Montana labor news., 1935-10-03
AMLIE SEES BIRTH OF
A new RADICAL
MOVEMENT

NAl9AAAAN04 vi W
astic about tn e outcome of the Chicago
conference which gave birth to the
American Commonwealth Political Fed
Grafton, its chairman, Rep. Thomas r.
Annie Progressive, Wisconsin,, sees
it as marking a turning point in Amer
lean political history.
Il feel this is the beginning OF an in
digenous radical movement in the
United States" he told Federated
Press. in 20 years Of attending such
conferences, l have never seen such
significant people in attendance"
Classification Of the list Of ESQ regis
tered delegates at the conference re-
veals wide representation from farmer,
labor, third party, unemployed and
democratic groups, Amlie declares. 1t
was not intended in any sense to be a
convention, he points out, consequently
delegates in most cases did not come
as official representatives of their or
CARNATIONS. But they were represen-
tatives of the general sentiment in the
organizations from which they came,
he insists, and were in most cases Of
ficers OF those bodies.
The largest elements at the confer
ence, according to Amlie, were those
adhering to the Farmer-Labor Political
Federation and the League for indie
pendent Political Action. In this group
he includes large delegations from the
Farmer-Labor party of Minnesota and
the Progressive party of Wisconsin,
with state officials present from both.
The Minnesota Farmer-Labor Associa-
ton had an official delegate.
The next largest group Amlie CLASH
flies as democratic, including such
bodies as the Continental Committee on
Technocracy, the Commonwealth
Builders of Washington and organiza-
tions in Utah, Wisconsin, California
and New York. Socialists were also
present in large numbers.
Officials Of the Farmer Holiday As
ISOLATION were present from Minnesota,
Iowa, New Mexico and North Dakota.
There were also Farmers Union,
Grange and other farm representatives.
Large unemployed organizations were
represented, and there were many dele
gates present from trade unions, ac-
cording to Annie. Labor paper editors,
mayors, city attorneys, union officials
and even leaders of Republican and
Democratic ward organizations stand
out from the list of delegates.
The conference OVERRIDE some Of
Amlie's proposals, but he finds encour-
agement in that very fact. THE mid
dlewestern delegates were so eager for
a new party, the demand was so great,
that any attempt to stop at a mere
federation would have driven them
away and they would have looked else
where for leadership" he said.
Amlie sees grounds for believing that
a new and distinctive radical movement
is under way in the conferences mega
tive response to some of his arguments
for adopting the lame Farmer-Labor
That there is a native American radi-
cal movement under way has shown it.
self very forcibly in California and
Washington, he said. "The same kind
of appeal as has been made by the
EPIC groups in California and the
Commonwealth forces in Washington
found a much reader response than
the class appeal in the words Farmer
Labor"
The chairman of the new Federation
counterposes the new American radi-
calism" he envisages to Marxism and
Communism. Ninety per cent of the
delegates in Chicago recognized that
capitalism is through" he said, that
we must substitute for it collectivism,
with production for use instead Of
profit. But our movement is not going
to be determined by Marxists or Com
munists. 1t must proceed on the idea
that the support Of the majority can be
secured by the democratic process"
"The "technocratic idea" i the ker-
mel Of the social theory which Amlie
sees his movement adopting. This he
defines as the realization, independent
of emotional reactions, that with
planned production and modern tech
nology, we can supply everyone in the
United States with an abundant liv-
ling" With this appeal, rather than a
class appeal, he says, Americans can
be widely reached, because of the
Classics psychology" which they have
developed from their frontier tradi-
ton. The "%technocratic idea" stems
from Voblen rather than Marx, he be-
lieves.
As to immediate plans, the A. C..
P. F., which will soon establish head
quarters i n Washington, will launch
an educational campaign and concen-
trate on building sympathetic o
ments in the separate states. Tactics
within each state will be left to the
people there" Amlie said, and there
will be no interference with these move
ments, as in California and Washing
ton, where the production for use"
forces prefer to operate through one
or other OF the old parties. There are
no immediate plans for LAUNCHING a ma
tional third party ticket.
Prv TTnion 7 aha1 ooode aarh da1y and