The labor journal. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1909-1976, 1922-06-23
WHY INDEPENDENT
POLITICAL ACTION

DN ~. ~ ny III
The Non-Partisan League of North
Dakota intends to attempt the cap
ture of the Republican primaries,
and hopes to nominate Linn Frazier
as u. S. senator, and B. f. Baker
for governor. From the fact that
the N. p. l.. recently met with a
defeat in the recall of Governor Fra
! zier. its success or failure in the
next election will be watched with
much interest. If successful it will
mean another honest man the U. S.
senate.
The recent state convention of the
North Dakota N. P. L. brought about
considerable measure of reconcilia-
ton between the warning factions,
also the retirement of A. c. Town
ley as president of the organization.
Lately Mr.. Townley has been advo-
eating the historic policy of Mr..
Gompers. the policy of picking out
friends in any party.
The progressive movement, at pres
ent very young in our country, neces-
sarlly takes on different aspects i'll
various localities. North Dakota be-
ing purely an agricultural state, the
fact that non-partisan control of BIZ
partlzan politics has resulted in
considerable measure of progress
there does not prove that similar
course is desirable in Washington,
where the number and economic inn
portance of the wage workers are
much greater.
Tit policy of trying to influence
politicians to the interests of the
workers is an old one. 1t began be-
fore this became an industrial coun-
try. Labor leaders have been led
more and more into a backstairs al
lance with the political agents of
business until their all is staked on
this method, and they are forced to
guard their speech and actions like
so many bank clerks, lest they offend
their old-party friends. Meanwhile
the favors for labor that are wheeled
from one set of politicians are
snatched away by the other set Fer
useth spent twenty years lobbying
for his seaman's act, only to see it
ecasculated by the administrative bu-
reauS. He became so indebted to the
republicans and democrats that he
must needs brand as radicals those
! members of his union who aspire to
third party, which shows the stul-
| tifying effects of the traditional pol
icy.
Labor needs to stand on it's own
| feet, because only so can its leaders
| be rescued from practical politics"
and placed in an environment that
permits of integrity and zeal. Labor
| politics are not disreputable because
| the leaders reflect the rank and file,
| but because its leaders are removed
from the rank and file, and drawn
| into politics where their companions
are the agents of every sort of priv
ilege, from bootlegging to banking.
| The formation of the Farmer-La-
Dor Party in 1920 set Mr. Gompers
to campaigning for the Historic pol
ICY. Voters of labor were scattered
between Republican and Democratic
candidates, as the friend of the To-
cal labor leader happened to be. Re-
Gently Mr.. Gompers has been quoted
as saying that both of the old par
ties are hopeless, which would indi-
cate that he is not entirely salts
fled with the results of the "historic
policy"
1t is sometimes said that labor is
too weak to stand alone in the polit-
ical field, but it does not face that
alternative. Today in America there
are millions of bewildered men and
women who look in vain for lead
er. an organization, a road by which
they can rescue themselves from ar
unjust economic regime. and from
subversive. inundated politics. In
England people similarly situated
have joined hands with the Labor
Party there, because labor has es.
tablished community of interest
In America today such small power
as labor may have is seen as trades
union privileges. and this is resented
not only by the Garys, but by the
farmers and the clerks. Success may
not be attained until we have exper-
fence and a program, but it is rea-
sonable to suppose that the admins
tration would be more anxious to
disarm the opposition of a free and
self-respecting workers party than it
would be to grant favors to work
ers' movement nicely taken care of
by the presence of one of its hier-
archs at a cabinet table, which is the
pinnacle that could be achieved by
| action in the old parties.