The producers news. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1918-1937, 1935-07-12
follow.

This is the second in a series of =
.etters in answer to questions rails
cd in the Farmers Union Herald :
or the Labor Party EDITOR
Farmers Union Herald, Y
st. Paul, MINI.
Dear Mr.. Kicker, Editor
In your article in the May issue !
of the Herald On "The Making of a
National Farm-Labor Party" you
wrote that eff in the United Sta
ties there is fourded nationally a
Farmer-Labor Party, it will be
socialist party in essence because
it cannot be anything else"
You said that the Labor Party
in Great Britain is essentially a
socialist party" Apparently the
kind Of new party you are adj
vocating in the United States
would resemble the British Party.
We should examine this, not
from the point of view of whether
the British Labor Party is essen /
TALLY socialist" hut whether it
has served or serves now the in
terests of the working people. We
! wish that you had justifid your
assertion with some facts. Since
you have not we feel duty bound
supply those facts by which the
American farmers can Judge for
themselves whether they want that
kind of a party in this country.
Here are the facts:
In the August days of 1914 the
leaders Of the Labor Party called
or the British workers to Stand
in defense of our Motherland' in
the bloody struggle that was going
on between British and German
Imperialism.
At the end of August 1914, Hen
derson, Brace, Roberts and John
Hodge, all members of the Labour
Party, who had joined the govern
ment in official capacities, came
: out as open advocates of conscrip
e ton.
d The Labour Party joined in the
/ counter-revolutionary campaign a
). gainst the Soviet Union after 1919
n Shortly after coming into powe
= for the first time in February, 19
"a, with Macdonald as prime min
lister. the Labour Party establishe
a coalition government includin
representatives of the Liberal an
Conservative Parties. The Labou
Government then proceeded on
u; program which included voluntar
Ill suppression of strikes with the tt
IL reat of the Emergency Power AZ
ID in the background: use of the Se'
e. ret Service against the worker:
TT pushing the increase of armament
o. and terror against the workin
people of India.
In the British General Strike
May 9-12, 1926, "the strongest an
most united workingclass front
the history of the country was Or
- ken up and smashed in a day NJ
by the blows of the capitalists, n
y by any weakening of the worker
IL but by a collapse of the leadersh
no at the center. The principle strlk
Ip- breakers were, not Baldwin al
Ike the O M. S. "a strike-breakil
Sc outfit) but Thomas, MacDona
M (leaders of the Labour Party
co Ed and the General Council {
~. the British Trade Unions. affili;
=; ed to the Labour Party-Ed.)",
NJ Palm Dutt has pointed out
ue' In 1928 the British Labour Pal
Ids delegation participated in the 81
&C. ish Commonwealth Labour c.
ference. The delegation from Int
withdrew from the confereI
charging, "We can no longer pa
any trust or confidence in the g
faith of the British Labour Pa
the in its dealings with India"
to A Labour Party gOvernm
by came into power in June, 1929,
was collapsed in the fall of 1881.
;ob record of betrayal during this /
,,5s iod includes the following acts
yuo During the period June 10
ere October IA, 1929, insurance o
ned GERS acting under the Labour G
eminent, disallowed 12,O57 m
and lcaims for relief under the
AN genuinely seeking work" cls
pre- than had the Conservative Cow
ment in the corresponding pc.
nne for 1928.
the At Pershawar in India, trc
.god were called out on April %, l
e. 1 to put down demonstrations. 7
FL FL cial reports spoke of 60 killed
A0 $50 wounded.
Up to the end of December,
80, 54,049 persons in India
been imprisoned in connec
with the civil disobedience m
ment while in the four mon
aceo April to July, 1O1 persons had
ling killed and APT wounded by r.
de- and troops.
up On March %, % Lahore pl
its ners were executed in India, !
eng ing to demonstrations and
reat flicts with troops and police
aced which so were killed and over
injured.
The vicious Trade Disputes
Trade Unions Act Of 1927 to
law sympathetic strikes was
sed in 1927 after the general 81
~ of 1926. 1t was not repealed by
rs Labour Government. 1t was del
Oiu ed in Committee by Libera
Dra- mendment and withdrawn. 1t
INTO not reintroduced by the La