Montana labor news., 1936-09-03
LABOR MAY TRY
TO TAKE OVER
BOURBON PARTY

WAol1lIN1 - WnelIlel
or not a labor party in the United
States is a%-borning remains the big
question here.
Some see in the recent conference
of state chairmen of Labor's Non
Partisan League here the birth of a
real labor party by 1910. They
point to the frequent declarations of
the league officials about preparing
to meet an expected re-allignment
in the political structure of the
country. They also point to the
strong trade union base of the
league, embracing approximately 30
great national and International
unions.
On the other hand congential
skeptics look somewhat askance at
the league. They figure it as a
mere campaign set up for 1886 with
the 1910 talk thrown in as bait for
the suckers. What worries some is
the presence of George L. Berry as
nominal president of the organiza-
ton. His appearance as a labor
party advocate is somewhat of a
surprise. There are others in the
league organization whose presence
in a labor party camp is also sur
prising.
On the assumption that the league
will move forward to the establish
ment of a labor party the question
then devolves upon procedure.
1t seems the safest guess that in
stead of looking to a third party
move, the league will make an eff
fort to capture the Democratic
party. Such a procedure would
simplify the task greatly, removing
the difficulty of getting on the bal
lot in some states, besides capturing
whatever benefits might accrue
from the use of the Democratic la
bel.
The capture of the Democratic
party might not be such a difficult
task. AS shrewd political common
tators have pointed out, the Demo-
cratic party is in a much less stable
position than the Republican party.
1t contains within it elements of
conservation and radicalism that at
several points have threatened to
split it from ear to ear. In the
South, die hard Democrats differ
from die hard Republicans in name
only. Except for a Southern accent,
persons like Senator Joe Robinson,
or Senator Kenneth Mcclellan, or
Senator Carter Glass, might just as
well pitch their tents in the camp
of the Henry Fletchers, Herbert
Hoovers, and Boss Rorabacks.
In the other wing Of the Demo-
cratic party are liberals like Sena-
tor Lew Schwellenbach, Burton K.
Wheeler, and Hugo Black. At the
last session of Congress the Robin
sons, and Glasses, and McKellars
were by far in the majority.
Even in the Presidents cabinet
the cleverage is present. 1t encom-
passes genuine liberals such as Har-
old L. Ickes, Secretary of Interior,
and genuine mossbacks such as Cor
dell Hull, Secretary of State, and
George H. Dern, Secretary of War,
The Republican party, on the
other hand, is small and moribund
but compact. Those who profess
liberalism have either left the party,
like Sen. Robert LaFollette of Wis
consin, or remain in an isolated
wing of it, removed from influence
in the national councils, like Sen.
Gerald P. Nye of North Dakota.
Binding the party together is a
consistent philosophy of the ~sanctity
of property, individualism, and lei
the devil take the hindmost. AL
though the Democratic party is al
present in control of the Doodle, a
vital matter to a political party,
many intra-party quarrels I'VE that
Doodle threaten a split.
In the heyday of Republicanism
no such quarrels over Doodle
threatened. Tea Pot Dome oil
fields were swiped with ease and
smoothly. The gang worked like q
well oiled machine, all following
one guiding star and keeping the
boat steady.
When in England the labor gov
eminent was in power, there wa:
much talk of the death of the con
sentative party. Instead it was the
conservative party that survived
and recaptured power while the lib.
eral party, in hopeless confusion
split and sank, pulling the labor
party with it.
Moving forward, then, to a cap.
ture of the Democratic party is or
the cards for Labor's Non-Partisar
League. When the internal con.
flict in that party reaches the burst.
ing point, the league, well organ.
lied and well financed may be in {
strategic position to form the oppo.
sition party to wealth and privilege