THIRD-PARTY IDEOLOGIES 359 



by the senator to Herman Ekern, the attorney general of Wisconsin, in 

 which La Follette advised his supporters and friends to stay away from 

 the June 17 meeting. He accused its promoters of conveying the impres- 

 sion that it had had his approval. He conceded that many who planned 

 to take part in it were people who were anxious to promote the cause of 

 "genuine democracy," but maintained that the Communist conspiracy 

 which was so apparent made it impossible for most farmers, workers, 

 and progressives to support it. The object of the Communists, said La Fol- 

 lette, was "to divide and confuse the progressive movement and create a 

 condition of chaos favorable to their ultimate aims." They sought a dic- 

 tatorship of the proletariat that was "repugnant to democratic ideals and 

 to all American aspirations." The coming St. Paul convention was but one 

 device for seeking their ends. 44 



La Follette's denunciation of the Reds is said to have sent his political 

 stock soaring in the agricultural Northwest. Many believed that his dec- 

 laration in behalf of the ballot box in place of Communist rifles strength- 

 ened the third-party movement. 45 La Follette For President clubs already 

 had been reported springing up all over the country. A survey made by 

 Chester C. Platt, the secretary of the Wisconsin Nonpartisan League, 

 showed that conditions in 1924 were more promising than they had been 

 back in 1912. The appalling political corruption that had been exposed in 

 Washington was expected to be a great aid to the progressive cause. 46 



At the same time the position of the Minnesota Farmer-Laborites was 

 weakened considerably. The La Follette warning was followed by similar 

 ones from other groups. The American Federation of Labor warned all 

 trade unions to be "on guard" and to have nothing to do with the St. Paul 

 meeting. The Committee of Forty-Eight, one of the original sponsoring 

 groups, officially pulled out of the convention and announced that it 

 would be represented in the July 4 meeting. 47 Labor, the organ of the six- 

 teen railroad organizations, also issued a statement that the June 17 meet- 

 ing was Communist-infested and urged their members to stay away from 

 it. 48 



44. Wisconsin State Journal, May 28, 1924. 



45. Chicago Herald Examiner, May 29, 1924. 



46. Wisconsin State Journal, May 10, 1924. 



47. Minneapolis Journal, May 29, 1924. 



48. Pioneer Press (St. Paul), June 17, 1924. 



