Montana news. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1904-191?, 1905-10-11


Comrades: After serving in the
national Office since November 1903,
/ have been at home for a week.
during which time / have carefully
considered the matter, and have
decided to submit to you the follow
ing statement, feeling it is due you
and the movement as well as James
O'Neal and Bertha Capples:
On June a6. 1905, a woman was
given a place in the national Office
to act as stenographer, at salary
of sIo per week, under circumstan-
ces that have resulted in disorgan-
izing the Office force.
This woman was guilty of an act
against comrades in the office which
the national secretary himself des-
cribes as "despicable," and Com
rade O'Neal told the secretary he
could not work in the Office if she
came in, because of her act, and the
farther facts that she was known to
be inefficient, and that the work did
not warrant. The secretary stated
that he needed more help" but ad-
mitted to Comrade O'Neal that the
real reason was the request of an
other woman whose enmity he feared
The first week the woman was in
the Office she was off three half days
with pay, so badly was she needed
The treatment of Comrade O'Neal
by the national secretary in this
matter can only be fully appreciated
after hearing or reading the written
statement which Comrade O'Neal
submitted to the national executive
committee at its meeting on July
20 and al, no mention of which is
made in the minutes of the session,
because it was an ugly matter. 4"
But one member pointed out what
had been the results of such omis-
sions in the past. They all seemed
to overlook or forget the motion
Uowry's) adopted by the commit
tee in December, 1904, directing
that no part of the record be ex-
plunged.
When the statement was read the
national secretary took the position
that it was purely matter of ad-
ministration. In other words none
of their business, which view was
concurred in by majority of the
committee, holding that the secret
airy must be responsible to the ma.
tional committee and the member
ship.
want to ask how are either to
know what is going on or being done !
The members of the N. &c. SER
iously discussed resigning in body
seeing that the state autonomy
clause of the national constitution
on one hand, and the position of the
national secretary on the other,
placed them where, as one of the
committee said, they might properly
be called the The national non
interference committee.
Here we have a faithful and cap,
able employee of the national offic,
with a grievance that involves
"despicable" act against he anc
others, coupled with unjustified ex
penditure of party funds, which thu
national secretary agrees to submit
to a local arbitration committee
and later refuses to do so. Wher
the matter is brought before th'
only official party committee tina
comes into personal contact will
the Office force, constitutional tech
nicallties are raised to prevent in
vestigation, which was asked for
both as to the case in point, as wei
as the reports that have been ped
led over the country about 'th
gang in the national Office" Thi
woman admitted sending a repor
that was shown to be without foun
dation.
Following an interview between
the national secretary and Conrad
O'Neal the secretary began a serie