The Nonpartisan Leader Newspaper, November 24, 1919, Page 11

Farmers,Workersand the New Allia Efforts to Create Dissension Between City and Country Workers Camouflage Congress at Hagerstown, Md. Failing—The Washington Bureau, Nonpartisan Leader. 2 INNOUNCEMENT that the coun- /| cil of the organized railway em- ployes of the United .States— the héads of 14 organizations representing 1,500,000 organiz- ed ‘men among the 2,000,000 in the ~railroad industry — has unanimously invited the Non- : partisan league to take part in the national labor conference here in December, is gall and wormwood to the press in the East. It upsets all their labored schemes for convincing * the public that the farmers and the labor movement will never join hands to rid the country of the domi- nation of profiteers, and to establish democratic control in basic industries. Notice, for example, the “Holland” letter from Wall street, published in morning papers of No- vember 6. It is headlined in the Washington Her- ald: “Farmers’ Union Is Impossible — Holland Scoffs at Proposed Federation of Labor and Agri- culture.” : - In his reassuring report “Holland” says, among other choice things: “Sensational reports came to New York soon after the bituminous coal miners were called out upon a strike, in which the assertion was made that the miners would have the support of the farmers of the United States and that ultimately a nation-encompassing union, which would include the coal miners, the workmen in the steel plants and the farmers, would be formed, and that the number of these would be so great that in a short time they would amount to 15,000,000, * * =* “Business leaders were not alarmed by the assertion. In the first place they felt assured that the farmers would never be disposed to per- fect a union which contained such qualifications as -would - admit it to the American Federation . of Labor. In the second place these business leaders had reason to be- lieve that the great body of farm- ers of the United States are as thoroughly opposed to radicalism and anything that seemed to be tinctured with bolshevism as are the most conservative citizens. * ¥ 3k “The recent” demonstration at Hagerstown, Md., of the real atti- tude of the American farmers to- ward that feature of some of the modern-day unions which is rep- resented by the attitude of the radicals and, Socialists, is spoken of here as justifying the belief that the industrial leaders will ‘never be able to bring the farm- ers into organized union associa- tion.” : NO PROPOSAL FOR FARMERS IN A. F. OF L. In the first place, no reasonable per- son has at any time proposed the en- trance of the farmers’ organizations into the American Federation of Labor. The organized farmers and organized wage-workers in a dozen - states are merely joining hands in a political movement. They find they are facing the same enemies and that- they can unite against these enemies with a definite political platform. This does not mean that farmers’ organiza- tions Want to or will join the American Federation of Labor. The Hagerstown meeting, like several others which have been given tremendous press- agenting during the past month, was no more representative of the farmers of this country than it was represen- tative .of the drug clerks or the lum- bermen. -Wall street is suffering from fear of the erganized producers, farm- ers and workers—that’s all. = "' Reliable reports from the Hagers- . town sessions show that any one who ) A LT B A PR S A i i e NS 1 73 0 AN S BTt Y . e R0 S5 s 3 s e 4 e Organized labor on the railroads has declared its friendship for the organized farmers. At a recent meeting in Wash- ington, the heads of the four train service brotherhoods, with the heads of ten organizations affiliated with the American Federation of Labor and whose members are employed in- the railroad industry, the Nonpartisan league was specifically commended. Samuel Gompers, president of the American Federation of Labor, was re- quested to invite the Nonpartisan league to take part in the national con-. ference of the labor movement to take place in the nation’s capital on Decem- ber 13. In the meantime, Secretary Morrison has recognized Congressman John M. Baer of North Dakota, first League congressman, as one of the members of congress who is henceforth to be called into conference whenever labor %nterests are involved in pending legis- Jation. ; wanted to take part in the “convention” could do so by paying $1 to the National Farmers’ congress treasury. Every interest that preys upon the farmer seemed to be represented, while a number of real farmers, who had supposed that only farm- ers were to have a share in the proceedings, came ‘ L - . GIVEN ENOUGH ROPE . I . —Drawn expressly for the Leader by W. C. Morris Whether the Republican national committee is really insensible of the hundreds of thousands of votes of the organized farmers or whether the chairman nodded while a subordinate attacked the Nonpartisan league is a subject of interesting political speculation. In any event, a stroke was aimed against the League by _the national committee recently when one of its members sent out an editorial from an anti-League paper, with the request that Republican editors reprint the attack on the League. = With the organized farmers the dominant factor in a large number of western states, the blunder .is very apt to become. a serious matter in the 1920 election. But perhaps the committee doesn’t care. - PAGE ELEVEN from long distances to take part. A. P. Sandles of Columbus, Ohio, secretary of the Ohio Association for Good Roads, said to be financed by the rubber tire trust, automobile makers and the road ma- terial combine, headed a party of 250, which sup- ported his reactionary resolution which set forth that the meetirig spoke for “40,000,000 American farmers.” When this absurd claim was punctured, and Sandles was asked to explain how many farm- ers he really represented, he did not reply. Yet he dominated the resolutions committee, and with the help of the other reactionaries he put through a series of resolutions denouncing labor and urging the immediate return of the railroads to private operation. FEDERAL OWNERSHIP RESOLUTION DEFEATED One member of the Nonpartisan league, Dennison of Vermillion, S. D., fought for a resolution favor- the retention of government operation of the rail- roads for two more years. He was defeated. The failure of the late industrial conference, and * the drastic action taken against the coal miners by the administration with the full backing of the two old-party machines, has forced the American Federation of Labor to stand on its own feet, po- litically as well as industrially, and to face the fact that both of the old-time political parties will be lined up against the wage-workers next year. Labor and the farmers are for public ownership of railroads. Labor and the farmers are for the Sims bill, which provides that the government shall run the railroads for two more years. "Wall street _ and the party machines are for the immediate re- turn of the railroads to private speculators, with a guaranteed income and unlimited expense account to be paid by the public. On this issue, which the ~. anti-labor and anti-farmer forces de- clare can not be compromised, the labor movement has officially gone on record. Its proposition on this issue is declared by Samuel Gompers, fol- lowing a recent conference here, to be— - “1., That American labor will exert its influence to the utmost within the limits of the Constitution to defeat the vicious anti-labor provisions in the Cummins bill and other measures of similar character. “2. That in the opinion of American labor the return of the railroads to private ownership at this time would be a grave mistake. Under plans pro- posed for the return of the railroads to private operation it would be fol- lowed by increases in freight and pas- senger rates of over 25 per cent. Either result would shake the indus- trial fabric of the nation at the time when a war-sick world is looking for moral, financial and political leader- ship. “8. In " order to avoid calamitous consequences, members of congress are urged to introduce legislation con- tinuing government control of the roads for two years from the conclu- American people an opportunity to consider the many solutions of the problem that have been put forward. The railroad question affects the lives of all the people of our country, who should be given opportunity to ac- quaint themselves with the various " solutions proposed, that a mature judgment may be reached.” It is because organized labor is lin- ing up in this way, and because the in- junctions did not prevent the coal strike, nor a senate committee break the steel strike, that the ancient lie about the “natural antagonism” be- tween farmer and wage-worker is be- ing revived. The old _political gang and their Wall street beneficiaries are getting frightened. : And in the meantime, the political alliance is growing stronger-every day. Farmers and workers in many states are joining hands for the 1920 fight. 7 - ) nce sion of peace. This will afford the i 5 | [