Newark leader. ([Newark, Ohio]) 1917-1946, 1921-10-07
COMMITTEE OF 48
TWO OLD PARTIES OPPOSED BY
NEW NATIONAL PARTY
Will Enter Congressional Campaign
of 1922 and Take the Preliminary
Steps Toward the Presiden-
tial Campaign in 1924

Referring to the report that the
Committee of 48 had definitely de-
cided to establish a new opposition
party which would enter the Congress
sional campaign of 1922 and nominate
candidates in the various states, Mr..
J. A H. Hopkins, their Executive
chairman, said that the report was
quite correct. He added:
"The breaking down of our gov
ernmental machinery, its failure to
function satisfactorily, the paralysis
of business resulting therefrom, and
all that this involves, including the
unemployment and high cost of living
problems are directly attributed to
the fact that we lack Craftsmanship.
Old Parties Have Twin Aim
"Originally parties of opposition,
they represent today two minds with
but a single thought-the desire for
Office They have no principles.
Their fetish is that of preserving
harmony within their own ranks.
Their twin machinery is controlled
by the same engineer, who when one
breaks down uses the other. They are
the Parties of past age, lacking the
vision and vigor of youth, without
comprehension and without the mod
ern machinery with which to solve the
economic and industrial problems Of
d new era.
Harding Listens to Bankers
"True, we must not be ruled by any
one faction. Our Government must
be neither class nor sectional. But is
this what the President has in mind?
Obviously not = he summons the
Banking Group (the most powerful
and best organized autocratic class
group in America) to a series of
secret conferences at the White House
and openly states that with their as
sistance he hopes to reach definite
understanding as to the general prin-
ciples which will guide the Govern
ment's domestic and foreign policies.
Secretary Melons Tax Program. is
distinctly class. The burden of in
come taxation is lifted from 5000 rich
surtax payers by reducing the surtaN
from IT per cent to rs per cent.
president Harding's proposal to
turn over another $500,000,000 to the
railroads at the expense of the public
is likewise class legislation. So is the
Administrations High Tariff Pro-
gram.
Old parties" Are Class "Party"
"No, the Republico- Democratic
twins are distinctly class Party and
obedient children of their Foster
Father, the Wall Street Banking
Group.
at is we'll to recollect at this time
the words of Theodore Parker spoken
at Syracuse on October 4, 1849: Get
the people be ignorant and suffrage
universal, a very few men will control
the state and laugh at the folly of the
applauding multitude whose bread
they waste, and on whose necks they
ride to Incidence and miserable fame
strangely prophetic words, strik-
ingly descriptive of the existing stu
alton, which calls not for carping
criticism but for definite action by the
people themselves along constructive
lines as proposed in the Platform of
the Committee of 48: "OUR PUR-
POSE is THE ABOLITION OF
PRIVILEGE, meaning by privilege
the unjust economic advantage by
possession of which small group
controls our natural resources, trans
portation, industry and credit, stiles
competition, prevents equal opportun-
ity of development for all, and thus
dictates the conditions under which
we live"
Purpose of 48 Committee
"To accomplish this purpose the
Committee advocates:
Public ownership of railroads;
Public control of natural resources
through taxation of land at its actual
values;
Equal rights, economic, legal, and
political for all citizens, and the pre-
servation of all Civil Rights, free
speech, free press, and peaceable as
sembly as guaranteed by the Con-
stitution.
"Organized democratically on a
dues paying basis, wherein every
member enrolled must pay monthly
contribution, the amount of which he
fixes himself, the Committee of 48
has already acquired a potential
power which should not be under
estimated.
"Of course these plans for 1922 are
only preliminary step towards enter
ing the 1924 Presidential campaign"