The producers news. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1918-1937, 1919-05-02

trOl-Red Flag Riots to Promote
Motion Picture Planned-Elab0r-
ate Propaganda to Defend Court
martial System-Porto Rico Hears
Strange Message = Reactionaries
Make New Attacks On Teachers
Question of Next President Warm
ing Up.
Washington, D. C.-Paul Warburg,
former member of the federal re-
serve board, who has been engaged
recently in seeking to bring the or
qanized railroad workers to agree
with the organized railroad stock
holders upon a plan for returning the
roads to private control, has failed
at that task.
The labor spokesman, after sew
elaL weeks Of parley, have refused
ali offers Of cop1T,rQaciSe. They staEd
pat for public ownership and for the
scheme of democratic management
through a commission of nine men
which was outlined in the Plumb
plan before the senate committee last
January.
Glenn E. Plumb, chief counsel for
the four brotherhoods OF tram opera
tives, is about to open publicity
bureau here, to reach the voters
throughout the country with the ar
gument for straight public ownership
and operation OF railroad transpor-
tatiOn.
The railroad employees undoubtedly
;.now better than the outside public
what tricks have been tried to dis
credit government ownership. Their
interest is primarily that of railroad
oDeration; whereas the men who con-
troll the railroads and are now push
ing for return to private control are
chiefly fnanciers and are interested
in railroads as a fertile field for fin
ancering.
DENOUNCES RIOT MAKERS
The department of labor, through
Secretary Wilson, has called upon
the postmaster general and the at
toIney general to take steps, if they
have legal authority to DO so, to
prevent a moving picture producer
from staging riots-actual street riots
Throughout the country, as meth
cd Of advertising a so-called anti
Bolsheviki movie film.
The movie producer, advertising IN
trade journal, sets forth in great
detail how the movie theater mana
gsr in each town should put up red
Tags around town, and then hire men
preferably soldiers-to tear down
these flags and stir up local senti-
81 o CfC
the manager is urged to connect
I'D the Socialists with the Bolshe-
WIKI in some way, and arouse pub
lie mmgnation-all as means OF
bringing crowds to see the inf1am-
matory film play, and increasing the
profits OF the business.
Secretary Wilson, as an old trade
Unionist, realized that antl-labor IN
terests would probably use. this game
to create mob violence against labor
organizers in towns such as McAees-
port Pa, while anti-farmer inter
ests might use it against organizers
of the farmers in the West. He de
nounced the advertisement as an at
tempt to commerciaEze the breach
OF public order.
Royal C. Johnson of South Dako'
ia, one Of the younger members OF
the house who served in the army
during the war, is pushing his f1gh
against existing cOurtnaftIal Sys
TEN regardless of the attitude of tht
general staff. His latest Statement
deals with the discovery that tn.
general staff has installed Colonel
John H. Wigmore of the judge advo
cate generals department IN Sc
of Offices which are devoted to de
Tending the position of the genera
staff in opposing any change In tn
military court. Colonel Wlgmor'
has been sending out great quantl
ties of mail under government frank
and this mail is found to be Colone
Wigmore's defense of the old court
martial system. Senator Chamber
lain and Representative johnson
agree that this letter is not frank
able under the postal laws, and tina
the general staff is therefore de
fIaudlng the postoffice department
out of thousands of dollars in post
age.
1t is bad enough" says johnson
''to see a fightless colonel, from
comfortable swivel chair in Washing
ton, attempting to defend a court
martial system which the secretar
Of war has ceased to protect, withou
having the defense flooded over tn
country in franked envelopes fror
the wa@ industries board"
The document in question, had
not been carried free, would haV
carried II cents in stamps. Abou
10000 of them are said to have bee
sent out to the lawyers throughou
the country.
CANNON ADDRESSES PORTO
RICANS
The spectacle of "Uncle Joe" Car
non addressing a joint session
the Porto Rican legislature, defent
ing a Democratic appointive ofilcl;
against Porto Rican resentment, we
witnessed by Representative 1oun
of North Dakota and other member
Of the congressional party visltln
the island. Dispatches. from "a
Juan, the island capital, say tn;
when Representative Cannon renain'
ed the Porto Ricans that Gove1n'
Yaeger-a Louisville politician-w;
- I, 1-.fa