Belington progressive. [volume] (Belington, W. Va.) 1912-1927, 1924-10-02
International Labor Unions
Excluded From LeFolIette
Convention All Except
Own Followers.
RADICALS IN POWER
BAN SOIL TILLERS
Blacklist Includes Their De-
Tenders in Congress.

for President by an aggregation of ma
tiOnal and international labor unions.
The public, and particularly the farm
er, had no voice whatever in his so
called nomination. There has existed
for over three years an organization
known as the Conference for Progress
sive Political Action, composed of 16
or Is national and international labor
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 Machinists' 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. c.,
building owned by the International
Machinists
This conference held it's annual
meeting in st. Louis in February, 1874,
adopted platform, pledged itself to
launch a third party, and adjourned
to meet in Cleveland July for that
purpose. The convention in Cleveland
on July was therefore nothing but
the adjourned meeting Of the Confer
ence for Progressive Political Action.
The delegates to the Cleveland conven-
ton were merely delegates from the
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
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
cialist leader, was the temporary and
also the permanent chairman. After
organizing the convention, a resolution
was drawn up and sent to Senator La
Toilette asking him to lead in fight
for a third party. Not single farmer
or representative Of bona fide farm
err organization signed this petition.
The so-called platform adopted at
this convention offers absolutely moth
ing to the farmer. 1t consisted prac-
tically altogether Of recital of the
alleged grievances OF organized labor
and demand for the enactment Of
their legislative program. Not farm
er was a member of any of the COM
mittees of this convention, neither the
committee on resolutions nor creden-
tials, nor organization, nor nomina-
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 international
railway labor organizations or officials
high in the Socialist party. and other
radical organizations.
The convention went on record in
behalf of the candidacy of LaFollette
LaFollette was officially notified of his
nomination by a 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 LaFollette-Wheeler movement is
the National Committee of the Con-
/ ference for Progressive Political Ac-
ton, plus number Of Socialists. The
addition Of Socialists to this commit
tee was demanded by the Socialist
party as the price of their support OF
the ticket. This demand was made
at a meeting of the committee held in
Washington July 81. at which time
representatives Of the 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
Follette-Wheeler campaign. No farm
er is on this committee. The cam
paign headquarters of the LaFollette-
Wheeler movement Is 408 Machinists'
building, Washington, d. G.
The Conference for Progressive Po-
litical Action issues "a weekly publica
ton known as Labor. The farmer
has no part in it. It is managed and
edited wholly by representatives OF
labor organizations 1t Is their of
cial campaign publication,