The producers news. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1918-1937, 1935-04-12

was what the workers wanted and
expected. LaFollette and Wheeler
received over 100000 votes in
the election of 1924 with a slogan
of 'back to '76 and symbol of
a cracked liberty bell.
This surely was the mass basis
for a party.
LaFOIlette Betrayed ,
But LaFollette and Wheeler well
knew that the development of such
a party was bound to get out of
control and to become a class
struggle labor party, so the move
ment having been purposely be-
trayed by these fen, and led into
the blind alley of an Independent
presidential campaign, was aban-
doned and liquidated by them with
the aid of the misleaders of labor
and farmers.
After this betrayal the workers
were. disorganized and confused.
LaFOllette went back into the re-
publican party and Wheeler into
the democratic, and the workers
hither and thither. Labor banks
and farm cofmodity pools and CO.
operative elevators, processing
plants, cheese factories and oil
stations were set up as the solu-
ton to the ever present problems
of the workers and the unrelent-
ing agricultural crisis.
In 1924, in spite of the LaFol-
lette-Wheeler independent cam
paign, Coolidge, the republican,
was elected with substantial ma
jority. The majority of the La
Toilette vote came from the dem
ocratic party, still discredited as a
result of the World War. The
Communist party, after the repu-
diation of the st. Paul Farmer
Labor convention by the LaFol-
lettes, withdrew from the labor
party, abandoned the struggle and
brought forth its own candidates,
Foster and Gitlow. Outside Of
Mime sofa the Farmer-Labor party
faded out, but in Minnesota large
masses of the farmers and work
ers deserted the old Wall Street
parties never to return again. This
was due to the agitation and edu-
cation of the old Socialist party
and the Nonpartisan League and
: the militant fights that had occur
red there before, during and after
, the war.
During the days of stagnatiol
and confusion Of the workers
there was no hope of labor par
ty. The workers and toiling far
mers we're not interested they
had pinned their faith again onto
the promises Of the old parties
and old party politicians who pro.
mise everything and anything al
election time. There was no labor
party.
mower rat Hen
In 1928, Hoover was electeC
president on the slogan of contin
uous and increased prosperity
: two cars in every garage and /:
: fat hen in every pot. He wol
over Al Smith, the democratic
candidate, the republicans win
: ming overwhelmingly everywhere
The public said: "The democrati,
party can never recover from tn,
from the effects of the war ad.
ministration; it is dead forever"
The panic, the inevitable, capt.
alistic panic, came in the fall Of
? 1929. The Farm Board was Elk.
posed as CHASTITY Wall Stree
joke, as legislation for the bank
ers and spectators rather thar
!, for the farmers. The Hoover tar
| iff was legislation for the indus
4 trial dukes and not for the work
+. ers. The tide turned agains-
: Hoover.
The political effects of the eco.
nomic crash were immediate. Oh
: course, the republicans were Il
: blame; all the Wall Street paper,
: said so, all the country papers mo-
= silenced by republican patronage
said so; all the labor misleaders
and farmers misleaders said so
The workers. and farmers swune
to the democratic party like {
! huge tidal wave.
{ Wall Street had prepared fol
: this.
: In the fall of thirty the demo
I Gratis made great gains everywhere
f and were but a few short of con
trolling congress.
: Wall Street Man
/ In 1882 Wall Street nominate.
), northumberland banker anC
e New York City real estate anC
e public utility magnate for presi
4 dent-the richest man to eve
reach the presidential chair-th,
r richest president since Washington
e who was the richest man in tn.
e United States in his time. Wal
4 Street took one of its very ow,