The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1890-02-08
BISMARCK'S SCHEME
For Capturing the Votes of the
German Electors.
THE INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE
Proposed by Emperor William to Consider
Labor Questions and What Sir Charles
Dixie Says About 1t.

Especial to THE HERALD-Examiner Dispatch.l
PARIS, Feb. 7.-[By cable to the N. Y.
Herald. Sir Charles Dixie, who has just
arrived in Paris, expressed himself to a
correspondent to-day in regard to the i'm
perial rescripts of the German Emperor.
SIT is hard to say" began Sir Charles,
''iust how far these proposals to improve
the lot of the working classes have been
promoted by desire to influence the Ger
man elections. Germans have long been
divided into two classes-one composed Of
the ranting red-handed Socialists in the
worst sense of the word; the other of the
State Socialists who have at heart the
good of the toiling thousands and who ia
vor such legislation as will bring that good
about by peaceful and lawful means. The
present proposal for an international labor
conference would seem to eminate from
| the latter class. Very possibly the Ger
man government had been influenced in
making this proposal by the turbulent and
| dissatisfied condition of the laboring
classes, but that is the history of all re-
| forms and in no way prevents the fact that
the step once taken, for whatever reason,
| the masses will get the benefit of the ad-
vance. If the English government Is in
vited to send official delegates to
such an international congress, l
think the invitation will be accepted.
England has nothing to lose by taking part
| in such congress. Already her hours of
labor are shorter than those on the CONT
Dent, and her constant tendency is to es
! tablish the forty-five hours week system
| in vogue in Australia. On the whole, /
| think there is no doubt that England will
look favorably upon Germany's proposition
whenever it is made.
Australia has demonstrated that short
ening the hours of labor does not neces-
sarily lessen the amount produced. In any
case, and whatever may be the outcome OF
the congress, it will be but one step in the
march toward the general soclallstlc up
heaval which | regard as inevitable. In
fifty or one hundred years our descendants
will lock upon the present organization of
society as we look upon the feudal system
of our ancestors. How these changes will
come about no one can tell. There are too
May unknown factors in the problem, but
changes are about to come and are coming"
M. Leroy Beaulieu, one of the great
political economists of the day, was also
seen on the same subject. He said: 81
regard the proposal of the German En-
peror as impracticable, dangerous and in
every way i'll advised. William is young
man with superficial knowledge of the
vast question he has undertaken to deal
with. Perhaps in his ignorance he has
confidence in the remedy he suggests; but
you may be quite sure that Prince Bis
marck, who is pulling the wires behind
the throne, is simply manuvering to catch
the vote of his Socialist enemies in the APP
preaching elections. One thing is certain,
of the two nations the one which has the
3 poorer soil, the least energy and inferior
: intelligence ard aptitudes, will always
I, have to work longer and harder than the
other to accomplish the same result. Nc
legislation can ever change that, no inter
national congress can ever make an Italian
e do as much work in an hour as an Ameri
e can, nor can an American workman hope
a to turn out in a given time product which
will possess the artistic excellence of {
French artist for a Frenchman is essen
TALLY an artistic nature. Suppose one
t of the nations got tired OF the contract an(
refused to abide by it any longer, whit
. would compel obedience and what would
be done with China, Japan and Indis
: whose millions of cheap workmen will il
e the near future become very serious com
n petitors in the labor markets of the world
d Would they be forced to sign an agree
p ment, and if so, who would do the forcing
o No, it is all too absurd to be more than
}. piece of political trickery.n