The nonpartisan leader. [volume], July 19, 1920, Image 8

About The nonpartisan leader. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1915-1921

Image provided by: State Historical Society of North Dakota

                
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What Farmers Gbt
Democrats Pussyfoot, for Most Part, as Re
& publicans. Did
Democratic platform—''For the purposed
47'' i)f insuring just and fair treatment in the
great interstate livestock markets
we favor the enactment of legislation fo£
the:supervision of such markets by the fed^
eral government."
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HAT the Republican national conven
tion did with the "farmers' planks"
proposed, some by the Farmers' Na
tional council and soine by the Na
tional Board, of Farm Organizations,
was told in detail in the June 28
Leader. Readers may refer to that issue for the
exact language proposed by the farm organizations
and the exact language used in the Republican plat
form.
°'j In the following statement a summary is. given of
"frhat the farmers asked and what the Republicans
put in their platform, while the, exact language of
the Democratic platform is_quoted,~just as the exafct
language of the Republican platform was quoted
previously.
Farmers' plank—Demands appointment of farm
er representatives in the cabinet and other appoin
tive positions. .»"£•
Republican platform Promised "ade
quate farm representation in appointment
of governmental officials and commissions,"
no mention of the cabinet. •/v./-,
at at or N in
Farmers' plank—Demands full recogni
tion of right of collective bargaining in
buying and selling farm products:
Republican platform Restricts this
right to co-operative associations.
Democratic platform—"We favor such
legislation as will confirm to the primary
producers of the nation the right of collec
tive bargaining and the tight of co-opera
tive handling and marketing, of the prod
ucts of the workshop and of the farm and*
such legislation as will facilitate.the expor
tation of our farm products."
PACKER CONTROL PLANK
AGAIN IS SIDETRACKED
Farmer's plank—"We pledge
national control over the packers."
"... Republican platform—Nothing.
Fanners' plank—Demands perpetuation
and strengthening bf federal farm loan,
system, provision for loans on farm come?/
modities and inauguration of a system off
personal credit. •.
Republican platform—No mention of
protecting farm loan system or of loans on
farm commodities, but stands for authorize.
ing associations of individuals tor obtaidl?|
personal credit. -3*/''
Democratic platform—Criticizes Rejmb^L.,
check and reduce the growth and course of farm
tenancy."
Farmers' plank—Demands comprehensive studies
"of farm production costs and their 'ancensored pub
lication.
Republican platform—Essentially the same, ex
cept that such studies art limited to studies to "re
duce the frequency of abnormal fluctuations."
Democratic platform—"We favor comprehensive
studies of farm production costs and the uncensored
publication of facts found in such studies."
Farmers' plank—Demands equitable treatment of
agriculture in tariff schedules.
neve re
:eflfectiv^|
A
Republican platform—Nothing.
Democratic platform—Nothing.
Farmers' plank Conservation of natural re
/'sources.
Republican platf&m—Meaningless.
Democratic platform—Nothing.
Farmers' plank—For repeal of present laws re
stricting free speech.
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lican congress for failure to help federal never too late toorganize, but the sooher it is done, the sooner the
farm loan system. "We pledge prompt. farmers of other states will have state-owned industries like North
and Consistent support of sound and effec^-jV' Dakota's, including floor mills, terminal elevators, a rural
tive measures to sustain, amplify and per-1"®"
feet the rural credits statutes and thus to
THE DEMOCRATIC CONVENTION
By E. B. Fussell, Leader Staff Correspondent
Republican platform—For free "speech, but—etc.
Democratic platform—"We reaffirm our respect
for the great principles of free speech and a free
press, but"—going on to defend A. Mitchell Palmer.
Farmers' plank—Opposition to compulsory mili
-tary training.
Republican platform—Nothing.'
Democratic platform—Nothing. iwvV
Farmers' plank—Continuance of excess profits
and income taxes and addition of graduated inherit
ance tax.
Republican platform—Nearly meaningless, can be
construed to mean that- the excess profits tax should
be replaced by a sales tax.
RAIL BILL REPEAL
PLANK IS REJECTED-
Democratic platform—"A complete survey of
existing taxes and their modification and simplifica
tion.'?,, Probably also means repeal of excess profits
tax.
:.///
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Farmers' plank—For stringent immigration laws
and against admission of Oriental labor.
NEVER LATE MEND
pNDUSTRjES
~D"1™ **P«ssly for the Leader by W. C. Morris,
...credits, bank., and marketing reforms.
•Mm mm
Republican platformr—Substantially the same, h.
Democratic platform—"Nonadmission of Asiatic"
Immigrants is a true expression bf the judgment of
•our people." ,•
Farmers' plank—Urges immediate repeal of
Esch-Cummins act and urges public ownership of
^railroads.
Vj Republican platfohn—Exactly the opposite.
Democratic platform Favors "fair trial" of
Esch-Cummins act, with eventual "private owner
ship without government subsidy."
Farmers' plank—Condemns Jones bill, altowirig
sale of government-owned ships to private concerns.
Republican platform—Exactly the opposite.
Democratic platform—Nothing.
The question naturally arises: Why a Republi
can convention? Why a Democratic convention?
Meaningless wofds injected into an equally mean
ingless platform! The two porgrams, Republican
and Democratic, apparently were drawn to catch
Votes, not to advance the welfare of the
PAGB EIGHT
"'''lip.
mm
General Results
Literals Beaten
A Label Needed to Tell One Convention
H'FromOther
NATIONAL political convention is
much the same sort .of a thing, which
ever of the two old parties happens to
hold it. There was in Sah Francisco
the same sort of crowds, the same sort
of a big hall, the same sort of brass
bands, that there were in Chicago. The politicians
are the same, only labeled "Democrat" instead of
"Republican," the orators utter the same platitudes,
there is the same mechanical attempt to stir tip en
thusiasm^ yet nothing is achieved like the heartfelt
noise of a real League meeting.
The big convention hall is, if possible, more
thoroughly covered with flags than was the Coli
seum in Chicago, tiie bands play the same national
tunes, with "Dixie" added now and then as a favor
to the Solid South, and the orators intimate that
Democrats, and no others, are entitled to be known
as true patriots and 100 per centMmeri
cans. An observer can not help but be re
minded of the claims of every warring na
tion that God was behind them, and behind
them only. And one is tempted, also, to
think of the observation of a wise English
man, a century or so ago, that in many in
stances patriotism is "the last refuge of a
scoundrel."
Chairman Cummings' keynote address,
at the Democratic.convention is, perhaps,
a 1rifle more warmly received than Chair
man Lodge's '"keynote" at the .Republican
convention. This is probably because
Cummings is somewhat more human .in his
appearance than Lodge and possibly also
because people like a booster better than
a knocker, Mr. Cummings praising Presi
dent Wilson fulsomely for the very things
for which Mr. Lodge condemned him.
KVALE'S NOMINATION
BRINGS MUCH TALK /^/u,/.
Liquor was one of the big questions at
San Francisco, just as it was at Chicago.
This applied both personally and as a platr
form issue. Those of the delegates who
have a ta$te that way seemed to be well
provided, just as they were at Chicago.
But. the Democrats seemed to have more of
a desire to talk about the matter than the
Republicans did. Theodore Bell of Califor
nia wanted the Democrats to go on record
for light wines and beers his old enemy,
William Jennings Bryan, wanting a
straight out-and-out indorsement of the
Volstead act.
There was considerable talk in this con^
vention about primary results in the sev
enth district of Minnesota^ where Rev. O.
J. Kvale beat Congressman Volstead by
nearly 3,000 votes. The wets say Volstead
was beaten because'he was dry the drys
say Kvale won because he was drier thah
Volstead. Neither side admits the facts,
which are that Kvale Avon because he stood
for the League program and that Volstead
lost because he was a reactionary, attempting to
force on the people un-American espionage and se
dition bills, though Mrs. Peter 01ej3on of.CJtoqueg*
Minn., hinted at the real^ reason. IP
But while the Democrats talk abdut l£iv*liqd6r
matter more than the Republicans did, the result is
the same. At Chicago the resolution^ committee
drafted a "dry" plank, then got cold feet and lost'
it on the way to the Coliseum. At San Francisco
the committee decided to leave the matter unmen
tioned in the platform. Bryan brought the matter
up on the floor of the convention. The delegates
gave him a tremendous ovation—and then voted
against him, so that results were identical.
Bryan did more, however,'than bring up his pro
hibition planks. He had three other planks—genu
ine progressive declarations—against compulsory
military training, demanding radical action against
profiteers and for the establishment of a genuine
people's press, to tell the truth about what i& being
-••done at Washington. Bryan's planks \had a marked
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