The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1920-07-10

PLANS TO~CATCH
LABOR AND FARMERS
Temporary Chairman McCaudy De-
nounces Republicans and Democrats
Abolition of Special Privilege VIII
Be Rallying Cry.

q
CHICAGO, July 1O.-Adoption of a
platform of three paragraphs, ON which
labor, non-partisans, and sympathizers
with the "middle-class" union can agree,
viii be the first task of the convention
called by the committee of As, which be-
gan its sessions here today.
The platform which win be used by the
resolutions committee sas a basis for its
work is one adopted by the committee of
As last December when it held the first
convention of the new party in St. Louis.
1t advocates public ownership of trans.
portation facilities and certain other pub
Tic utilities, taxation to force idle land
into use, and the abolition Of special priv
| ilege
An effort will be made to secure en-
dorsement of the platform by the Labor
party of the United States and the World
war veterans, both of which are holding
conventions here.
TT is our hope that labor, including
farmers and other divisions of the labor
ing classes, will find the new party's plat
form a common sense ideal which they
can support fundamentally at the polls, Z
said j. A. H. Hopkins, chairman Of the
committee of 4S, who has had charge OF
the organization work which resulted in
the calling Of the convention.
The Republican and Democratic parties
were denounced as "the right and left
wing of the same bird of prey at the
Opening of a proposed Third Party ma
tiona convention here today.
Sounding the keynote of the assemhage
called together BY the committee of AZ
ito adopt platform and place ia the field
another set Of candidates for presidency
.and vice-presidency, Allen MeCurdy, tenn
porary chairman, charged that the two
big parties had evatfed paramount domes-1
tic issues at a time xGben what the coun-
try needsaisy SEl1l5<Isws 5Ald Jssa4a free
dom
The abolition Of special privilege, Mr.
MeCurdy said, was the ISSUE around
which the new party would appeal to the
voters in November. He- said the party
proposed effeeting that end through re-
moving the sources from which privilege
derives its power. aay
"To accomplish this purpose he de-
clared, 1T proposes public ownership OF
transportation and of the principal basic
resources of the country and declares that
ali idllu ltiu buA VI hot Abi SitttiubibtFI
should be forced into use by taxation.
Therefore, that platform which is sub
mitted as the basis of the deliberations
of this convention has a most serious
claim to our consideration. Not only isl
it short platform but it is ingleminded
in its devotion to one determination. 1t |
declares that the principal cause of the |
distress of this people is economic in its i
nature and can be removed only by eco
nomic action. Every word in it says the |
same thing: Abolish economic privilege. |
A government controlled by privilege cam
twist any political refsrm to its own
uses Polotical reforms must wait until
the abuses of privilege are destroyed by
the abolition of privilege.
'By destroying monopoly in transporta-
ton and the basic industries, all private
industries would be placed beyond |
the possibility of state control |
The ensuing campaign would revive
the confidence of this entire peo |
pie in political action directed against |
economic power. Faith in the ballot
would return Principles, not men, would
dominate a national campaign"