increased their income. It has tended to eliminate unnecessary competition and to better adapt the supply to the demand.
The Socialist party in Belgium now has over five hundred thousand votes, and, considering its relations to the co-operative establishments, probably controls a larger amount of capital than any other polical party. Its struggle and agitation for universal suffrage has been its most important undertaking. Dangerous weapons were used. I can imagine few graver prospects than the possibility of the introduction of similar methods of warfare into our political life. As a climax in the effort to obtain universal suffrage, there was an attempt made to bring about a universal strike in every industry, with the hope that there would be such complete paralysis of the nation’s industrial life that the Government would be compelled to yield. The attempt was a failure, but the method was a most dangerous precedent. The strike will be remembered as probably the greatest one on record. More than 300,000 working men were idle. Nearly every industry in the country, with the exception of the railroads, post-offices and telegraph lines, was affected. The strike was marked by comparatively little disorder. In spite of the imposing manifestation on the part of the people, the Government succeeded in maintaining its majority, and the Chamber, by a majority of 20, refused to consider the question of revising the constitution in favor of universal suffrage. The election which followed strengthened slightly the working men’s party, but also strengthened the Clericals who are at present the controlling force back of the ministry. The Chamber is made up of 166 members. The Clericals now have 96, the Socialists 35, and the Liberals 34.
The union of political and labor organizations is seen in the highest development in Belgium, and the result of that union, with its possibility of strictly class legislation, may well be to us an interesting field of observation. As yet it has not seriously affected industry, nor threatened existing forms of government, but if the great industrial population of Belgium is eventually united into a political organization of sufficient strength to take the control of the Government out of the hands of the Clericals, Belgium is likely to become the scene of extremely interesting socialistic legislation.
A phase of socialism which is especially emphasized in Belgium is the attitude of the party toward art, and the plans for providing culture and amusement for the people, in answer to a demand for public entertainments and for great spectacles. In a state in which they hope to abolish the Church and the army, they propose to have something to substitute for churchly pomp and military pageant. They expect to do this by parades and celebrations of one kind and another, and even now they
