The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1924-10-16
FARMER NOT AID
IN ORGANIZATION
OF THIRD PARTY
international Labor Unions
Excluded From LaFollette
Convention All Except
Own Followers.
RADICALS IN POWER
BAN SOIL TILLERS
Blacklist Includes Their De-
tenders in Congress.

LaFollette was entered In the race
for President by an aggregation of ma
tional and international labor unions
The public, and particularly the farm
err had no voice whatever In his so
called nomination. There has existed
for over three years an organization
known as the Conference for Progress
or is national and international labol
unions, the majority of them railway
labor organizations.
The officers of this Conference for
Progressive Political Action are on
the whole the national and information
al officers of the labor organizations
composing the conference. The chair
man or president of this conference
Is William Johnston, president of the
International Machinlsts union. and
the director of the railroad strike in
1922. Mr. Johnston was recently can.
didate for governor of Rhode Island
on the Socialist ticket. The headquar.
ters of this conference Is in the Ma
chinists building, Washington, D. G..
a building owned by the International
Machinists.
This conference held its annual
meeting In st. Louis in February, 1924.
adopted a platform, pledged itself to
launch third party, and adjourned
to meet In Cleveland July 4 for that
purpose. The convention In Cleveland
on July was therefore nothing hut
the adjourned meeting OF the Confer
ence for Progressive Political Action
The delegates to the Cleveland conven.
labor organizations comprising the
Conference for Progressive Political
Action. plus few scattering dele
gates from the Socialist party and a
few radical organizations such as the
League for Industrial Democracy. The
Conference for Progressive Political
Action established Its own rules re-
gardIng whom It would admit as dele
gates and these rules were SO framed
that no one not In hearty accord With
the views of the labor organizations
comprising the conference was admit
ted. Out Of approximately 1000 del
egates, less than 25 were farmers or
representatives of alleged farmer or.
CARNATIONS.
The officers of the Conference for
Political Action were the officers OF
the convention. William Johnston, So
eialist leader, was the temporary and
also the permanent chairman. After
,,.ao ptying tho convention a resolution
was drawn up and sent to Senator La
Toilette asking him to lead in fight
for a third party. Not a single farmer
or representative of bona iide farm
err organization signed this petition.
The so-called platform adopted at
this convention offers absolutely moth
ing TO the farmer. II consisted prac-
tlcally altogether of recital OF the
alleged grievances of organized labor
and demand for the enactment of
their legislative program. Not firm
err was a member of any OF the com
mittees of this convention, neither the
committee on resolutions nor credrn
tails nor organization, nor nonllnn
tons. The chairman OF each OF these
committees was an official Of some In
ternational labor organization, The
personnel OF these committees were
either officials high In lnternation#i
railway labor organizations or olhcinls
high in the Socialist party. and other
radical organizations.
The convention went on record IN
behalf Of the candidacy of IaI'ollette
LaFollette was officially notified Of his
nomination by committee appointed
by Samuel Gompers of the American
Federation of Labor and no member Of
this committee was a farmer lafol-
lette acknowledged his nomination In
the form of letter addressed not to
the people Of the United States or
the farmers Of the United States, but
to the American Federation of Labor
The campaign committee handling
the Wheeler movement Is
the National Committee of the Con
ference for Progressive Political Ac-
ton, plus d number Of Socialists. The
addition of Socialists 10 this commit
tee was demanded by the Socialist
party MS the price of their support OF
the ticket. This demand was made
at meeting Of the committee held In
Washington July 81, at which time
representatives OF tho Socialist party
were present and insisted That they
be given 10 per cent of the commit
tee. Their demand was granted
There is an executive committee Of 10
handling the inside stuff of the La
Toilette Wheeler campaign. No farm
err Is on this committee. The cam
paign headquarters of the LaFolleite-
Wheeler movement is 40s Machinists'
building, Washington, d, {,
The Conference for Progressive Pc.
litical Action issues Il weekly publica-
ton known as Labor The farmer
has no part in It. II Is managed and
edited wholly by representatives Of
labor organizations II is their Off
cial campaign publication.