Engels in Neue Rheinische Zeitung April 1849
Source: MECW Volume 9, p. 291;
Written: by Engels on April 18, 1849;
First published: in the Neue Rheinische Zeitung No. 276, April 19, 1849.
Cologne, April 18. Yesterday in Berlin the Second Chamber voted on the question whether the entire Bill to suppress the right of association, brought in by Herr Manteuffel, should be rejected lock, stock and barrel or not. Rejection of the Bill failed by 137 votes to 141. Thus the Left was in a minority of only four votes. Among these four votes, all of which were of the Left Centre, was Pastor Elkemann from Wörringen, deputy of the rural constituency of Cologne and Mülheim. One may ask his intermediate and primary electors whether the Pastor, who acted the extreme liberal at the time, was elected by them to help get rid of the few still remaining civil liberties?