i8o 



AGRICULTURAL DISCONTENT 



"the decline of truly representative government" and other "things" 

 which Townley later said "we didn't invite him there to discuss." La Fol- 

 lette charged that America's declaration of war had been unnecessary 

 and demanded that the present generation pay the cost of the war not 

 by the sale of bonds but by taxation. He also accused the wealthy, who con- 

 trolled the government, of tabling "the proposition to tax wealth. . . ." loa 



Although the pronouncements of La Follette and the subsequent reper- 

 cussions of his speech overshadowed the purpose of the meeting, the 

 implications of the proposed alignment were not to be minimized, for it 

 moved a step closer to the organization of the farmer-labor party that was 

 in the process of formation. The conference favored price fixing "so that 

 the rich speculator and the powerful trust may be compelled to bow to 

 the same level rule as the toiling farmer and wage-worker," emphasizing 

 the point that if the profits in articles of daily consumption cannot be 

 passed on to the consumer, the Food Administration should "seize and 

 operate storage elevators, flour mills, bakeries, cereal and breadstuffs fac- 

 tories for the benefit of the people." Representatives from ten state federa- 

 tions of labor were present at this conference of producers and consumers, 

 the total number of union men represented being between 1,500 and 

 2,ooo. 104 



Townley was not slow in pointing out the political possibilities of such 

 an alliance. "The farmers control 35 per cent of the vote of this country; 

 labor controls about 27 per cent; a combination of these two elements 

 would make itself felt throughout the nation." 115 At times the relations 

 between the two groups were close. State federations of labor in North 

 Dakota, Minnesota, Idaho, Wisconsin, and other states endorsed the 

 League. Later, when the North Dakota industrial program was launched, 

 the Chicago Federation of Labor and the Minneapolis Trades and Council 

 Assembly voted to deposit their funds with the Bank of North Dakota. 10 * 



103. Ibid., pp. 46-47. See also Report of Minnesota Commission of Public Safety 

 (n.p., n.d.) for the commission's action against the League pursuant to La Follette's 

 remarks. 



104. Eleanor Taylor, "Farmer and Factory-Hand," Survey, XXXVIII (September 

 29, 1917), p. 565. 



105. Ibid. 



106. Non-partisan Leader, February 22, 1917, p. 6; January 27, 1919, pp. 10-11; 

 June 23, 1919, p. n; August 4, 1919, p. 3; Wisconsin Leader (Madison), July 31, 

 1920. 



