The Bridgeport times and evening farmer. (Bridgeport, Conn.) 1918-1924, 1920-07-14
LAF0LLETTE WILL
ACCEPT AS Head
OF new PARTY

milwaukee,, July Ex-senator La
Toilette sent a message to the new
party last night expressing his will
hngness to head its presidential ticket.
according to a statement made by the
senator to a correspondent of the Mil
waukee Sentinel. He intimated strong
~, however, that the platform must
measure UP to his wishes before he
would give unqualified consent to
carry the party's standard.
Two planks of the platform being
drafted by the conference committee
OF the labor party and the committee
OF 48 still were in dispute when word
was received that Senator La Toilette
objected to certain planks in the ten
tative draft.
The birth of the new party yester-
day after five days of conference, was
attended by tumultous scenes in
which more than once the fledgling
movement faced shipwreck on the
. rocks of jealousies and group antag-
onism. The very beginning the la
Dor party organization grabbed the
rudder and steered the course until
consideration of the platform reso-
lutions was begun. Several planks
had been read and approved when the
rty-eighters began to interpose
strenuous objections to their relega-
ton to the background. There fol-
lOWcu qulChly utIIldnuS IOT ueNlSlOn
of the procedure by which the reso-
lutions were being passed. Leaders
of the forty-eight delegation insisted
on more prominent position in the
proceedings and the labor leaders
surrendered the Craftsmanship to Par
ley Christensen of Utah, who presided
over the original forty Eight conven-
ton.
The concession failed utterly, how
10 i-n1, Hho xxyi6 al
gent views on platform planks. AS
a result the fusion movement was
again placed in practically the same
position in which it had during more
than fifty hours of backing and
pulling in conference committees.
Forty-eighters then played their
trump card when they brought Sena-
tor LaFollette's influence to bear and
demanded platform concessions before
their presidential candidate would
consent to make the race. Questions
of naturalization of essential indus
tries and a plank dealing with for
eign relations were the principal
stumbling blocks. LaFollette's rep
resentatives held out strongly against
inclusion of these planks as dictated
by the labor party.
An official version of the tentative
draft which did not meet Senator
1-Repeal of all sedition and GRIM
inal anarchy statutes.
2-Amnesty for political prisoners
Jailed because of religious belief or
Industrial activity.
@Recognition of the right of all
workers, including government en-
ployes, to strike, and stripping of the
courts of power seized in dealing
with Industrial disputes and injunc-
ton proceedings.
4-Recognition of right of free
speech, free press, free assemblage
and the right of asylum.
5-Declaration against war except
in case of invasion, without a refer
endum vote.
s-Recognition of the Irish Re-
public" and the new government in
Russia" and immediate lifting of
trade restrictions with Russia.
Denial of military or financial
aid to any foreign government in
vading Ireland or Russia.
S-Declaration for government
ownership of utilities generally.
9-Discharge of national war debts
and of all obligations to soldiers
sailors and marines in the late war by
means of a graduated capital tax levy
imposed especially on profiteers.
other planks in the unofficial YER
sion favor the referendum and recall
declare the United States should. not
aid in exploitation of weaker nations
for the benefit of money masters,
favor refusal to go to war with MeN'
co "for the beneft of Wall Street
and urge abandonment of Americas
'imperialistic platform with regard te
Cuba, the Philippines, Hawaii, Guam
and Santo Domingo"