 titles the Fichte section
about 800 titles. Here also sections devoted to the
French materiaists, Heveus Dderot and Holbach The
department of philosophy is also rich with literature
pertaining to Descares, Spinoza, Bacon, Hobbies, Locke
and Lebnz.
There is extensive material concerning England "the
classic land of capitalism where Marx lived for long
in London, and where his remains now lie buried