The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram., 1920-07-10
RADICALS ARE
FIGHTING OUT
DIFFERENCES
Visions and Revisions Inter-
fering With Harmony at
Chicago Meeting any
Threaten to Bolt.
MANY ORGANIZATIONS
(By Associated Press)


radical organizations. launched the
third party movement here today in
its first national convention.
Senator Robert LaFoIlette. of Wis
consin, determined in mail referen-
dunn taken by the party, as the most
popular candidate for the party's pres
1dential nomination. appeared to have
no opposition. Nearly all of the 500
or 900 delegates wore LaFollette
badges.
Today's session was given to key
note speeches and organization work.
Allan McCurdy, Of New York City,
made the keynote address that con-
demned Republican and Democratic
platforms and declared the time ripe
for a new deal politically.
Convention Very Late.
The convention was more than an
hour late in starting, delayed by pro
longed conferences between represen-
tatives of the committee and organi
cations which are flirting with the
third party combine.
All of the groups in the main, widely
separated in their aims, came to Chi
cago with some pet plank for the
third party platform, and the task OF
continuing all elements in a satisfaC.
tory fusion was a difficult one.
The railroad ownership question was
q stumbling block. All elements are
agreed they want public ownership of
the carriers written into the platform,
but differ materially on the degree OF
participation by the employees in the
directing control of the lines.
Insist on Labor" Slogan.
Representatives of the Labor party
and Nonpartisan League conferred
last night and the Labor party COM
mttee met this morning with the COM
mittee of 4S, in an effort to arrange
the terms of the amalgamation of the
liberal and radical organizations with
a single candidate and platform.
The Labor party insisted that the
word Tabor" must be preserved in
any party name adopted. The Single
Takers today faced a division in their
own ranks.
The announcement Thursday by
some officials that the Single Tax dele
gates would bolt the combine if Sen
ator Lafollette was the presidential
nominee was followed by declaration
from some delegates that they would
stick to the new party regardless Of
the nominee.
Several Of the minor organizations
in the combine are threatening to bolt
again unless their planks are inserted
in the third party platform, it was
reported today.
Many Parties Are There.
Among those actively working for
planks are the Peoples Money party,
the Farmers Equity society, Produc-
ers' and Consumers League, and
League for the Independence Of India,
represented by Tarak Nath Das of
New York
Difficulties between the programs
of the committee of 4S and the Labor
party remained acute where they
touch on the railroad problem, leaders
of both groups said today.
The Labor group representatives In
sisted that boards of directors and the
controlling officers under govern
ment administration of the railroads
should be selected by and from the
employees almost exclusively, while
the committee of 4S representatives
insist that control should be largely in
the hands Of officials representing the
public.
Nonpartisan league representatives
who conferred with the Labor party
leaders last night and were reported to
have pledged their aid in organizing G
the farmers Of the northwest
Elect Platform Committee.
The first piece Of work on the con-
vention program. was the election Of
~,
political procedure. This last named
body, 1t was indicated, will have the
heavy work of negotiation to carry on
while the convention stays in session,
since the declared object Of the COM
mittee is to enlist the support of the
rational non-partisan league In the
northwestern states, world war veter-
ans, and other political and semi
political organizations not usually
classed as conservative.
Robert c. Macauley, of Pennsyl-
vania. chairman of the National Single
Tax committee, which claimed to have
delegates from % states In attendance,
called them together outside of the
committee convention, just before 1t
convened, but the separate session was
immediately adjourned. Both the plat
form and procedure committees of the
attempted fusion committee planned TO
bring hearings in the open on their
work. The convention planned to ad-
journ over Sunday, when the labor
party convention proper also will
assemble.
Depend on Conference Results.
The result of the conferences to-
morrow between the committee of 4S
and the representatives of the labor
party will tell the tale said Dudley
Field Malone of New York, in discus
sing the committees plans for the
formation of third party. 'If the
elements here can be united into a
cohesive whole and can offer the coun-
try a comprehensive message, then
there will be a third party"
J. A. Hopkins. chairman Of the COM
mittee, echoed the statement OF Mr..
Malone. He declared that the com
mittee of AZ Is not a party, but an
organization to try and form party"