The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1922-03-04

CARL yROOMAN
cerned. However, this coalition of
''malcontents," as the Roanoke
Times (Dem.) calls them, have
adopted a program for immediate
action which a number of editors
consider important, at least poten-
tally. And upon the success Of this
program in the congressional cleo
tons this year depends further eff
fort toward launching a new party
for the presidential campaign.
AS the press views the Chicago
gathering it was an attempt to re-
vive the Farmer-Labor party which
entered the field in 1920, although.
the Springfield Union (Rep) sug-
gests, 1.-The career of that organiza-
ton was not sufficiently auspicious
10 excite great enthusiasm over its
prospects" And the failure to DO
more than postpone actual organ
ization until after preliminary
try-out in November illustrates
again" the Brooklyn Eagle Qnd.
DEM thinks, the difficulty of Or
ganizing third party on national
lines"
Recognizing this difficulty, how
ever, the men who purpose soma
degree Of legislative and political
reform have decided to concentrate
their effort, the Springfield Repu5-
lican Und.) tells us, upon the
practical task of getting desirable
candidates into legislative office
without removing their old party
labels" and "if results should prove
to be as the promoters hope, the
way might be cleared for a labor
party able effectively to challenge
the American two-party system, -
but, the Republican adds, that if
looms large"
Nothing to Fear.
Essentially the same group that
met in Chicago, the ST. Louis Post
Dispatch Qnd) recalls. every BIZ
enial election or so nibbles at great
opportunity and then is lost be-
tween the shoals of incompetent
leadership and the failure to grasp
the principles to which any success
full liberal political movement must
adhere" and SO long as they reg
ularly run themselves, as they al
ways do, into the ditch of group and
class interest and of radical party
orthodoxy" privilege and the old
parties will have nothing to fear"
The new movement, however, by
avoiding for the time being a third
party organization, and accepting
the tenet which the Philadelphia
Bulletin Und. Rep) lays down, that
hi
a long time to come will be based
on the two-party SYSTEM" and that
reform movements will be success
full only as they can manipulate the
two-party system to their own
ends" had adopted what it essen
tally the political doctrine of the
American Federation of Labor
boring from within" to defeat
your enemies and reward your
friends" 1t appears to the Wash
ington Star Und) ito be a new
kind of bloc" and undoubtedly, the
Springfield Union (Rep.) agrees,
the success of the farm bloc in
congress has suggested its initia-
ton. Therefore, the Star contin-
ues. the movement should be
watched carefully and its progress
noted. Its inherent weakness lies in
its mixed elements. AT the same
time that very condition would con-
stitute strength if the elements
should be assembled under efficient
leadership of some strong and dom
mating personality"
New Era In Politics.
There can hardly be any reason
able objection that the Canton
News (Dem.) is able to see, ito the
various labor organizations getting
together to secure through the bal
lot such legislative relief and bene-
fits as are possible by constitutional
methods" This is the theory on
which Samuel Gompers has been
acting for a generation, the New
York Post (Ind.) reminds US, and
he must have read OF the decision
at Chicago with good deal of
eduanimity," for after being de
nounced chemically as an enemy 10
the true interests of labor, as tool,
as purblind leader of the blind"
he now has the satisfaction of see
ing his political tactics endorsed by
the men who have said so many
hard things about him."
Certainly a combination of farm
ers and laborers for well directed
political action is neither surpris-
ing nor undesirable" says the Ro-
chester Times Union Qnd) and Will
be much more effective than a third
party. for Americans are Just be-
ginning to realize the full possibili-
ties OF direct pressure in politics"
AS an instance OF the effectiveness
of that pressure the Times Union
POINTS out that ''the other day the
senate passed by vote of 5S to 1
a cooperative marketing bill that
could not even be reported from
committee a year ago." a political
experience which suggests at least
that there is a far more effective
way of getting demands considered
than the formation of a third party