Page 1 -- The Minnesota Union Advocate, The Peoples Voice
St.
Paul Minnesota. March 29, 1934
“Governor Olson Indorsed [sic]
for Third Term As Farmer-Labor Convention Swing to Left”
“700 DELEGATES CLAMOR FOR RADICAL PLATFORM FOR
FARMER-LABORITES”
“Without as dissenting vote, Governor Floyd B. Olson was indorsed
[sic] for a third term late Wednesday, and a complete state ticket was approved
by the Farmer-Labor association convention which convened in the St. Paul
Auditorium. …
“A platform with strong leanings toward the left, was adopted
without much conflict Wednesday afternoon with a roar of applause which left no
question as to the temper of the 700 accredited delegates to the convention.”
FARMER-LABOR PLATFORM
Adopted March 28, 1934 [Saint Paul, Minnesota]
PREAMBLE
The Farmer-Labor party of Minnesota recognizes that the United
States has the most wonderful resources, great factories, machinery of
production, steam power and electric power and millions of capable workers and
farmers ready and able to produce food, clothing and shelter in great abundance
for all. At this time when all of us could live in prosperity sad happiness we find
that there are millions of working men and women in poverty, want and
degradation and that them are also hundreds of thousands of farmers, business
and professional people who have become poverty stricken and bankrupt and millions
of people in all walks of life are compelled to eat the bread of charity.
Palliative measures will continue to fail. Only a complete
reorganization of our social structure into a cooperative
commonwealth [emphasis added] will bring economic security and
prevent a prolong period of further suffering among the people.
We, therefore, declare that capitalism has failed and immediate
steps must be taken by the people to abolish capitalism in a peaceful and
lawful manner and that a new sane and just society must be established; a system
where all the natural resources, machinery of production, transportation and
communication shall be owned by the government and operated democratically for
the benefit of all the people and not for the benefit of the few.
In order to bath about this cooperative commonwealth and for the
purpose of adopting legislation for the immediate relief of the people, the
Farmer-Labor party adopts as its platform the following proposals:
I. Agriculture
Adequate legislation to
insure security of tenure on the land for those who farm it. To this end we
demand that Congress pass the Frasier Bill for refinancing apicultural loans
and the Swank-Thomas Bill or other legislation to exempt from taxation of
homesteads in the city and on the farms to the value of $4,000.00.
Legislation extending the Present moratorium two years from the
date of expiration and that no action may be brought within the two years on
any obligation secured by a mortgage.
II. Marketing
The greatest problem of
the farmer being to find markets for their products, we advocate building and
maintaining adequate cooperative marketing and purchasing agencies is all the
large industrial centers of the state, to be correlated by some state supervised
central head.
Ill. Industrial Program
To protect our citizens
from exploitation through industrial profits, we demand public ownership of all
mines, water power, transportation and communication, banks, packing plants,
factories, and all public utilities. However, this shall not apply to bona
fide, cooperative enterprises.
The immediate passage of a Minnesota Reconstruction Act with
full power to regulate hours and wages and carry on useful public projects.
IV. Re-employment
The state to take over sufficient idle industrial plants to furnish
employment for idle citizens and to distribute the products to the needy.
V. Social Insurance
That all insurance
including women's compensation [sic] [worker’s compensation ??], unemployment,
accident, sickness, maternity, old age pension, fire, cyclone, hail and life
Insurance be taken over by the state and operated without profit.
VI. Conservation
An Intelligent and
comprehensive plan for the conservation of the natural moisture of the state
with arrangements made to retain the greatest possible benefits of the same and
rainfall of the state and maturation as far as practicable of the lake and river
levels, and the encouragement of similar projects in the adjacent State..
VII. Reforestration
Reforestration to restore
and protect the timber wealth and to prevent and retard erosion.
VIII. St. Lawrence Waterway
Ratification of the
treaty with Canada affecting the construction of the St. Lawrence-Great Lakes
Waterway.
IX. Education
Fullest educational opportunities for all, with security of tenure
and freedom of expression to teachers. Textbooks to be published by the state
and free to all the students. Military training at all educational institutions
supported wholly or in part by state funds to be optional.
X. Taxation
Restoration of unearned
wealth to the state and community by graduated taxes effectively administered on
large incomes, gifts, and inheritance.
X. Soldiers’ Bonus
Immediate payment of the
soldiers’ bonus by treasury notes, and repeal of the National Economy Act.
XII. Tax-Exempt Securities
We oppose the Issuance
of tax-exempt securities.
XIII. Elections
All candidates for the
state legislature to be elected with party designation.
XIV. Consumers Cooperatives
The powers of government
to allow consumers to freely organize on a cooperative basis, unrestricted by
discriminatory laws.
XV. Money and Banking
Nationalization of
banking with government monopoly of money and credit operated without profit.
Until we attain
nationalization of banking, we advocate the establishment of a Central State
Bank of deposit to be wholly owned by the State of Minnesota.
That the bank act as the fiscal agent for the
state in all matters;
That it be the only legal depository in
Minnesota for state funds or the funds of any subdivision of the state;
That it be permitted to
purchase the securities of the U. S. Government, the state of Minnesota, and
other securities designated by laws;
That it be permitted to
loan money to correspondent state hanks and deposit with correspondent state
banks, and that it not be permitted to loan money to private enterprises;
That the deposits or
loans to the Minnesota state banks be a preferred claim;
And that the deposits in
the bank of Minnesota be guaranteed by the state.
The issue of money is a
governmental function and all money should a be issued directly by the government
and made a legal tender in payment of all debts.
All money permitted by
law to be issued against the gold now In the U.S. Treasury, should be put in
circulation by the payment of all government bonds due, or soon to become due,
and for all public works constructed.
If given control of the
government Of Minnesota we pledge the people of this state to submit to them an
amendment to our Constitution, that will permit the introduction of the a
Ontario System of development and administration of electric power and light,
thus making electricity — the source of power of the future — man's servant and
helper, and not his oppressor and master, as is now the case.
We also pledge our
farming population and electrical consumers to enact legislation permitting
cities, towns and villages now owning power and light plants, to sell current
freely to farms, smaller towns and villages.
[as reported in The Minnesota Union Advocate
newspaper (“The Peoples Voice”), March 29, 1934. Page 7]