The Washington times., 1919-12-26
ALI Progressive Radicals Should
GetTogether Upon a Platform
OF Sane Fundamentals

Last Friday three organizations Of service were
merged World War Veterans the Rank and File Vet
rans and the Soldiers Sailors and Marines Association
The organization thus completed under the name Of
World War Veterans, Incorporated claims membership
Of Ave hundred thousand.
So The American Legion claims membership of about
dght hundred thousand
The World War Veterans composed chiefly of men
who strongly favor freedom of speech of printing and
ssmblage They will not assist to put down strikes act
a. strike breakers They opposed to batting other citizens
on account of race descent religious belief In Short
they stand for what reacionares call radcaism and what
they themselves call democracy
Their platform is briefy-The Constitution as it is
written and the democracy for which we fought"
The American Legion and the World War Veterans are
not altogether harmonious socially industray polti
cy and it needs gift of prophecy foresee that the
two organizations will be radically opposed to each
other IN politics and in their attitudes toward social prob
lens and industrial disputes
While the soldiers and sailors of the war are thus
dividing in about equal numbers into opposing peace camps
millions Of civilians dividing into opposing political
camps upon issue which neither Republican nor Demo
cratic, In the partisan sense Of those words.
At Chicago three weeks ago delegates from thirty
States met and formed Labor party the platform of which
practically the platform Of the World War Veterans
The combined membership of the American Federation
Of Labor the Railroad Brotherhoods the Steel Workers
Union and the Miners Union is approximately six millions
tueSe mulOnS nave at least That mothers
wives sisters and brothers who also have votes And they
also have great total of ympathzers among the unor
ganzed workers.
While these dsintegrating and integratng political
factors at work among service and labor union
men, the agricultural producers and laborers are more an
more rapidly breaking away from old partisan political
and taking independent attitudes.
The Non Partisan League has established organizations
IN thirteen States and claims that it could carry eight of
these in election held today However that may be- the
organization is undoubtedly growing very fast and the at
to suppress free speech and free assembage non
parsans by police violence and perversion of udicia
powers have these things always do only served te
strengthen the organizations they intended to ntim
date and destroy
Now, then, neither the World War Veterans nor the
NonPartisan League the Labor party any othe
radical political organization upset the old twopart
control Of Government and national life hey con
duct independent campaigns They will only divide be
conquered.
But if the Labor party the World War Veterans the
League and all those who dissatisfied ant
disguised with the Republican and Democratic parties bu
who do not belong yet either of the three protesting
organizations WILL UNITE upon declaration of funda
mental democratic political social and industrial principles
and reforms they carry the next election and obtair
control of the Government.
II the various political organizations sprngng ur
ally disposed toward reform will unite upon platform Of
fundamentals and nominate who have always beer
judcousy progressive is within their power put boi
Of the old party organizations the toboggan slide next
fall