The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1936-08-18
Many IFS" Hold Fate
Of A 1910 Labor Party
Talk OF Independent Or
ganization Becomes In
teresting, But Its I'm
portance Is Very Slim
By BYRON PRICE

'Nhket Oh bureau, Ihe ASSOct0tet
Press Washington
Talk of an independent labor
party in 1910 is interesting, but
there is a large dispute as to its
Importance.
The "ifs" are many and impos-
ing, and four years is a long time
under present changing condi-
tions. Much is certain to depend
on what happens within the older
parties with respect to labor, and
what happens to the country gem
orally with respect to recovery.
If Mr.. Roosevelt wins this year,
if he recommends a successor in
1910, and if those labor leaders
who now speak of a new party
still feel as strongly disposed to-
ward the Roosevelt policies as they
now feel, where will there be
standing room for an independent
labor ~and;daka2
If Mr.. Landon wins, if his poll
cies as president are acceptable to
the rank and file OF labor. and if
he finds himself engaged four
years hence in desperate battle
for reelection. will any substantial
segment OF the labor vote with
draw to experiment with new
~ venture OF it's own?
IF the depression ends. and
1910 finds the country in another
era of ample employment oppor-
tunity and high wages, is labor
likely to jump overheard poll
tically?
Disorganization Handicap
These questionings could be pro-
longed indefinitely without ex-
hausting all OF the possible COM
binations OF circumstance which
might affect 1910.
There are, however, several as
poets OF the case which do not in
Volve conjecture. Certain solid
facts are inescapable.
The first OF these is that maxi
mum results scarcely could be ex-
pected of labor party unless
labor were united behind it. To-
day labor is anything but united.
A very large percentage is unor-
ganized and manifestly out of
sympathy with that percentage
which is organized. And the or
ganfzed section is split in the bit
terest schism in it's history.
The Washington meeting at
which the idea of a 1910 indie
pendent party was not prominent
ly projected was a meeting of one
part of the organized part of la
Dor. 1t was a conference of la
boris non-partisan league, which is
pledged to the reelection of Presi-
dent Roosevelt. It's leadership
was made up largely. but not en-
tirely. of union officials who had
just been suspended by the Amer
lean Federation of Labor.
While this meeting was in pro-
gress, another union official was
taking charge of labor commit
tee designed to promote the can
didacy of Governor Landon. and
officials of the federation itself
were reiterating an attitude of
neutrality.
Failed In Past
Another solid fact is that no
party based on the interests of
any single class-even when that
class was united-has ever gone
far or lived long in American po-
Itical history.
Sensing this, perhaps, most of
the leaders at the Washington
conference spoke of liberal
party, rather than a labor party.
But the inference was very plain
that such party would be organ
lied in the interest of labor, and
would be dominated by labor. The
distinction, as it was outlined by
the labor leaders themselves, was
ne Of name rather than purpose.
If the definition were expand
ed, however, new uncertainties
would arise. Is it to be supposed
that new liberal party or
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