The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1924-10-22
Mr.. Olson and Socialism

The Farmer-Labor campaigners in
Minnesota have evidently discovered
that public ownership is far from
popular in Minnesota.
Having discovered this fact, SC
creditable to the intelligence Of Min
nesota voters, they are doing their
best to prevent all discussion of the
Farmer-Labor public ownership pro-
posals.
So we find Mr.. Floyd B. Olson,
their candidate for Governor, re-
peatedly declining to discuss the gu
estion, on the ground that it is ma
tional issue, and therefore one that
does not concern a candidate for
Governor.
Further confirmation of this new
found timidity is supplied by the
campaign leafiet just issued by the
Farmer-Labor Committee. This con-
tains an abbreviated program" from
which the Hateful words, public own
ership," have been carefully exclud-
ed. A part of the socialistic pro-
posal, however, is neatly concealed in
the following paragraph:
Conservation of waterpower
sites, mineral deposits, timber and
other natural resources, through
the power of taxation and emin-
ent domain, for the benefit of all
the people.
The plan, carefully camoufaged
here in legal phraseology, apparently
is to force the owners of these pro-
perties to sell them to the Govern
ment in order to escape heavy taxa
ton; if this fails, the Government is
to seize the properties under the not
generally understood fright Of emin-
ent domain"
But the Farmer-Labor proposal,
adopted at the State Convention at
st. Cloud March IA, goes much far
Their than that. 1t calls for public
ownership of much longer list of
industries, including railroads, eleva-
tors, stockyards, terminal ware
houses, public utilities, pipe lines and
tanks. These are all carefully
omitted from the present "abbreviat-
ed program" But who can doubt
that, in the event of Farmer-Labor
success at the polls, they will all re-
appear in the revolutionary program
of the leaders?
The reluctance of Mr.. Olson to dis
cuss a program which would pile an
intolerably heavy load of taxation on
the people of Minnesota, to say no.
thing of other evils, is not unnatural.
Finding himself constrained to
dodge the issue, Mr.. Olson resorts to
bitter complaint against the cry of
Socialism" which he says is always
raised to obscure the "real issues"
To the League of Women Voters at
St. Paul last Friday night he said:
Every time we try to stop big
business from exploiting the peo-
Pile and our resources, we are
met with the cry of Socialism"
Well, if the Farmer-Labor proposal
that the Government take over and
operate all transportation, and num-
erous other industries, is not social
istic, what is it?
1t seems to suit Victor L. Berger,
of Milwaukee, the lone Socialist Con-
gresham. On his recent visit to the
Twin Cities he said:
/ have joined the La Toilette
movement, because the Senator
has come out squarely for the es-
sential feature of the Socialist
program-governme ownership.
We have not changed. La Fol-
lette has come around to us. We
will start with national owner
ship of mines, oil wells, forests
and so on. With this must go
national ownership of railroads,
telegraphs and telephones, and
everywhere we will carry out the
principle of public ownership Of
public utilities. Bob is
as. near being Socialist as he
dares to be. He stands for pub
lie ownership, which is the main
issue and which is part of the
Socialist program.
Mr.. Olson stands on the La Toilette
platform, or it's equivalent, the st.
Cloud platform. He may not be a
confessed Socialist, but he is advocat-
ing the cardinal doctrine of the So
cialists-p u b ic ownership.-Minne-
apolis Journal.