The producers news. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1918-1937, 1920-07-09
THE WEEK.

Strike
A Kept Press on Old Parties
Judge Holds Communists Legal
Congressman Volstead, who was
defeated for denomination in Min
nesota by Rev. o. J. Kvale, candidate
of the organized farmers and work.
ers, has given new evidence of having
q character which most men would be
ashamed of. He was defeated by a
wide margin, and instead Of taking
his licking like man he resorts to
the contemplate trick of contesting
his opponents election on the ground
that Rev. Kvale had called him an
atheist.
One has to know the character of
the campaign waged against the
farmer-labor ticket in Minnesota to
get the full force of Volstead's yell
lowness. The campaign cries of the
old guard were: "Save Minnesota
from socialism,; "Save the state from
free love-; Save our schools, homes
and churches" The candidate for
governor issued a last-minute state
ment, when no reply could be made,
that he alone had expressed himself
in favor of protecting the Lutheran
parochial schools. Volstead workers
befuddled q convention of ministers
of Kvale's own church in the prohibi-
ton question to such an extent that
they issued statement indorsing VOL
stead.
Volstead may think he has a court
tied up, but if any court were to en-
terrain his claim it would have to
turn around and throw out Volstead
and every candidate successful
against the farmers and workers.
Two years ago a defeated candidate
for the state senate in Minnesota con-
tested the election of Nonpartisan
Lacquer on the ground that piece
of League literature was found in one
of the polling precincts and the old
gang senate made his contemplate
ness it's own by unfolding his posi-
ton.
If God hates coward, as the old
saying goes, what must be Congress-
man Volstead's standing on the rec
ords in which he claims belief?
Americas refusal to take a man.
appointment to England and France,
whose division of Turkish territory
among themselves is in danger from
revolt. Their own soldiers, to a sur
prising extent, refuse to embark for
Service in the Near East. France, for
instance, could not get negro troops,
which she brought from Africa during
the war, to leave from Marseilles.
In these facts we undoubtedly have
the reason for the free hand given to
Greece to operate against Turkish
territory. Greeks will thus do the
fighting necessary to restrain the
Near Eastern peoples from revolving
successfully against England and
France and will be paid in territory.
Thus does imperialism create new
wars, lay waste the face of the earth
and bankrupt it's followers. How the
Greek people could be repaid for the
loss of life and financial losses from
the territory they do get in such a
war is mystery. Perhaps the ev-
PLANTATION is a small coterie of Greek
capitalists carefully tanning the
flames of nationalism and so-called
military glory. But these things have
never paid Of farmers mortgage or
put food in the workingman's home.
Continuance of the so-called tout
law" strike of the railroad switch
men is one of the big factors in pre-
venting normal business at the pres
ent time. With coal cars on the side
tracks, an embargo on iron and steel
west of Chicago, a nearly general ex-
press embargo, the whole business of
the country is getting a disastrous
setback.
More and more it looks as if the
situation had been deliberately pro-
duced by few powerful interests to
further their own profits. 1t is adj
mitted even by the roads that the pay
of switchmen had not kept pace with
the cost of living and was under what
other classes OF workmen of similar
skill were receiving. The strikers
have not sat around idle but have
gone into other work where they
could get as good or better money.
Why did the roads oppose their own
interests as railroads in letting this
"vacation" strike come or in not set
Ting it at once? They probably lose
more in a day than the increases ne
cessary to keep the switchmen work.
ing would have cost in two weeks, if
not q month.
The steel trust, however, is keep
ing up famine prices and grabbing
independent ore mines by means of it.
The coal trust is keeping coal away
from the public and bankrupting the
independent mines by it. Other
trusts find the strike similarly use
full. It's value in the nationwide
campaign against union labor is 50
obvious that it can we'll be a part of
this general plot. By producing wide
spread unemployment, through tying
up the roads, the special interests
can hit organized labor with the ter
ribly effective weapon of discharge.
With success in this new monopo-
lizing move, great interests will be in
position to continue debating
prices to consumers and to reduce the
wages of labor, while increasing its
hours. The utter brutality and greed
which has America by the throat is a
terrible thing to contemplate, and only
a miracle can keep our country from