The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1925-01-07
MINORITY MUMBO- JUMBO
THE FARNER-LABOR PARTY

the st. Paul convention furnishes the
basis of the present alleged sentiment
found by the minority for the farmer
labor party. The only real sentiment
for farmer-labor party l can find
after months of close observation all
over the country is in the ranks of the
minority itself, or those with an op-
portunist inclination. 1t this logic
founded upon events that are dead
and gone that is responsible for the
intransigent attitude of Ruthenberg
and others.
The leaders Of the minority are
busy citing facts" to prove either
the existence of actual organization
of or sentiment for, farmer-labor
party.
Let me cite an actual fact bearing
upon the existence of an organized
farmer-labor movement in one typical
F.. L. P. state-South Dakota. The
farmer-labor party of South Dakota
was an organization, composed mostly
of bankrupt farmers and some indus
trial workers. Its two we'll known
leaders, we're Tom Ayres and Alice
Lorraine Daily. Miss DAILY several
years ago polled over 10000 votes for
governor of South Dakota. Ayres is
far superior to Mahoney both for pol
itical honesty and as sincere farmer
laborite. Ayres in the two day con
ference Immediately before the hold
ing of the ST. Paul convention stood
with us against Mahoney who wanted
to keep the Workers Party out of the
st. Paul convention. In the conven-
ton itself Ayres, again rallied his fifty
delegates mostly farmers-to stand
with us. Again at a caucus of his
delegation Ayres with the assistance
of three Finnish Communists from
South Dakota put the delegation on
record to stay in the convention, even
if LaFollette was not nominated. But
all Ayres influence availed him no
thing against the wave of LaFollette
hysteria. When the delegation re-
turned to South Dakota. they de-
manded and insisted that their farmer
labor party go for LaFollette, in spite
Of the fact that LaFollette's gang set
up duplicate organization in South
Dakota and generally double-crossed
the farmer-labor party. Ayres and the
South Dakota farmer-labor party went
with LaFollette. Today, Ayres is no
longer active in the political life of
the farmers but is writing insurance
for living. And the South Dakota
farmer-labor party is broken up and
scattered to the four winds. This is
an instance of the "seperatness" from
the LaFollette movement, of the farm
er-labor movement that the leaders
of the minority try hard to find or
create even in their own imagination.
The minority's proof of the exist
tence of the sentiment is cited by
them in the Massachusetts, C. P. p.
A. conference. The facts as / found
them on recent trip to Boston was
that the Massachusetts G. P. P. A..
conference was not representative of
the c. p. P. A. itself as generally con-
stituted. The Massachusetts, confer
ence was ignored by the Railroad
Brotherhoods and the bulk of the A.
f. of L., unions affiliated with the Gen.
trail Labor Union. Those actually
participating were che A. C. W., the
I. L. G. W., the Jewelry Workers and
the Machinists along with bunch Of
fraternal and benefit organizations
The delegates who favored a farmer
labor party were either members Of
our own party or influenced by its late
campaign. Our own party members
who were delegates, appeared to be
caught more or less unprepared and
did not execute their vancouver as in
structed by the c. Il. G. with any de-
gree of brilliancy. Whatever the
reason for this, 1t is significant that
the ID. o., Comrade BALKAN who was
charged with the responsibility Of
directing the maneuver, was not
even present and he now issues a
trade against the majority on the
grounds Of his own peculiar "dialec-
teal" presentation. Surely Comrade
BALKAN will hardly claim that the mar
row basis OF the Massachusetts, G. p.
p. A. gathering he speaks Of, was
hardly broad enough for even left
wing farmer.labor party. In the haly-
con days of the farmer-labor party
movement in Massachusetts, and after
repeated attempts could get nothing
moro thsre than moro committee for