Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1919-11-26

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After a political party has agreed
upon the measures for which it will
make battle at the ballot box. and has
selected it's candidates to enact and to
administer it's program, there comes
next in order the campaign which is
I to secure the election of its candidates
and the carrying out of it's proposals.
a In order to accomplish this result,
majority of all the voters in any
given district, In a state, or In the
nation at large, must be secured. They
must be convinced, not only of the
merits Of the measures proposed, but
$of their very great and immediate i'm
gportance and that they can be adopted.
s This conviction must be so sincere
and so controlling as to- bring to the
ballot box, not only bare majority,
but majority so large that irregu-
larities, mistakes in counting, or even
the vicious classification of election re-
turns can not rob the party of the
fruits Of its victory.
The Uusual Way.
To achieve success ordinarily polit-
ical parties resort to scandalous per-
sonalities, to the misstatement of the
real issues, to an effort to confuse the
public mind, to appeal to prejudice, to
arouse suspicion, to take advantage of
race jealousies, to open up social
wounds long healed and which ought
to be forgotten. Such methods have
proven successful in the warfare be-
tween political parties where neither
party to the controversy had in view
q serious and important public purpose
of any sort. Such campaign tactics
may be excusable for political organi-
cations created for the purpose of serv-
ing great private interests by diverting
attention from needed reforms and by
persuading the public that, as bad as
things are, they might be worse.
In this way the public mind, acting
on the desire not to turn over the pub
lie powers to those who may betray
the public good. is led to decide to leave
the public powers in the possession of
those who already have been and are
doing. and will continue to do, the
greatest public wrongs. For fear of a
future evil. they are led to vote for
both present and future known and
certain wrong.
Why q Labor Party?
The only excuse for the existence Of
Labor party is in order to have GER
tain measures adopted which will very
greatly improve the conditions under
which men toll, the rewards which they
receive for their labor, or for the pro-
make an end of all industrial servitude.
These measures must be of such a
nature as will increase the incomes OF
useful people and at the same time
lower the costs of living until the pric-
IS which the workers receive for their
labor, or for their products, will be suf-
fcient to buy back out of the market
all wealth created by them
An effective campaign for the Labor
party must make these measures clear,
must make the multitude understand
their Importance, must make the vast
majority of voters comprehend that
these things really can be accomplish
ed and that political party composed
OF the useful peaple, and set to do these
things, can actually do them. With
such program and such campaign
the OLD style OF politics has little to do.
The old style campaigner can neither
understand, nor is he qualified to have