The Wolf Point herald. (Wolf Point, Mont.) 1913-1940, 1924-06-26

and majority in the st. Paul conven-
ton. The platform is not as 'red" as
the candidates. 1t does not even adj
vocate communism directly, though
it calls for the abolition of landlord
ism and rent, the naturalization of
monopolistic industry, government
loans without interest to farmers,
social insurance, old age pensions, ma
~ternity pensions, adjustment of res
idential restrictions on the right to
vote. full recognition of the soviet
government of Russia, and other
4 things that the extreme radicals usu-
aIly call for. Yet it is silent on the
Russian doctrine of the dictatorship
of the proletariat, the adjustment
of private ownership of property, and
Vt a Y nothing about the coming
social resolution by force. These are
things its candidates have preached,
but evidently the majority of the res
olutions committee and the conven-
ton did not have the courage of
their conviction. Restrained as the
resolutions are from the extreme
radical standpoint, they went far
enough to waken indignant protest
from some farmer and labor dele
gates. One farmer leader predicted
that they would eve get farmers
Ito indorse the principle that able
bodied men should be supported at
the taxpayers expense and in idle
because they claimed to be out of
work. And we think he told the
truth. The farmer is a taxpayer. The
L. w. w. element and the communists
generally have no property and pay
no taxes. That vital fact creates a
chasm between them that can never
be filled with empty words. Their
economic interests are different. The
same holds true of the worker and
the n-on-workers, who act on the theO-
nv that the world owes them a liv-
ing whether they work or not.
After the democratic convention
is over the followers Of Senator La
Toilette have called a convention, at
which time they will decide on their
political course of action and whether
they will put up a ticket of their own
or indOrse some other party ticket.
1t can be put down as a thing GER
tain that they will not indorse the
nominees Of the republican conven-
ton. nor vet the nominees Of the st.
Paul convention. The choice before
them will probably be confined to
the Endorsement of the democratic
ticket or the putting up Of an indie
pendent ticket of their own, probably
headed by Senator LaFollette him
self. Our guess is that the latter
course will be favored, but that is
only a guess. Should it prove cor
rect it will draw to its support a large
percentage of the voters represented.
or misrepresented, in the ~so-called
~farmer-labor convention at st. Paul.
How such an outcome will effect the
struggle next November between the
two great political parties remains to
be seen. LaFollette himself has al
wavs posed as a republican. He IS
elected On a republican party ticket,
but he swallowed the republican par
tv in Wisconsin, and most of the dem
~ocratic party also. Running on an
independent ticket for president he
would draw votes from all the other
parties. republican, democratic and
.farmer-labor. 1t is generally as
sumed that such candidacy on his
part would do more damage to the
republican party than to the demo-
cratic party, because the states in
which the LaFollette following is
strongest are generally republican,
and have heretofore give their cleo
toral votes to the republican ticket.
The failure of the st. Paul conven-
ton to enlist the support of the
moderate radicals and the progress
sives will make their ticket Of little
consequence next November. The
votes it will draw are votes that nei-
Their of the two major parties who
have any chance of success at the
polls, could hope to receive under
circumstances. 1t will be only use
full as a measure Of the extreme rad
ical strength in the electorate, and
mainly it will be composed Of men
who hope to overthrow democracy,
and substitute for it dictatorship of
the proletariat-that is rule of all
citizens who have saved any money
acquired any property by those
who have done neither of these
things.