206 



EXPOSITION, PARIS UNIVERSAL. 



INTERIOR OF THE MANUFACTURES PAVILION, UNITED STATES SECTION. 



Jaures for its president the Guesdists left the hall, 

 but returned and attempted to rescind the action 

 at a moment when the temporary absence of many 

 of their antagonists left them in the majority. 

 The Ccnnaii Socialists told how they had healed 

 such differences twenty-five years before and had 

 !><<( line the strongest Socialist party in Europe; 

 the English delegation appealed to the Frenchmen 

 to unite for the purpose of combating colonial ex- 

 pansion. jingoism, and imperialism, just as the 

 Mritish Socialists were unanimous in condemning 

 the Transvaal war; a member of the Italian Cham- 

 ber of Deputies related how the Socialists of Italy 

 had successfully resisted the reaction which led to 

 the Milan massacre, and after using the weapon 

 of parliamentary obstruction for a year returned 

 to the Chamber twice as strong in numbers when 

 the Government appealed to the electorate; an 

 Austrian delegate told how united the party was 

 in Austria in spite of racial and linguistic differ- 

 ences; and Belgian, Dutch, Danish, Swiss, Itussian, 



Polish, and American spokesmen each in turn also 

 appealed for union. When the congress got to 

 work at last it passed a resolution in favor of eight 

 hours as the maximum limit of a day's work in 

 all trades, and resolved that the first step to attain 

 this end was to enforce the principle in all public 

 works and contracts. The principle of a minimum 

 wage was discussed as a corollary to thi>, and, 

 after it was pointed out by the Germans that a 

 fixed rate of wages would be useless unless tin- 

 prices of the necessities of life couUi be regulated 

 likewise, it was resolved at their suggestion that 

 it was necessary to maintain minimum rates of 

 wages, varying according to the cost and standard 

 of living in each country, but always sullicient to 

 procure the means of a decent and healthy exist- 

 ence; also that strong trade unions were the ne-c- 

 sary agents for living and maintaining the mini- 

 mum wage. The May day holiday a~ a demon- 

 stration in favor of eight hours, universal suffrage, 

 and other reforms advocated by the party in all 



