Evening star., 1924-01-19
THIRD PARTY MAY
DECIDE ELECTION
Close Contest Believed Like
Iy to Give Farm-Laborites
Balance of Power.
BY DAVID LAWRENCE.

While the republicans and demo-
Gratis have made plans for their ma
tional conventions at Cleveland and
New York, respectively, next June,
another group, known as the farmer
labor party is working just as
feverishly In preparation for a va
tional convention at st. Paul or Min
neapolis on May 80. which may have
an important bearing on the outcome
Of the whole 1924 campaign.
In close fight the farmer-labor
party would hold the balance OF
power on the electoral college. Al
ready this party has virtually wiped
the democratic party out of Mime
sofa, sending two men to the United
states Senate in d victory over the
regular republican nominees. The
insurgency which today is upsettins
the customs and practices of tha
House of Representatives and shows
signs of doing the same thing in the
senate emanates from the same re-
gion Of the country. where the
farmer-labor party has developed its
greatest strength.
MIR. j. A. H. Hopkins, executive
chairman of the famous committee Of
forty eight, which has been endeavor-
1
into the political race, has just con-
cluded a series of conferences here
| "A new factor has been introduced
, into the general political situation"
he said today, by the calling of the
! farmer-la labor-progressive convention
in either St. Paul or Minneapolis.
| This convention is the result of con
ferences recently held in Chicago. ST.
Paul and Omaha at which represent
atives of various farm, labor and
progressive organizations agreed TO
unite politically for the 1924 cam
paign.
In addition to the committee of
forty-eight, at whose initiative these
conferences were called, officials rep
resenting the new party movement in
Minnesota, Nebraska, Ohio. Indiana,
Idaho, Pennsylvania, New York. South
Dakota, Wisconsin, North Dakota.
California, Iowa, Delaware and New
Jersey pledged themselves in writing
to cooperate with all progressiveS
who had determined to abolish special
| privilege in the calling of national
! convention at either St. Paul or Min
| neapolis on May 80 for the purpose
! of nominating presidential and vice
! presidential candidates. They also
signed a joint pledge designating as
| the platform upon which this conyen-
| tion should be based:
"(a) Public ownership of railroads.
| "(b) Control of money and credit by
the people, through government and
! cooperative banks.
| "tc) Public control of natural re-
| sources.
| I'D Preservation of civil rights
| guaranteed by the Constitution.
| "(e) Prevention of judicial abuses.
| VIII Welcome "Any.,
\
all agricultural, industrial, political or
| commercial organizations, partisan or
nonpartisan, which approved this plat
| form, would be entitled TO send voting
| delegates to this convention, and spe-
cial provision was made for unor-
| Ganized groups of twenty-five or more
signers for similar representation.
While signers of these pledges are
| unalterably committed to the new
party movement. they gave ample evil
dence of their broad-mindedness in re-
| lation to organizations, economic or
otherwise, that might agree with them
/ in principle but differ with them in
| practice, by extending a cordial invita-
! ton TO all progressive organizations,
partisan or nonpartisan, which are in
| accordance with the principles herein
set forth, to cooperate with US and
have voice through representatives
4
tion and election OF such candidates
either by Endorsement or otherwise
While many OF those signing these
agreements have their own individual
| opinions in relation to candidates,
it was specifically agreed that every
candidate, and only such candidates
as pledged themselves TO the plat
form above mentioned, should be
eligible for nomination, and that sub
| ject to this provision whoever was
I nominated ha ,,ryt tal
support of all the organizations sub
] scribing to the convention call.
| Convention Is National
| 1T will be observed that the Ma
ttional Farmer La Labor-Progressive Con-
vention is unique in respect to the
| fact that it Is neither cut and dried
affair in respect to procedure and
| candidates, nor is it simply a coming
| together of well intentioned fndi-
viduals who may or may not agree
l in principle and purpose.
! "On the contrary, and for the first
| time in our history, a national con-
vention has been called of those who
| have already agreed as to their views
and who meet for the purpose Of rat
flying and formulating the platform
upon which their presidential, sena-
| torial and congressional candidates
| Will De nominated, with the further
provision that every candidate must
/ be definitely committed to this plat
! form in order to be eligible for nomi-
! nation.
! Furthermore, the insistent demand
! for the uniting of the progressive
| for expire ssion in various separated
sections of the country has been met,
and these elements have been actually
united, not only in spirit, but in fact.
| These are the distinctive features of
the convention which will meet in
| the Twin cities on May so.
| whether the candidates nomina ted
at that convention will be chosen
| from those already holding political
office, or whether candidates will be
nominated who have never held any
such office depends very largely upon
| whether or not the progressive sena-
tors and representatives who have
been urging this movement on and
emphasizing the necessity for a new
party will, prior to May 80. say OPEN
lily and in public what they have re-
peatedly stated in private. Should
they do so, it is highly probable that
the national farmer-labor-p -progre ssive
convention will select it's candidates
from among the ranks of those who
have the courage and the vision to
break away from their old party as
isociations.
There is, however. eligible material
In ana out OF congress from Wnlcn W
ichoose, and it would not be at all
Isurprising to find that the nomina-
ition of candidates who have never
held public office would furnish re-
ifreshing innovation that would meet
with a ready response from the pro-
!gressive voters at large.
Mr.. Hopkins did not discuss in
!iiyiduals. Curiously enough, how :
ever, this group does not include
iSenator Hiram johnson in the list of
eligible progressises as ne IS Gam
jnaigning for the regular republican
ipomination. Senator La Toilette of
WISCONSIN. is the acknowledged lead
Iar of the farmer-labor-progre