The producers news. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1918-1937, 1919-08-22
Combining to Crush
Independent Press
Continued from PAGE One

man mas nerve enough to far
everlasting ostracism which on
shameless Montana sheet declare,
should be visited upon the cbildre,
ahe the childrer's children of tbos,
WHO lend q helping hand to Nonpar
t'San agltators and other dislovaists
D',nele reader, thing you that we ar.
speaking seriously? The low-browee
ami cowardly hirelings-that wa,
secretary Bakers singing rebuke :
may we make use of potter speech
VINO propose to invoke boycotts
against the editor of The Star ia
cause lie is bolshevik and a nub
i'Sfef u g 'cishcvik newspaper woulo
Lou th"msell es powerless To os.,,.
.iAc even Inc meanest yellow cur of
Tic lotioi nest hobo, much less Of q
rear man. More pitiaFle than the vel.
ioM cur tl.at ticks the hand that
Si'i'es IT, arc the men and women
oil any community who stand !, 80.
Oh tnose petty tools of arbitrary
power whose business it is to orpa-
nlze boycotts against the progressive
press and to terrerize with the threat
OIL social ostracism the free and self
respecting men and women of Mon
lana. Ostracized by thugs and hire
hngs! What American is low enough
TO fear it? We invoke ostracism
against none,- because of our respect
Tor human nature, and because we
realize tnat to 7rrr is indeed alas hu-
man. But if there be those to whom
seif-respecting men should gladly
give The whole read, as the lamented
ooi. Sanders once did for a man whom
ne suspected of bribery, who more
f1cniy deserve the distinction than
the profteers and exploiters and
of Montana?
Let US, however, make our mean
ing little clearer. There is. we re-
peat, group of interests here in.
Billings who work hand in hand with
still larger group of shameless
men whose headquarters are in Wall
Street, a group. of men who have tn,
audacity to declare that no .newsna-
per snail thrive in Billings that
dares to speak a word in defense of
the Nonpartisan League or of the
poltlcai doctrines proclaimed by the
Invited a little while ago
20 a conference of certain real estate
and insurance agents, here in Bill
Ings, we Were asked: "What will he
the attitude of The Star towards the
Nonpartisan Lacquer" This was and
IS our reply: Gentlemen, we are
ready at any time to stack all cards
IN the table. Contrary to state
nents industriously spread abroad
~ certain subsidized newspapers
zssst the editor of The Star is estab-
,sh1ng a chain of papers with funds
'eneived from the Nonpartisan
agile, the League has neither con-
sanseea n2r, been asked toecontrihute
dotla aAneing this paper..sh /
8 holy RiHings pfo sssssft d aad I,
WHO are financing The Star
M high-toned. much-respected c;ti- ,
ems OF Billings, whose purpose is not
ranraal gain. All these gentlemen
ant is an Independent newspaper ov-
r which they wish to exercise no +,
ontrol, leaving it to the editor to ,
'r1te what his judgment dictates. /,
nevertheless, the editor of The Star :
az supported and will continue to
npport, the Nonpartisan League or !
ny other society or combination of I
len whenever he believes thew are
ntltled to support. On any measures S
fvocated by the League or other Or r
anizations which are not worthy of +
lpport, the editor of The Star will
lercise the right to make whatever +
he considers just. The edi-
II of The Star has assailed as vigor- s
lsly as he could all those un-Ameri- fl
N men who have undertaken to es-
bllsh a reign of terror in Montana 8,
tar and feather free men, to drao I.
items into Jail in violation of law II
break up peaceful assemblies and b
herwise to rob the people of Mon u
ma Of rights guaranteed to them bv te
Q Constitution of their country, m
lie Nonpartisan League has suffered lie
ievously from violence of this sort. nj
d the editor of The Star has come -
its defense and he will come to it's D,
tense again whenever the farmers lie
Montana are forbidden to organize p1
d to plead their cause at the bar w
public opinion" an
AS far as Townley is concerned, TT
have no reason to thing that he is pl