, 1892-03-18
BUCHANAN'S LETTER.
TIMELY REMARKS ON THE ST. LOUIS
INDUSTRIAL CONFERENCE.

what VIII the Wage Worker Do About
decentralization of the Coal Roads and
the Poor MAn-GouId's New Investment
Thoughts on Church Extension"
The Industrial conferences" has been
held, and we have had time to give some
thought to its action. What do the re-
suits of the st. Louis meeting offer to
labor That is a question which every
sensible workingman should carefully
consider and answer. OF course the an
swer will be conditional; it may be
necessary to amend or entirely reverse
q decision now made after the conven-
ton, which is announced for July 4, has
been held. Notwithstanding the at
tempts of the press of the old parties to
create the impression that the confer
ence was ga conglomeration OF long
haired cranks, who represented only
themselves" and hat the platform
adopted was a string of ~absurdities, no
one who gives the matter careful con-
sideration can deny that the st. Louis
meeting had behind it greater force than
ever backed a like gathering in this
country. Unless something unforeseen
happens the agricultural workers OF the
west and northwest generally and to a
great extent those of the south will sup
port the platform adopted by the con-
ference. Organized labor-or, more
properly speaking, mechanics, miners,
day laborers and railway employees
were not 80 extensively represented as
were the farmers at the conference.
Therefore, the position which they will
take regarding this new political move
ment is more problematical.
am not a politician, and l have not
for a long time taken any particular in
terest in politics; l have not for years
been a member of any political party,
and am not now. i make these state
ments in advance, 30 that my position
at this time may not be misunderstood.
With other men who have studied the
labor question, l have long been con
WINGED that there are some ills under
which the workingman suffers that q
only be remedied through united action
at the polls. l am also convinced that
there are trade questions which can be
properly handled only through trades
organizations. If these views are sound,
then the thing for me to do now is to
Iuc l1nc separating buo lulCliOhn
of the union from those of the party, and
to subject the st. Louis declarations to
test by the line l have drawn. You may
ask why l limit the bidders for the politi-
cal or legislative side Of the job to the
third party movement. 1t is because the
other fellows who have been IN business
30 long have botched the job for me 30
many times; have wasted material,
broken bonds and stolen all the sub
stance. What assurance have l that the
st. Louis crowd will not do likewise?
None, positively. But 1 know the ma
jority of those present were men who
believe as l do, and who have been con-
tending long years for labor's rights,
mistakes they have made.
lido not say that the platform adopted
at St. Louis is perfect, but 1t
to representing what l conceive
to be the interests of the common peo-
Pile than any that has been submitted
we have had a labor movement.
1t deals with the three things-land,
money and transportation-which are of
Importance to the producer,
and it leaves alone those things which
the economic organizations claim the
right to settle for themselves. OF curse
each man should be satisfied that tho
position taken by the conference on the
three questions dealt with is the correct
one. They are subjects with which the
thoroughgoing union man is especially
familiar; the clearest thinkers and
writers on these topics being, as Is well
known, men Of long standing in the la
Dor movement,
Many will be dissatisfied with tho
of the st. Louis conference be-
cause it did not put this, that or the
other thing into its platform, but right
there was where, in my humble judg-
ment, it showed its greatest wisdom.
independent or working
mems platforms have been loaded down
q lot of planks on matters which
be best settled otherwise, or after
the main thing, success, has been
achieved. And the more planks, the
more DIRECTORS and kickers. Had i
been deputized to make the platform at
St. Louis it would have had but one
the one advocated in the Chicago
Enquirer four years ago, Government
ownership of the means of transporting
IclSut, pdsseuScIs anu ulttlllSouCe
Not that the land and money questions
are not important, but what we want is
something upon which WI a all unite
first, and l firmly believe that a major
ity of the people are in favor Of govern
ment ownership of railways and tele-
graphs today.
Now, don't run away with the idea
that l am becoming daft over politics or
that anything more than is said in the
foregoing is meant. 1 have been told so
that the proper place for the work
to right his wrongs is at the
ballot box that l nave come to believe
it, and as all experiments with the old
parties seem to have failed SO far as per-
manent benefit is concerned, l am ready
TO try something else. Every man has
the same privilege; but it seems to me
that it is right and proper for us to dis
cuss the propositions submitted by the
st. Louis conference, which claimed to
speak for the producer. 1t has long
been the wish of the organized wage
worker to bring about a coalition with
the agricultural worker, as both are suf-