Free trader-journal and Ottawa fair dealer. (Ottawa, Ill.) 1920-1927, 1920-07-10


day in its first national
convention. Senator La
Fc!Iette of Wisconsin, who won in a
mail referendum taken by the party
to determine the most popular candi-
date for the presidential nomination.
appeared to have no opposition in the
race, as the delegates assembled.
/ Nearly every one OF the 500 or 600
delegates wore a La Toilette badge.
Today's session was given over large
Ily to koynoting and organization
work. Allen McCurdy of New York
city, in his keynote address condemn
cd the Republican and Democratic
| platforms and candidates and declared
the time ripe for a new deal political
| ly.
The convention was more than an
hour late in starting, delayed by pro-
! longcd conferences between repre-
| sentativcs Of the committee, labor
party. non-partsan league. single
tax party, triple alliance OF the north
west and several other organizations
which are flirting with the third party
combine.
! AssaiIs Both Bog Parties.
| Sounding the keynote of the assem-
| blage Alien McCurdy, temporary
chairman, charged that the two big
parties mad cvaded paramount domes-
| tic issues at a time when what the
country needs is fewer laws and
more freedom"
The abolition of special privilege,
| Mr.. McCurdy said was the issue
around which the new party would
appeal to the voters in removing the
sources from which privilege derives
its power,
ITO accomplish this purpose" he de-
clared, "it proposes public ownership
of Transportation and of the principal
! basic resources of the country and de-
clarcs that all land held ont of use
! for speculation should be forced into
use by taxation.
/ "COnsidcr the actual conditions un-
der which we meet After years of
secret slavery the Republican party
and the Democratic party come into
open and reveal themselves to them
selves and to the nation as nothing
but the right wing and the left wing
of The same bird of prey. 1t is no
/ longer possible tor any one to even
/ pretend that there is any difference or
any issue between them. There Is not
4 word in either of their platforms
that m ght not have been written
and unanimously indorsed by a con-
vcntiOn exclusively composed Of cor
poralion lawyers and Wall Street
bankers The only difference between
. these platforms as someone remarked,
/ ID difference in the number of words
used to say nothing. Confronted by
the EraVcst crisis in the history OF
/ civilization they have demonstrated.
even to their own adherents. that they
( are without the vision Of statesman
/ ship the courage OF leadership or the
! conviction of patriotism
Chicago, July 10 Delegates sum-
moncd to Chicago by the committee
Of forty-cight and representatives o.
the single tax movement got together
today in the start of an attempt to
nominate a fusion third party presi-
dCntal ticket Conferences continu
ing nearly all night between the COM
mittce leaders and the active heads
OF the national party had not brought
about agreement however, and the
single tax 2TOup also definitely an
n0Uuccd that their participation in the
first day session with the COMMITTEES
Of t3rty-oight asscmblage was only
tentative It would not adjourn, Je-
rome C. Rcis said, if Senator Lafol-
Ietto of Wisconsin would be nomi-
mated. some single tax delegates,