The producers news. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1918-1937, 1919-06-27
THE WEEK
English Miners Call Noble
Bluff
Junkin Displays Red Flag
Labor Meets at Atlantic City
n. d. Laws Win

Robert Smile, president of the
British Coal Miners Union, embar-
rassed and shocked English royalty
the other day in a way that was
instructive as we'll as amusing. At
a great national meeting he asked
the royal coal land owners to produce
the titles to their land. He said he
was tired of hearing vague asser-
tions about "the land being in pos
session of the family since before
the Roman conquest" and demanded
documentary evidence of noble as
sertions.
Most of the old nobility, it ap-
pears, have no titles that would bear
analysis. Some got it by the sword !;
some got it by seizing the public
commons; some got it through an
cient fraud. Thus the Marquis of
Butte, who takes in $50O,O00 in coal
royalties a year, has a title which
was signed by Edward VI. over 800
years ago when that king was boy
between 10 and Ia years old. This
marquis contends that he has a
right to big profits from the labor of
miners in this day and generation
even if it were proved that the sigma
ture of the boy king was forged.
Lord Tredegar demands his $425,-
600 on the ground that his family
had always had the land and if they
didn't own it somebody else would.
How would common people get along
without profteers?
How eminently fitting it is that
interests so active in pushing the
foolish, if not vicious, red flag bill
and under the nose of subservient
overnment that he might have the
patriotic pleasure of signing it, are
the first to violate it. The May num-
ber of America First, a new anti
farmer magazine long on big money
support and short on subscribers
carries a picture of red flag in red
on the cover.
The law reads thus.
at shall be unlawful for any per-
son to have in his possession, GUS
tody, or control any red or black flag
or any picture or facsimile thereof,
whether printed, painted, stamped,
carved or engraved on any card, pa
per or insignia, with intent to dis
play the same in the state of Min
nesota."
Now the question is: viii the duly
constituted authorities in this state
who ran for Office on the "loyalty"
issue prosecute Tom Parker Junkin,
editor and publisher, for this dis
play, which is felony according to
law? Better yet, will they prosecute
the men higher up who are financing
and encouraging Tom in his criminal
display of the red flag?
Judging by past experience, how
ever, we may more likely expect the
Burnquist crowd to list all the league
farmers and labor union members
to whom Tom has set the sheet free
of charge and arrest them for hav-
ing the "unpatriotic" display in THEN
possession.
The craftiest politicians in the
American Federation of Labor are
fighting politics. What they mean
by keeping out of politics is not in
dorsing one or the ether of the ole
parties, but dickering with both.
This practice, the traditional prac-
tice of both farmer and labor leaders
before independent political organi-
zation came along, kept these lead
ers up to their ears in politics large
ly of the personal, wire-pulling kind
Many met official death by drowning
in the political mudholes.
Consequently the fight being made
by Labor party men at the nationa
federation convention, now being
held at Atlantic City, is not a fight tt
put labor in politics, as the more
conservative decalre, but to separate
labor from political machines owned
and run by the special interests.
By being the suckers for these po
litical machines, laboring men have
the "honor" Of seeing a few of theil
officers given political appointments
of kept newspaper praise, and being
Cooked after" by legislators far wis
er and more efficient than they are
On the other side of the account la
! boring men find the special interest!
given a free hand to prey on theil
| livelihood, and spies, gunmen anC
mobbists given practically free
; hand to prey on their organization.
5 1t will be a great thing if orga
5 nized labor as whole decide
: against our corrupt -two-party poll
ties at Atlantic City, but even if tn,
: conservatives block the movemen
L there, it will go on just the sam
throughout the nation. The need i
too great for Gompers or any othe
labor leader to- hold it back.
i Keeping track of Nonpartisal
t league victories in the courts has be
= come a tedious affair. During 1911
we heard of no less than 22 dislnv