The International Congress of Working-Men at Lausanne and the Peace
Congress at Geneva seem to have been singularly futile, and useless,—perhaps, almost as much so as the Pan-Anglican Synod of the week after next promises to be. The former (Work- ing-Men's International Congress) have had a great discussion about co-operative associations, which the Committee believe to involve the danger of creating an inferior working class within the working class. An English workman acquainted with the operation of the co-operative principle in Messrs. Briggs' colliery combated this view, and showed that the effect of the co-opera- tive principle was to give the workman as well as the capitalist a direct share in the advantages of machinery, and all the improve- ments effected by more powerful instruments of production. 'This view impressed the Congress, which, however, was hairbrained enough to carry mutually destructive resolutions, first affirming the existence of great dangers in co-operative associations, and then affirming that they will -vanish before they can seriously endanger the class whom they threaten. The Bishops will probably beat that ; but it will take Bishops to do it.
