Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1924-07-05
!. URGING IA Toilette,
JOHNSON RAPS OLD
PARTIES AS STUPID


CLEVELAND, Ohio, July 4.-(By
/ the Associated Press Extolllns
!, Senator Robert M. La Toilette after
ridiculing the Republican party
scorning the Democratic organlza
tion and fiercely denouncing com
munists, William H. Johnston, heac
of the Machinists' lnternatona
union and chairman of the confer
ence for progressive political action
today struck the keynote of the con
vantion of the latter organlzatlol
at it's opening here. Independents
in notifies rather than thlrc
partv" movement was emphasized
as expedient.
Senator La Toilette was hailed as
the tribune of the American people
their greatest spokesman, and theli
most loyal defender
The recent Republican natlona
= convention was referred to as a
.1ifeless gathering of political pup
rets:" the Democratic convention as
q "disorderly mob meeting, which
responded to boss control quite ope
diently in the voting" and the com
munists as tools of reaction Who
are constantly striving TO Destroy
the American labor movement anu
create chaos in the ranks OF the
progressives."
Represents Five Million
Mr.. Johnston claimed the preSe-i'
convention represents 5,ooo'ooo GU
zens and he said its program was
broad enough to INCLUDE the pea'
interests of wage earners, FARMERS,
saIaried employees, professional hlen
and independent bankers hiali"
facturers and merchants.
He said, in part; ,,o4.
1--WE have gathered on this l46t1
anniversary of the Declaration Oh
Tndenendence for action to secure
those rights for which governments
ara instituted among men, derlVlns
their just powers from INC 'oi''0'1>
of the governed
"yWhen that immortal declaratlon
of the rights of man was proclaimed
orr forefathers were engaged III
struggle to establish political Tree
dom. Today the people OF the Onlt
ed States are engaged IN comes
to achieve for themselves ana tlell
children the equally great DRESSINGS
of economic freedom. -,
."There is no economic freedom, ~
equality of economic opportunity ~
the limited States today for any grea'
group of it's common people.
. "Ameriaan farmers see their pros
neritv wantonly Debated by flnancla
conspiracy and find themselVel
Obliged to sell their products in 9
world market. while the trusts ano
mononI.es from which they must puy
are artificially protected by tne
highest tariff wall in American MS
tory 4s+
.The employees Of the steel trust
+ba conner trust, the wooden truS'
and the hundreds of other great com
bi1 atoms must accept employment
on such terms as Gary, Ryan, WOOD
and the other industrial magnates
offer or risk unemployment ano
starvation.
All Independents Crushed
The independent manufactures
must buy and sell in a trust-con'
trolled market and is suffered to eX
fst only on condition that he does
NOT engage in active and effective
competition. -,
.The smalie merchant finds his
wholesale and retail prices fixed by
trusts and combinations while ne
himself, is being slowly but surely
forced out of business.
1.-THE independent banker is permit
ted to participate in the sale OF bonds
q ana the financing of new enterprises
only by the grace of the great bank
ing syndicates, while he already sees
his early extinction by resistless
Z competition from the branches OF
the great centralized financial instl
tutions.
81 1--WE might not know it, but we
are all in the same boat"
, Mr.. Johnston recited the histor!
of the progressive movement, point
: ing to political victories in the con
arressional elections of 1922 and the
fact that the progressives held the
balance of power in the last session
of congress as proof that it was wis
not to launch a third party in 1922.
"In mobilizing our army or prog
ress," he said, lit has been necessar!
to be forever vigilant against tral
tors. SO far we have successfully ex
cluded boodlers, bosses. exploiters
profiteers, and prejudice blinded ia
natics We nav also kept out those
!, communist tools of reaction who
masking as federated farmer-labor
ties, trade union educational leaguers
or under even more attractive desig
nations, are constantly striving t
destroy the American labor move
ment and create chaos in the ranks
of the progressives."
Old Parties StraddIe
Mr. Johnston said he Repub
leans, with appropriate stupidity,
had nominated two reactionaries OF
"a platform of meaningless plati
tudes." He asserted the Democrat,
party had "again proved the fitness
of its emblem, the patient donkey,
by straddling its platform on sucl
questions as child labor, League o
Nations and Ku Klux Khan and adde,
that both major parties had consist
emily broken their platform pledges
when in power.
The chairman denounced the fed
eral reserve system order in 1920 re
stricting loans for carrying crops
He said it forced farmers to throw
all accumulated produce upon tn,
market and caused great pric,
smashing.
1t was shrewdly calculated" h.
said that the PROSTATE farmers
would demand that labor also b,
hammered down into poverty an
helplessness, but among the grea
mass of farmers a different reaction
was produced. They saw that in
dustrial workers and farmers ha,
one common set of enemies"
Mr.. Johnston declared the tim
ripe for national action.
I'VE do not lack strength. We d.
not lack organization and above al
we do not lack leadership" he said
I'VE have a leader-that lifelong
faithful servant of the people. who's
character, ability and record as
constructive statesman entitle hin
to take his place with Washington
Jefferson and Lincoln. His name
already on your lips. his service il