The Andrew County Republican. [volume] (Savannah, Mo.) 1871-1876, 1872-01-10

We give, without vouching for Its truth,
this account of the purposes, origin n
progress of the InternatiOnals:
: The first idea of this society appears to
have been thrown out during the course OF
the visit which a deputation of Partisan
wOrkmen paid to the universal exhibition of
London in 1862. They had been sent over at
the expense of their comrades to study the
General condition of European industry, be-
Came acquainted with English workmen,
and initiated into the nature of ~trade-unions,
and discussed the subject of strikes. The
notion naturally occurred to them that II
the principle of cooperation in strikes was
a good thing for the workmen when applied
to one country, 1t would be far more effect
I've when applied IN a grander scale through.
out Europe. The basis of an international
association was then thrown out, whose
members should engage themselves to sup
port each other in all countries, whenever
strikes should be deemed necessary in the
interests of the working classes, and it was
agreed that a great European meeting of
delegates of wOrkingmen should be held in
London in 1864. The meeting took place
on September IS. 1861, in st. Martins hall ;
but the original project had grown consider
ably in the interim, ana assume 4 much
more revolutionary form than was at first
designed. Various representatives of the
continental nations were present. Ihey
elected a committee, who were charged to
draw up the statutes of the association, and
it was decided that n general congress OF
the working-classes should be held in ls6G,
and that up to that period the committee
should act as central provisional council OF
the association, and should sit in London.
OF this committee Mr.. Odgcr was elected
president, and they drew up the statutes in
accordance with the vote, prefGcing them
with a declaration Of principles, THIS de-
claration affirmed that the emancipation o!
the w~orking-men must be effected ny the
working-men themselves. That the CconO'
mic subsection of the worhing-man to the
possessors of capital was the cause of hi,
political, moral and material servitude
That every political movement should there
fore be subordinate to his economical Cman,
cipation. That all efforts to arrive at this
had hitherto failed through want of a com
mon interest between the w~Orking-mcn o.
every profession in every country.
The organization of the International, rs
finally settled, consist of: First-a genera
council. Second-federal councils. ThirC
sections. This organization is at once
simple and strong. The sections represen
the type of the commune {; it is a federation
OF groups, each group being composed o
the affiliated members of the same kind o
industry. Tho federal council is composed
ofdelegates elected by the various sections
comprised in one federation {; and the Icde
raj council is the intermediate body between
the sections and the general or central coun
Gil. Most large towns hsve n federal coun
ell, who, by means of corresponding secre
taries. are in communication with the gen
eral council. Each member of the interna
tional pays two small weekly subscriptions
one subscription defrays the expense:
of the federation, the other those Of the gen
cral council. 1t would Gctain us too long
here to set out in detail the system adopted
Of local and general reports and other rcgr,
atoms of the society. 1t is sufficient L
state that the sovereign legislative body q
the association is the congress which sh0ul,
be held every year. The general council i:
merely the executive. Up TO the preseu
tine there have been four congresses. The
first met at Geneva on the 9TH Of Septem'
Der. 1866 the second at Lausanne. on tho
II of September. 1861. the third at Brussels
on the 9Th OF September, ISIS the fourth a
Basle. on the 9Th OF September, lSG3. L.ls'
year, owing to the disturbed STATE Of Europc
there was no congress, bu. o@c has beer
held in the past month.