The labor journal. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1909-1976, 1920-05-14
TO AMERICANS READY
FOR A NEW PARTY

You are invited to attend tn,
National Convention OF the Com
mittee Of Forty-Eight at Chicago
July 10th, 18th and 18th, to form
a new political party.
1t will be a national party rep.
resenting the needs and hopes oil
leverage American men and women
1t will conduct an aggressive cam
paign against both the reactionary
Iold parties and in support of con.
structive program of economic, so.
cial and political progress. Such a
party must be put in the field in the
coming election.
For we are witnessing a silent
and ominous revolution in our ma
t:onal life. We have seen the till
ers Of our soil so discouraged by
tenancy, speculation and the in
creasing eXactions of swarm of
middlemen that hundreds of thou
sands of them are leaving the farms
or curtailing production to a de-
gree that menaces our nations sup
ply of food
Prices are mounting while mil
lions of pounds of food are held in
storage or cast into the sea in order
that still higher prices may be ex-
acted.
We have seen our railroads
wrecked by mismanagement and ir-
responsible financiers and then,
after the Government had stepped
in to repair their injuries and de-
cay, returned to the private man
agement that had despoiled and
ruined them, and on terms which
arbitrarily guaranteed fixed divid-
ends on watered stocks and bonds,
making inevitable a still higher tax
on consumption.
We are witnessing the effort to
fix legal status for labor, denying
/ it the right to strike for higher
wages, at the same time that profits
are legally guaranteed to capital.
This is the underlying cause of
the strikes that have increased until
all industry is battlefield of hat
red and destruction, and the coun-
try is literally going to pieces with
fractional strife. This system has
turned the New Freedom into an
"Old Slavery" that has changed
nothing but it's color and its name.
Our money-lenders are seeking to
drag us into countless international
imbroglios Of concessions and in
vestment, the effect of which will
be to bind us by secret diplomacy to
hazardous agreements entirely alien
to our national traditions and de-
sires. This system has so corrupted
large sections of our press that the
ability to read is fast becoming an
impeachment to the acquisition OF
truth. And to crown all, it has
desecrated the flag by using it to
cover a multitude of sins; and in
the name of patriotism has at
tempted to fasten upon us a degrad-
ing economic and political slavery.
Autocracy is a thing abhorrent
to us, to any man who has known
even the memories of American
freedom. We fought it overseas
and helped to whip it. We will not
yield to it here on our own soil and
in our own homes.
Who will lead us in reorganizing
and re-asserting the American will
to independence? 1t has become
clearer with every sun that the old
parties cannot do it; that they are
but rival lackeys to great monopo-
lies; that they are bankrupt of
democratic purpose and have made
their peace with a reasonable re-
action. No matter which of these
two parties wins, the people lose;
no matter which of them captures
it will be to do the bidding
of the interests that filled it's cam
paign Golfers and paid for it's pub
licity.
The time has come for lovers of |
the real America to organize them |
selves anew, to inaugurate another !
such period of resolute construction
as four generations ago raised JEFF
ferson and the once American DEM
Ocratic party to power, and two
since raised to power
Lincoln and the once American Re-
publican party. Once again con-
'titutional liberties and representa-
i've government are threatened and
he call goes out for new political
Darty to restore oAmerica consti-
1