The producers news. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1918-1937, 1928-08-03
''THE MINNESOTA POLITICAL
EXPERIMENT"

well forth the facts concerning the FarmerLaDor
party phenomena of that state
The future growth of the party in Minnesota is de-
pendent upon the identical conditions that the growth
of the party in Montana, South, Dakota any other
state is dependent upon.
political party must grow-it must expand, it must
have statewide and national objective, if it is to
become a permanent thing-somethng more than a
protest.
Many times has this writer acclaimed upon this
fact before the Minnesota Farmer-1abor group, but
to avail
When Minnesota elected Shipstead to the United
States Senate, after a valiant campaign and come
within inch of eecting the entire state ticket the
attention of the nation focused upon that state
There was a hope of a Farmer-Labor party in the
heart of every real progressive, of every out
of harmony with and dsilusioned to the character
of the old parties. When later Magnus Johnson
elected to succeed Sen Knute Nelson deceased after
sensational campaign, the national sentiment took
huge proportions-that the psychological moment
for the launching of mass movement The rest of
the nation looked to Minnesota for leadership.
The Farmer-Labor party of other states formed A
lot of work done and money spent in north
eastern Montana Members of the legislature and
county officers elected, legal party was well
established The growth and success of this definite
movement depended upon the building of a strong
state and national party which has failed to develop
the state and local efforts have been nuified In
this leadership Minnesota failed.
When Johnson elected to the United States SEN
ate and the FarmerLabor sentiment high, instead
of coming to Montana in behalf of the movement in
stead of setting up the in North Dakota, where
the Nonpartisan League could easily have been swung
to the party, instead of taking the initiative in calling
ing national convention Magnus Johnson accepted
commercial club invitations to talk Sen. Shpstead
elected went into brown study and lost all in
terest in the development of the party In North Da-
kOta Sen. Frazier stood Republican and in Montana
Sen. Wheeler stood Democratic and both and the
remaining progressives fought the building of the
Farmer-LabOr party and effectively All these men
know we'll that this party should have been built La
Toilette put the knife to the heart of the babe when
he issued his manifesto against conven-
ton, which he had taken part in calling and decided
to run for president independent, the most
ptfu fasco this nation has ever behed but neverthe-
less demonstrating that 100000 voters were pre-
pared to desert the old parties for the new Sen
Wheeler took part in this gesture The whole affair
was betrayal of the Farmer-Labor party movement
and lead it into the shambles
The labor union officaldom opposed the movement
though the rank and file were favorable The ma
tona movement failed-t is belief that this au-
tumn will witness the absolute failure of the Mime
sofa movement, just the movement failed in Mon
tana, and the Dakotas and the of the states-a
for the same reason-the failure of the Minnesota
movement to realize it's historic mission in its ina
bity to grasp the fact that political party must have
a national objective.
ina and conviction to have gone ahead-had it re-
NAMED Farmer Labor party instead of liberal op-
position party in Minnesota, had had national mis-
sion instead of a passion to put few self-seeking
men in office there, political facts would have been
different today The South would have embraced the
party; only party destroy the democratic
one party system of Dixie, and the Farmer-Lab
party could have done it. 1t would have attracted the
attention and support of huge of the ters and
tollers as did the movement in Minnesota-but Min.
nesota taltered on the threshold It's leaders were
politicians instead of farmers and workers The party
squabbled over its respectabiity-it expurged the
reds and tried to its safe and saneness by be-
coming more safe and sane than the Republican an,
democratic parties and wrote platforms to catch thu
votes OF the middle class, instead of to voice needs
the farmers and workers
And now at this late date the Advocate writes wha
1t should have written five years ago when opportuni
ty knocked and before it had passed
Says the Advocate:
Minnesota has been a laboratory for DO
itical experimentation during the past ten
years; the wealth producers of the state
the farmers and wOrkers-have sought to-
effect industrial improvement through pO-
litical actiOn an effort has been made to-
build political movement based on the
economic interests of the most useful ell
ements of society. 1t is time to take stock
and see just what has been accomplished.
Whatever difference of interest that
may exist between the farmer and the
worker in minor way thought to be
fully submerged in larger way by virtue
of the fact that both primarily work.
and derive their main income from the
exercise of their labor power. This has
been found to be fact; the old deusion
that there is a radical antagOnism between
these wealth producing elements has been
fully disproven and dissipated. For ten
years workers the farm and in the fac
tories have cO-operated along political lines
in many campaign and have sat in con-
ventiOns and threshed out common prob
lens of industry and legislation
The Minnesota Farmer-LabOr movement
has withstood many assaults from without
and within; special interest organs and
politicians have kept up constant fight
the movement and have sought to dis
courage and divide its forces, while ene-
mics within the movement have endeav-
Ored To sow seeds of discussion and cause