The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1920-07-16
THIRD PARTY ON ROCKS
STRIFE RAMPANT AMONG
MANY FACTIONS
THEY SPLIT WIDE OPEN
La Toilette Puts Taboo On Hope
Of Radical Elements In
Labor Group

ASSOCIATED Press Dispatch.l
Chicago, July Ex-senator La
Toilette does not "deem himself
available as a candidate" for the
new party presidential nominee.
He sent word to the convention. {.
that he did not want the nomina-
ton.
Chicago, July 14.-Hopes for the
survival of the new fusion party were
at ebb tide as the all night confer
ence of the new body's resolutions
committee dragged along today in an
effort to get together on platform
acceptable to Senator La Toilette.
The extreme left, which yesterday
controlled the amalgamatiOn and tore
ed it's platform desires on the more
conservative elements in the conven-
ton. struck snag when 1t met the
veto power of the probable presiden-
tial nominee of the new party. Forty
wing group OF the fusion movement,
are bitterly opposed to the more So
cialistic ideas OF the radical labor
faction. In this stand they have the
support not only of La Toilette but OF
several minority organizations sub
scribing to the political combination.
Single Takers Revolt.
The first evidence of possible
breaking up of the new party move
ment followed last nights session
when the single takers withdrew,
adopted their one plank platform and
nominated presidential candidates. For
cauley OF Philadelphia, and for VICE
they selected r. G.. Bar
mum Of Cleveland They quit the new
party Jerome G.. Refs, single tax
leader, said, because ii was not only
apparent they could not obtain their
platform desires and candidate COM
mffted to them but also because they
ffp5a l1os aoeial istfc
The birth Of the new par<5 4>1feFs
day, after five days of conferences.
was attended by tumultuoHs scenes, Ia
Ishich more than once the fedgling
faced shipwreck on the
rocks of jealousies and group antag-
onisms.
Labor Gave Ground.
In the very beginning, the labor
party organization grabbed the rud-
der and steered the course until con-
sideration OF the platform resolutions
was begun. Several planks had been
read and approved when Forty eight
GERS began to interpose strenuous OBJ
jections to their delegation to the
background.
There followed quickly demands for
reviSions of the procedure by which
the resolutions were being passed.
Leaders of the Forty eight delega-
ton insisted on a more prominent po-
sition in the proceedings. In an eff
fort to placate the angry delegates.
the labor leaders surrendered the
craftsmanship to Farley Christensen
of Utah, who presided over the orig
inal Forty-eight convention.
The concession failed utterly, how
ever, to iron out the widely diverg-
ent views of platform planks. AS a
result, the fusion movement was
position in which it had been during
more than fifty hours of backing and
pulling in conference committees.
Fears Of Break.
Leaders of both factions are eager
to avert breach but yesterdays pro-
longed session showed plainly that
their ability to control and dictate the
actions has been strained
to the breaking point. The slightest
appeal to prejudice and passion, the
leaders feared last night, would start
a stampede that would undo all they
had accomplished. So near was the
last night that Chairman
Farley Christensen of Utah for nearly
two hours, kept the delegates milling
about their seats and wearing down
their determination for immediate
consideration of the platform which, it
was apparent, could not be had.
Fight Is Continued.
A prolonged platform fight was lin
when the new party fusion
opened this morning.
Only partial success had been met
with in the all night conferences on
the subject at which Senator r. M.
La Toilette was represented.
The proposal for levy on capital
statutes to pay federal expenses, con-
tanned in the original labor platform,
was dropped by the conferees on a
nearly unanimous vote. This elimin-
ated one fighting point.
After the contention had been call
ed to order, forty minutes after the
time set for reconvening, the delegates
INDUCED in q free for all contest to
select tellers to count the votes that
were expected today. This consum-
ed another half hour The platform
committee in the meantime were re-
ported to be making strenuous efforts
to polish off their resolutions.
Argue Over Voting.
The question Of the manner of vot-
ing was brought before the conven-
tion and another hour was spent in
arguing whether each state would be
counted as representing a vote equal
to the states electoral vote or wheth-
er only the actual number of dele
gates In the state delegation should
vote. The result was that each state
should be voted as representing a
vote equal to the states electoral
vote.
Crisis This Evening.
Relations were becoming strained
between the labor party leaders and