Perth Amboy evening news., 1920-07-19
RECORD TELLS
Of CONVENTION
Tells of Differences Between
Third Party Factions at
Chicago; Hits Labor Party
UNION is IMPOSSIBLE
Labor Party and Committee
of Forty-Eight Had Far
Different Beliefs He Says

convention of the committee OF
forty-eight held at Chicago las
week. gave out the following inter
view:
"On my return from the conven'
Ition of the committee of forty-eigh'
at Chicago, / am requested to make
a statement with reference to the
loutcome of the convention and the
causes which led up to the same.
There were two conventions held
at Chicago, one called by the com
mittee of forty-eight, and the othei
by the American Labor party. Con.
ference committees were appointed
by each convention to agree upon
platform and a candidate. 1t prompt
lly developed that real union was
Impossible, because of Fundamental
differences. The Labor party lead
ers believed in creating class party
and to appeal for support to organ
lied labor-the miners, the Ameri-
can Federation of Labor, and affiliat-
ed trades unions, and to the organ
lied farmers. They held that In
order to attract these classes 1t was
necessary to adopt a radical socialist
platform, expressed in trades union
language. and to nominate as candi-
dates men who approved of this pro-
gram.
"The responsible leaders of the
committee of forty-eight held thai
the way to build UP new party was
to adopt a short, definite platform
aimed at the destruction of economic
privileges, and the winning back OF
the historical political liberties lost
during the war and expressed IN
language which would appeal to the
altruism and intelligence of every
class of our people according to our
historic American political traditions
and to nominate a candidate like
Senator LaFollette, who was not a
socialist and was opposed to the
class appeal.
This difference proved irreconcil-
able. One side or other was COM
PEELED to yield. The result was that
the labor party leaders stood firm,
and the committee of forty-eight
split in two factions. Against the
protest of the leaders who were re-
sponsible for the organization OF the
committee of forty-eight, such as
Amos Pinchot and Allen McCurdy OF
New York, James G. Blauvelt, OF
Paterson, and myself, the convention
of the committee of forty-eight was
linduced to 20 to the hall where the
convention of the labor party was IN
session.
The result was as we predicted.
THE labor party swallowed up the
lcommittee of forty-eight and there
after the latter were poweriess 10
make their voice heard. When IT was
too late the rank and file of the COM
mittee of forty-eight, who had gone
to the labor party convention, per-
ceived the blunder, and returned TO
their own hall. Senator Latollette
realized that the split in the COM
mites of forty-eight was fatal TO the
Launching of a genuine third party
and refused to have his name con-
sidered as a candidate
The leaders of the labor party
who had succeeded by these tactics In
breaking up the committee of forty
eight. were in the last hours of the
Iconyention thrown over by the rank
and file of their followers, who re-
fused to accept the choice of the
Labor leaders as the candidate Ior
president Dudley Field Malone, OF
New York. Their convention went
wild in the middle of the night ana
finally nominated man naneo
christensen from Utah. who nao
been the presiding officer OF the
committee of forty-eight. TINS nom
nation completely DESTROYED lne
plan of the labor leaders. Chrlsten-
sen is a typical mugWump. prog es =,
sive, bourgeoise, who was dresseu in
silk negligee, and addressed the con
yention with a cane hanging 10 ms
arm. He has no conception or the
labor leaders purpose or program:
| The labor party broke up IN ois
order. but without enthusiasm "i1H
its leaders disguised.
.sThe committee of forty-elght ao-
journed amid scenes very similar 70
those which marked the progressive
convention in 1915.
"The labor party with its soclalist
platform and bourgeouis CANDIDATE
will cut no figure in the campaign.
They have no money. They cahnol
place their electoral ticket upon tne
ballot in more than ten states. Iney
can obtain no publicity. Tney WIZ
merely carry on a hopeless coht the
with Eugene V. Debs Tor the
negligible socialist vote. In the eno
the rank and file of their followers
will vote for Debs.
THE opportunity for forming
genuine new party has thus been iose
for the year 1920.
although one opportunity is gone.
the cause remains. The battle mas
been lost. but the war will yet pc
won. The committee of forty-eIgnt
will be reorganized. candidates Tor
congress in different parts of the
country will be put in the field TINS
year as Independents, and an attempt
made to secure representation IN
congress of the ideas for which we
have been fighting. to VIII, the
government ownership of railroads
and of the principal natural re-
sources which are the bases OF
trusts, and laws forbidding the hold
ing of land and patents out OF use.
THE proceedings of our committee
of fory-eight convention were re-
ported by representatives OF the
press from all over the country. who
informed us that very wonderful
public interest prevailed everywhere
in the proceedings of our convention
This of itself is sufficient to prove
the widespread disgust among the
people with the two old parties, and
the hope of an opportunity TO express
that disgust at the polls by voting
for a third party which could COM
mand their confidence.