The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1925-12-18
UNCERTAINTY
PREVAILS AS
MEET BEGINS
Dream Of National Farmer
Labor Movement May Not
Come True. Lemke Admits
STATE AFFAIR ONLY
Opinions of National Farmer
Labor Leaders Will BE
Considered. However

| Uncertainty prevailed here las,
ght as delegates to the proposed
Farmer-LabOr state convention begar
10 arrive.
William Lemke. Fargo. one-time
| power in the Nonpartisan League
! and sponsor of the meeting, was
among the first on the scene. H.
brought with him an idea of rcvis-
ing the original principles which
characterized the Nonpartisan League
and expressed the BELIEF tina: Il third
party offered the only method of
salvaging the former league pro-
gram.
At the same time other delegates
covertly were discussing the con-
vention from different angle. Sew
eral signers of the call for the meet
ing indicated change of heart and
expressed the opinion that "the
crowd will mill around for while
and then 90 home without doing any
thing" They now believe that the
movement was ill-advscd and will
get nowhere.
Dream May Not Come True
Lemke admitted the poss; ;bility
that MS dream of nationally pow
erful Farmer-Labor movement may
not come true. at may be-" he said.
that the country at large is not
ready for it in which event it nat
urally will fail"
Lemke declared he has had no COM
munlcation with national Farmer
LABOR leaders, some of whom were
here yesterday. Their opinions will
1t will be strictly North Dakota
affair.
Although denying that he was
alone responsible for calling the con-
ference, lemkc said he was heart
and soul in favor of it, pointing out
that the third party idea had been
discussed at the 1924 Nonpartisan
convention and that numerous Nom
partisan leaders had favored the
proposal at that time. He also
stressed the fact that a Farmer
Labor designation was officially
placed on the state ballot in 1924
when David r"indeXter. jamestown,
ran Tor state senator.
Third Party Necessary
The movement is not one to di~ f,
vorce himself or his adherents from
the league, Lemke asserted, but it
IS rather 10 rescue the league from
the decay To which it has been sub
Jected by too close affiliatiOn with
the Republican party.
Iemhr recalled that the tate Sen
ator La Toilette worked within the !
Republican party for 80 years in an
effort To reform it but failed. The
answer, as he sees il, is to organize |
a third party which will be free !
from the communicating influences" |
OF the two old organizations which |,
he brands with the same label.
"This movement" said Lemke, ais |
not intended as a thing merely for !
today. 1t may be 30 years before it ,
is nationally successful. We are not |
concerned with puny personal amb- |
tiOns but with principles involving
the welfare of humanity which is
not being conserved by the existing
social order"
Idea Above Personalities |
Attacking 'pie counter" polit-
lcians, Lemke said that undoubtcd-
!y some of them would try to attach
themselves to the movement but that
every effort would be made to elimi-
nate their Influence.
The former all powerful 'Nonpar-
tisan leader. who is credited by his
enemies with having hand-picked and
etecteu Two complete sets OF state
officers during the leagues hey.day,
characterized as ridiculous the idea
that the purpose Of the meeting was
merely the ''ghosting" Of the present
faction in the league. He
also branded as false intiNation by
his opponents that the idea of the
meeting was to construct a vehic
enabling him to ride into power as
United States /senator from North
Dakota at the 1926 election. "The
dea is above personalities and above
parties which no longer serve the
people, he said.
As an instance of one way in
which he believes the proposed Farm
'r-Labor party could serve the ma
ion. Lemke pointed to an inherit.
lnce tax plank which may be incor-
'orated in the proposed new party'sl
'latform, if it does go as far as to
'dopt one. Under this plan he would
xempt from tax, inheritances
# less than 100000 but would null
iply the tax on larger fortunes.
his. he said, would be only one part
# the program to change the exist
ng order.