The Montana nonpartisan., 1918-11-30
SEEK RETURN
T0PRE-WAR
CONDITIONS

/
insignificant office hunter, has en-
larged upon the "great period of re-
construction just ahead Of u.s." hardly
knowing Of what they speak and write,
for most of them are incapable of re-
constructing anything. Question any
of them, analyze the editorials and
articles and it speedily becomes ap-
parent that for them reconstruction
means Hopping back to pre-war con-
ditions, simply that and nothing more.
Reaction Not Reconstruction.
This is simply the cry Of reaction
and not Of reconstruction. For in
stance, under the terrible urge of the
great war there was forced, however
unwillingly, upon the ruling class Of
this country the necessity Of govern
ment control of the railroads. Under
the direction of Mr.. McAdoo these
roads began to be welded into one sys-
tenn. An effort was made to elimin-
ate as much as possible the duplica-
ton which was one Of the evils Of pri-
vate enterprise, better system of
distributing cars enforced, and what
hurt the profiteers most, labor-power
was handled with some idea that it
was contained in living human Great
ures and was not a mere senseless
commodity like pork, for instance.
Wages were not increased, it is true,
and the eight-hour day was shot to
pieces. We mean that the money
wage, altho advanced somewhat, did
not begin to equal the sharp rise in
the cost of living, hence the standard
of living fell. But at that it was bet
ter than the conditions prevailing un-
der private control and ownership, a
great deal better.
Now comes another advance in
rates, coupled with the resignation of
Mr.. McAdoo and it begins to look as
pretty nearly iron-clad. The advance
in rates will of course raise howl
from those who use the roads, and it
is bringing joy to the demonstrations
lists" because it means that their hands
will be strengthened in the battle
which is bound to come for the return
of the roads to private ownership.
There is one thing, however, which
still stands in their way, the manage
ment of the roads and their return to
old conditions is absolutely impossible
from the point of view of the exploit
er until wages shall have been forced
down.
They are planning to do this. The
labor organizations, fearfully weak
ened by the war, both by the drafting
Of most of their best fighting men and
by the utter subservience of many
leading figures in the Federation to
the dictates Of capital, are in no shape
to resist. The PRONUNCIATION of the
insidious falsehood that labor has no
business in politics which has been
the great slogan Of those controlling
the federation, has resulted in the to-
tai prostration Of organized labor, as
such. Well might great reactionary
eastern journal rejoice that eve have
no political laborites in this country u
and that the American trades unionist
votes as citizen and not as a work
er, it is all too true. Labor faces its
Armageddon at the hands Of "recon-
structionists."
Farmers also are in the same boat,
altho they have q powerful political
organization, the Nonpartisan league,
differed and directed by men who
have no delusions and see the struggle
as it really is. Let the reactionaries
control, let them get back the roads,
let them once more plant their blood
sucking tentacles deep in the hide of
the producer and worse conditions will
develop than existed before the war.
Modern systems Of getting the worlds
work done depend absolutely upon
transportation, the farmer would get
no coal, no machinery, no lumber, no
one Of the thousand things he must
use, were it not for transportation, or
would he be able to get his products
to the markets of the world. The same
is true of all industry; who holds the
lines Of communication in war, reaps
the victory, who holds them in peace,
dominates the rest Of the world. The
reactionaries seek to fix themselves
again upon the arteries of this system
If they can.
Forward, Not Backward.
We have advanced little step in
world progress, q very little step 'tis
true. Let us not go back, let US press
on. We have, thanks to the war, at
last Jared the unutterable self-suf-