THE SOCIALISM OF TO-DAY. 
150 
they organized a fête of “ international fraternization ” at the 
Freemasons’ Tavern. The speeches were by no means violent. 
On the question of wages, it was said, working men should 
combine ; but, to smoothen difficulties, they ought also to enter 
into some arrangement with their employers. According as 
machinery was improved, there would be a smaller demand for 
labour; a proportionate reduction of wages would therefore 
be threatened. How was a sufficient remuneration to be 
secured to the labourer ? It was a difficult problem, the solu 
tion of which required the attention of historians, philosophers, 
statesmen, employers, and labourers of all countries. Finally, 
they proposed to create committees of working men “as a 
medium for the interchange of ideas on questions of interna 
tional trade.” The conception of a universal association 
appears here in embryo. Two years afterwards it saw the 
light. 
On the 28th of September, 1864, a great meeting of working 
men of all nations was held at St Martin’s Hall, London, under 
the presidency of Professor Beesly. M. Tolain spoke in the 
name of France. Karl Marx was the real inspirer of the 
movement, though Mazzini’s secretary. Major Wolff, assisted 
him—a fact which has given rise to the statement that Mazzini 
was the founder of the International. So far was this from 
being the case that he only joined it with distrust, and soon 
left it. The meeting appointed a provisional committee to 
draw up the statutes of the association, to be submitted to the 
Universal Congress, which was expected to meet at Brussels in 
the following year. In this committee Fngland, France, Italy, 
Poland, Switzerland, and Germany were represented ; and 
afterwards delegates from other countries were admitted. They 
were fifty in all. They adopted none of the ways of a secret 
society. On the contrary, it was by publicity that they hoped 
to carry on their propaganda. Their office was in London : 
No. 18, Greek Street, Soho. The statutes that were drawn up 
were, after all, by no means revolutionary ; indeed, it might 
have been supposed to be a society for the study of social 
questions. A general council was appointed, with Odger for 
president ; Wheeler, treasurer ; Cremer, secretary ; and includ*