The Nonpartisan Leader Newspaper, August 4, 1919, Page 3

¥ K P e &y In the interest of a square deal for the farmers Nonpartigan Teader Official Magazine of the National Nonpartisgn‘ League _“VOL. 9, NO. 5 A magazine that dares to print the truth ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA, AUGUST 4, 1919 WHOLE NUMBER 202 sl ‘Workers of Minnesota Form New Party_ i - Alliance With Nonpartisan League Proposed at State Labor Convention— .° Public Ownership Planks Included in Platform BY SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT IXTY-FIVE THOUSAND organ- ized labor men have joined the great army of progress in Min- nesota. From now on labor is deter- mined to be a political as well as an -industrial order in the ' state. A new era in the eman- . .cipation of toiling masses held under the subjection of intrenched special privilege has been inaugurated through the formation of the Working People’s Nonpartisan Political league at New Ulm, July 20, by delegates to the thirty-sev- . enth annual convention of the Minnesota State Fed- eration 6f Labor. The political conference at which the league had its inception preceded the labor convention. Its program of principles and plans later was indorsed unanimously by the convention. Steps were taken to bring about a combination between the Working People’s league and the Non- partisan league of the organized farmers. The reasons why this move is imperative were set forth in a resolution offered by Henry C. Cre- peau,-one of the labor delegates from St. Paul and a leader in organizing the Working People’s league. The resolution was referred to the executive council of the league for consideration. The two big organizations now representing the progressive forces in Minnesota are the’Nonparti- san league and the new Working People’s league. A meeting of the officials of the Workers’ leazue - will be held in St. Paul soon to outline plans for next year’s. political campaign in Minnesota and ° arrange for a labor political convention in St. Paul _ next March. 215 Labor’s decision to enter politics followed an address by S. S. McDonald, president of the North "Dakota Federation of Labor. y “I used to be against political action on the part of labor,” he ‘said, “but I have found I was badly mistaken in my views. In the last North Dakota legislature labor had two members of the house ‘and none in the senate. The legislature was con- trolled by the Nonpartisan league farmers. “We asked them for nothing. They exacted no pledges or promises from us. All they did was ; to inquire what laws organized labor in North Da- urer. Both these men were active campaigners for farmer-labor candidates in the state last year. The resolution to indorse the League was intro- duced by Henry C. Crepeau, member of the St. Paul Pressmen’s union. It was referred to the ex- ecutive committee and re-referred to the execu- tive board of the political league. It follows: , “Whereas, for many years past organized labor has contended for adequate and just laws for those who labor from politicians elected from the differ- ent political groups, only to find, at the close of , each legislative session, we have bzen tricked and fooled by those whom we thought to be our friends, and i “Whereas, in “order to overcome this trickery anrd deceit the labor movement of this state has, from time to time, secured pledges from candidates who would agree to support labor legislation, only to again find, at critical moments, that even the pledged word of some politicians means nothing, and “Whereas, the organized farmers of North Da- -~ GOING DOWN ' = N7 s 4 kota, members of the same national urganization of farmers as is now organizing in Minnesota, have secured a majority in the North ‘Dakota leg- islature and passed the following beneficial laws for labor: Disability compensation, eight-hour day for women, minimum wage for women, inspection of coal mines, limiting the issuance of injunctions, union label on all state printing, full train crew, protection of employes. All of this was accom- plished in one legislative session in an almost purely agricultural state, with only two members of the state legislature from the ranks of organized labor, and FARMERS STOOD BY LABOR, RESOLUTION DECLARES “Whereas, the organized farmers’ representa- = tives in the Minnesota legislature of 1919 stood just as true to the principles of organized labor as the organized farmers of North Dakota, therefore’ “Be ‘it resolved, that we indorse the organized farmers’ organization in the states of North Da- kota and Minnesota and pledge ourselves to work i in co-operation with them in the future to secure ‘representation in our state and nation that will make just and adequate laws for the welfare of the common people.” : The platform of the Working People’s Nonpar- tisan Political league.is as follows: “Grave industrial and political problems con- front the American people today, which must be solved correctly if the nation is to prosper and endure. ““As the outcome of the war was to determine the future of human freedom and progress, no sacrifice . was deemed too great to stay the blighting hand of the ambitious militarists who sought to fasten on mankind the odious rule of tyranny and reaction. “Now that the monstrous schemes of these mil- itary, industrial and political imperialists have been defeated by the sacrifice of the lives and hap- piness of ‘millions of men, women and. children, and the destruction of untold treasure, it behooves the common people, who were the chief sufferers from this ‘unparalleled catastrophe, to prevent a recurrence of war by making such changes in the . industrial and political institutions as will remove . the need and the opportunity for that strife and * jealousy which always result in war. 5 i '5;: kota wanted passed. We submitted eight meas- ures. Every one is now on the statute books of . the state, and it cost organized labor just $110. “The representatives of organized labor of Min- nesota, in state conference assembled, solemnly - 2 : : ‘fo;fggxfe;»ngayor of Minneapolis “Before that we had been dealing with old-line party politicians, spent thousands of dollars and got nothing. There is no state now in which the labor men wouldn’t give $100,000-to get the laws labor got in North Dakota for $110.” The action of the Minnesota workers followed closely a decision of the Wisconsin federation to indorse the Nonpartisan league. Minnesota is_the fifth staté in the North and Middle West in which labor has decided to take po- litical action. Illinois was one of the first to real- ize that labor and the common people in general can hope for nothing from the old parties in power. WORKERS IN MANY . STATES JOIN FARMERS North D'akota\labor indorséd the Nonpartisan league and recently formed a political party to work with the League. > Only a few weeks ago labor in the state of Wash- ington voted to organize politically and join hands with the organized farmers. - William Mahoney, president of the St. Paul “Trades and Labor assembly, is head of the new po- litical - league in Minnesota. Thomas Van Lear, , is secretary and treas- - N SRR R \.\\\‘4\) H RS &® iR Lt cz v-a§ g s SRR 3 PaER aar O B 2 As the truth about the Nonpartisan league pene- - trates the wall of public opinion, the sentiment re- garding the organized farmers is becoming far more temperate, and people who had previously opposed the League violently ‘are now giving it at least a grudging indorsement. Of course; the reactionary politicians, as usual, are far behind the times, and they will never wake up until they 30 " are ousted from their places by a - o o wakened eleetorate. A adopt and proclaim these fundamental declara- tions: ) “1. That every human being is entitled to an opportunity to earn a living, and should be fully protected in the just control of the fruits of his labor. ° “2. That the natural epportunities, together with the machinery and skill in this country, are capable of supplying abundantly all the wants of the people if all who are willing and able to work are given the .freedom to do so, and that poverty and want among the many - and superabundance among the few is due to maladjustments in our industrial system. ) “3. That the opportunity for self-employment has passed, in a large measure, beyond the control of the mass of the people, as the means and instru- - ments of wealth production have become too ex- pensive for the individual worker to own and too complex to operate. “4. That a comparatively few individuals and corporations have secured effective control of industry and thereby arbitrarily determine the share of wealth that the mass of the people .shall rective, and these monopolists retain _:i . (Continued on page 12) = .. = S