The weekly Alaska citizen., 1919-12-01
THE NEW LABOR PARTY.

With its endorsement of the new na- tional labor party and its participation ill that party's organization, the Ameri- can Federation of Labor departed from its traditional policy of years of refusing to accord recognition as body to any political afiliation. It has heretofofe been the policy of federated labor to throw its influence in doubtful states or precincts to either of the big parties from which it could secure the big gest benefits, believing that it would do more for its members in this way than could ever be accomplished in any separate political organization.
 It must feel that it has some chance of securing certain objectives else it would have stuck to its old policy. It apparently bases it's hopes on the alliance formed with farmers granges and the national non-par- tisan league, the latter being especially strong in the northwest. That it can elect a presidential candidate is hardly to be ex- pected nor is it believed that the leaders of the new organization hope to do so. The best it can accomplish is to show a strength that make whichever of the older political organizations win grant the combined labor forces greater recognition than has ever been accorded any of its branches.
 The primary cause of the organization of the national labor party is to be found in the uncompromising stand taken by President Wilson, as head of the American government, in support of law and order in the coal strike matter The call for the national convention as we'll at the alli- ance between federated labor and the other component parts of the new party was is sued when the government refused to aban- don its attiture that the strike was unlaw- full and to withdraw it's injunction proceed ings before the federal court in Indiana- polls. The determination of the govern ment to protect the lives of its citizens and their welfare against the illadvised eff forts of small minority of their own num- Der illsuited the labor leaders who are openly planning to punish, in a political manner, the party which they charge with being responsible for the government s anti-strike policy. It is we'll in the hour of its birth for the American people to re- cognize the fact that the national labor party is not a creation for the purpose of working out any great reform system; it has no program to offer the country for a settlement of industrial unrest; it is simply formed as means of revenge on an admin istration which had the courage to de- nounce as illegal the efforts of certain laborites to enforce their will on the whole country even at the cost of rational ca lamity involving great suffering to many people and which was upheld in its conten- tion by the courts. That the court was right in it's decision is apparent from the fact that the case was carried no higher than the trial court. Had the unions seen any chance for victory it would not have stopped short of the supreme court of the United States Tacitly admitting the cor rectness of the administration contention, it seeks to punish it at the polls for daring to uphold the law.
 Had the administration failed to up- hold the law, it would have received and wholly deserved the condemnation of the American people and the latter will hardly fail to support it against this open threat of laborites to penalize it because it pro- tected the public from predatory unions.
 NO TIME TO WEEP