Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1919-12-17
THE LABOR PARTIES
BY walter Thomas Wills, u. A., Author
Of Democracy or D01potiSm.
(Note: This is one Of a series Of seven
historical articles on the Labor parties.3
=. -

(Note: This is one Of q series Of seven 81
historical articles on the Labor parties.1 III
~5-
OF THE FUTURE FOR
LABOR PARTIES? I'll
William Allen White declares that
the old order of economics, Of politics
and of commerce has passed away.
He affirms that everybody in Erope
knows it and intimates that the people
Of this country will not be able to deal
with the real situation until they, too,
have discovered it. He further claims
that in Europe the conservative force I
is made up of Socialists, that the |
dangerously aggressive forces are the |
Bolshevih and their imitators in other |
countries. In other words, he more |
than intimates that the only parties |
of the future will be Labor parties and |
that the political conflicts for the fu- |
ture in Europe will be between parties, |
both of which will represent labor.
neither of which will be bound by the |
traditions of the past or subject to the
powers of the great private interests.
A Burial and A New Birth
Whatever may by true of Europe,
and however blind America may be
to what has happened over there, ev-
cry hour that passes is making every
thoughtful American aware OF what is
happening In the United States. The
$4,000 millionaires shown by the in
come tax returns to have been made
in this country since the declaration Of
war on Germany with the cost OF l1v-
ing mounting up, and in spite OF In
creasing wages and increasing prices
for farmers products, the effective in
come; that is, what labOrers and farm.
ers are able to buy with the prices re-
ceived by them, has been all of the
time going, down. Wages have in
creased, the prices of farm products
have increased, but the prices paid,
both by wage-workers and by farmers
for what they get out of the market,
have increased so much more rapidly
that, with their larger incomes, they
are able to buy less stuff.
An Impossible Situation.
The lot of labor has become unen-
durable. The situation of the farmer
has become one of unreasonable haz-
ard, of uncertainty in everything ex-
cept that in the end Of every deal he
| finally gets the bad end of the bar
gain.
Organizations of labor have never
! grown so rapirly. The appearance
and rapid growth Of the Nonpartiesan
league, the combination OF this farm
ers' organization with the trade unions
in every state where it has made its
appearance, their ability to agree upon
common program and to fight intel
ligently, not for the purpose of pun
ishing enemies. not for the purpose
of imprisoning or humiliating prof.
teers, not for the purpose of taking
VENGEANCE on those who have wrong
ed them, but for the purpose of doing
certain things which they are convinc
ed, and which they are able to con
t vince others, would remedy the
2 wrongs inflicted upon the many by the
power of the few-all these proclaim
the birth of a new era in the United
Y States.
World Forces Forcing Fight.
= The world war has brought the in
dustry, the commerce and the polite!
:. of this country into connection will
>. world commerce, world industry ant
L world politics. 1t can not help bu
bring our labor movement into clos
touch and ultimately into cooperation
= with the labor movement of the world
. The labor movement of the world i
no longer group of workers tightin
for concessions from their enemy en-
r ployers. It is that, but it is vastl
y more. 1t has been taught by long an
% bitter experience that in every COZ
% fict of labor with the oppressors q
20 labor, the final resort of the oppre:
y sor is found in the misuse of the pull
y lie power What they have won in a
increase of wages, they lost again i
the losses recurring from an increas
in the cost of living.
e. A New Alliance.
The workers have discovered tina
% % through public ownership they ca
~ ~ use our own government to establis