Work in progress — cycles are added one at a time. Every quote is machine-verified against an archived source; follow the links to read it.
Norman Thomas vs William Lemke
| Issue | Norman Thomas | William Lemke |
|---|---|---|
| Public control of the central bank and money creation | — | 'Drive the money changers out of the temple': public control of money and credit, further inflation of the currency vague_gesturenot_applicable The Union Party's founding program as Coughlin stated it -- take money creation from private banks; go 'much further in the inflationists' direction' than the Thomas amendment and silver purchase. |
| Minimum wages | — | A 'living annual wage' -- $1,800 for a family of five -- by federal law and a constitutional amendment if necessary specific_pledgenot_applicable Coughlin's plank for the Union candidate: amend the Constitution so 'free unbridled competition must submit to reasonable Federal laws' guaranteeing a fair annual wage to every willing worker. |
| Farm and home mortgage relief | — | Refinance farm mortgages through the Frazier-Lemke plan (government-issued credit at low interest) specific_pledgenot_applicable The 'inflationary farm mortgage bill' Lemke authored: federal refinancing of farm debt with currency issued for the purpose, blocked by the administration and the House in 1936. |
| Old-age pensions and social insurance | — | The Townsend $200-a-month pension as a plank of the Union coalition vague_gesturenot_applicable Absorb the Townsend clubs into the Union ticket; Dr. Townsend endorsed Lemke at Cleveland in August. |
| Communism, radicalism and "alien isms" as a political issue | Keep the Socialist vote independent; chide the La Follettes for handing Roosevelt 'everything on a silver platter' directional_stancenot_applicable Refuse the Popular Front logic of backing Roosevelt; hold Wisconsin's Socialist vote in the national column. |
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| Public ownership of major industries | The New Deal 'has not worked'; build the cooperative commonwealth vague_gesturenot_applicable Oppose both parties with 'a logical analysis of the diseases of our time and a sure philosophy for building the co-operative commonwealth.' |
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