Evening star., 1936-07-19
THIRD PARTY.HELD
HOPE Of AMERICA
Three Public Affairs Insti-
tute Speakers Discuss
Situation.
~ the Associated Press.


stitute at the University Of Virginia |
today BY three speakers. each Of whom
pointed q way he said would lead
from insecurity and scarcity to pros
perity and abundance.
Howard Y. williams Of st. Paul,
MINI, national organizer Of the
Farmer-Labor Political Federation,
pictured his party on the threshold Of
. crusade for an ECONOMY of abund-
ance."
He spoke to the last meeting Of the
round table on The American Politi-
cal Scene for 1886"
Ben Howe, chairman of the City
Fusion party Of New York. expressed
belief in What the Republicans and
Democrats have been saying about
each other" and asked what Is to be
done about it. He charged that I'VE
economy that squares with the facts
be gorn."
Alfred Gingham, editor Of Com
nonsense. and son Of Hiram Bing-
ham, former Senator from Connecti-
cut, who spoke last night and was in
the audience this morning. said that
"the problem before civilization today
Is whether or not 1t can build an
economic system that will work. In
place of the capitalistic system that
Is breaking down"
Mistake Toward Youth.
The view Of the educator was ex-
pressed by DR.. Alexander Meikeljohn,
director of the San Francisco School
Of Social Studies, who in addressing
an open forum on Perennial Educa-
tion." charged the conservative busi-
ness man and the radical reformer
commonly make the same mistake
Both of them wish to use the teach.
ing Of youth to serve their own i'm
mediate and temporary interests"
williams said that with evidence
OF a close race between the Republi-
cans and Democrats in the next Con-
gress, the Farmer-Labor parties Of
Minnesota and other States are con-
centrating on the election of at least
IS third-party Congressman in the
1886 campaign, and believe the num-
Der may run up to 40 or so.
This group of Farmer-Labor Con-
gressmen with program Of produc-
ton for use may actually hold the
balance Of power in the next Con-
gress and by their votes bargain for
their demands and force the next
President to the left. This will be the
most important contribution that can
come out Of the 1886 election.
The profit system is rapidly dis
1ntegrating and only a national
Farmer-Labor party committed to a
peoples front, similar to that in France
and Spain, can stop war and Fascist
dictatorship for America"
Howe contended that I'VE are visibly
approaching a tragedy of the first
magnitude because we talk and talk
and don't say what We are talking
about. We are lost in the labyrinth of
these paradoxical involvements, where
everybody talks and nobody listens.
Everybody is accusing everybody
else Of being criminally anti-social
when everybody else knows few are
criminally anti-social outside of jails."
Bingham argued that though the
third party vote would not be large,
"the question of third party is the
most important issue of this cam
paign year 1885 That the future
will see a new political alignment Is
certain enough. But whether 1t will
be an alignment based on real issues
or false ones. that is the key to the
third party problem.
"A system of planned plenty, aiming
at the full utilization of our resources,
cooperative commonwealth Of
production for use, is the only real
political issue of the future"
School for craftsmanship"
DR.. Meikeljohn, the last Of 200
speakers at the institute, condemned
alike the business man and the radical,
who he said wished to use the school
for craftsmanship" or propaganda"
THE perennial view Of education
regards it as the activity Of intro
ducing young person into the crafts
manship of the mind" he said. I'm |
America this perennial education has |
taken the form of training in the free |
discussion of human problems. We |
are trying to teach to our youth the
art of making up their minds
IF q teacher is to do that well it
is not enough that he furnish his
students with information, that he
inform them about all sides of the
question. The teacher must make up
his own mind and must be an advo-
cate of his own conclusions.
We must have free teachers who
have faith in the freedom Of the
mind"
John Calvin Brown. New York con-
struction engineer and economist, told
the final session that If the present |
administration is returned to Office q |
political dictatorship" or social dis
order may result.
Hasty and ill-considered political
decisions on economic problems, he |
said, constitute a great American |
fault.
None Of us care whether govern
ment is business or not" he added. |
"What we are concerned about Is
whether and how much our welfare IS
injured If 1t is in business, and If we
decide that we want government to
stay out of business we must decide |
during the next three months which
political party offers the greater threat
in this direction"
The presidential election, he said,
embodies "a war between politics and
democracy" He attributed present |
troubles" to Government acts and
contended that further interference
with business could be expected should
the administration remain in power. |
Methods for Care Of Aged.
Frank Bane, executive director Of
the National Social Security Board,
outlined three methods from which |
he said America must choose for the |
care Of the aged.
The Nation must decide. he said. |