The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1917-01-28
SUNDAY MORNING. JAN. rs, 1917.
THE LEGISLATURE.

The Fifteenth legislative assembly of the state Of
Montana has been in session now for four weeks and
is practically half through with the time allotted for
its deliberations Sufficient measures have come be-
tore the assembly that it is not wild shot in the
dark to venture few remarks as to the complexion
OF the body which has assembled in Helena for the
purpose of revising adding to and repeating the laws
under which the people Of the state shall be governed
As was demonstrated in the early days of the
session the legislature may distinctly be called radi-
CAL hat fact is amply substantiated by the char
acter OF the legislation which is and will be before
the body tor consideration and. it would appear,
enactment Ultra radical is what the body would
be termed by the man accustomed to the ordinary,
cut-and-drled Montana legislature State insurance.
state bonds tor public officials, eighhour days for
female workers. semi-monthy pay bills. taxes on
mines, water power and express companies What
has gone wrong with the people of Montana Have
they turned socialist entirey9' is the cry Of one &C
customed to the legislative bodies of yore
After watching the legislative assembly during the
first halt of its session, the answer would seem to be
that it has and it hasn't turned socialist That is,
1t has not adopted the red flag as its emblem, but
it has come to Helena with certain IDEAS which
viewed IN the light Of the past might well appear as
>erging toward socialism
Probably the most interesting metamorphosis is to
be found in the senate. Where once dubbed the
well OF deepes-dyed conservatism, now sprouts an
areslan fountain of the most progressive hue. 1t is
not very difficult to trace the reason for this sudden
change IN thought. The rod of Moses in this in
STA &c I,Eo l,l
Is yielding such flow of progressive legislation was
at one time the foundation for corporate domination.
he sudden transformation comes from the east. The
recent election in the Dakotas and the sudden as
sumption of power by the farming element of the
state is the hitherto unbound element which has
made this ransmutatlon of dross into gold possible.
One of the representatives in Helena has said that
the mirror in which the present-day politicians of
the state are viewing themselves is to be called non
partisan and that each representative as he arises
IN the morning looks in the mirror and sees there a
senator; that each senator arises in the morning and
looks IN the mirror and is confronted with governor
he radica|ism Of Montana legislature is there
tore. not TO be doubted But while this radicalsm
to bring before the members of the Fifteenth as
semby some radical measures it is not believed that
anything drastic will be adopted by the present ses
sion. With all of Its extremism the legislative body
contains large number OF men who are conserva-
tive radicals and desire only legislation which will
be fair
here is not nor has there been at any time, any
indication, Tor instance, that the legislature desired
to punish the corporations of Montana. Of course
any kind OF fair tax will be construed bv these
oodles as punitive measure but such is not the
idea under which the Legislators are proceeding with
their work. 1t is thought that the same course will
be pursued in the matter Of the labor bills which are
before the assembly
he average man is sympahizer with labor for
the most of us are strictly aborng people. We SYM
nathlze particularly with the women workers of the
state and realize that there are certain industries in
which an elght-hour day Is none too short 1t does
not stand to reason however, that the same prin-
cipe can be arbitrarily applied to every line Of work
The merchants Of the state are demonstrating
against the change from nine hour dav and i
would appear Justly so. 1t does not seem eouitabe
to compare the woman working in the steam and
heat of laundry with the girl behind a glove
counter. The merchants have computed that the
average number Of hours spent by their employees in
actual work is about six hours day. A measure
which simply Jumps all classes of women workers in
together can hardly be considered fair.
The 1917 session is radical and the state NAV
well be glad that it is The state may also have
CAUSE to be thankful that this radicalism tempered
with b conservatism which should prejudice some
measures which are progressive and at the same time
will not infict injustice on any person or cor
poration