Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1921-current, 1921-11-22
Germanic majesty, whose policy they

Germanic majesty, whose policy they
ape.
But under our present method OF
making laws in Montana, what else can
be expected? When legislators meet
for 60 days to enact complicated laws
for financing the state, and give no
real constructive thought to such
problems for $40 days, what must re-
suit? If private business cannot be
run successfully by such methods,
ought we to expect public enterprise to
succeed?
tIt is admitted that the financial
condition in Montana is bad and that
suffering because of this condition ex-
lists. Yet when millions Of dollars are
available for bootleggers each year;
when our bill for tobacco and tobacco
accessories in Montana, according to
figures given by the United States rev.
enue office, amounts to nearly $4,000
600. sum equal to the cost of elemen-
tary and secondary education In the
state in 1920; when other so-called
Injuries, such as soft and cereal bev-
erages, chewing gum, cosmetics and
movies amount to even more than the
tobacco bill; when we know that in the
United States, as whole. in 1913, so
per cent of the families were receiving
less than $1,000 annually while some of
the remaining 20 per cent, who were
rendering no constructive service to
society, received an average income Of
one to several million dollars; isn't it
about time to discuss methods of fl
nance? Besides, these financial mat
ters are being discussed and will be,
whether we wish it or not.
Others Discuss Finance
Capitalists, merchants, farmers, la
borers, tradesmen and professional
men are all discussing finance. and
each from a prejudiced view point.
Strikes, riots, murders, starvation and
pestilence are the results. Surely
teachers can do no worse. In Mon
tana the cry of hundreds and even
thousands of children in rural districts,
deprived Of their schooling because of
short terms made necessary by poor
methods of finance, should goad the
true teacher to action. Experience has
shown that legislative action. blocked
by conflicting interests, cannot be
looked for. 1t is to the people them
selves that teachers must look for
vention will authorize the initiation Of
some bill, by the committee on fl
nance, which shall give proper help to
education.
"But the prime grievance against
the State Teachers association is
their stand for constitutional con-
vention. Indeed, this demand by the
teachers was used as an argument by
some for imposing an oath of loyalty
upon them. Now no human document
is perfect. II it is crime to suggest
changes for betterment, then our his
tory is blackened with accounts Of
criminals whom we now hold as great
men from the days of orr revolutionary
fathers down to the present time. No
good citizen advocates pure destruction,
but sometimes business outgrows its
limits. and a thorough overhauling and
remOdeling is necessary in order to
carry on constructive work. And so
it is with frameworks of government.
Realizing this. some states have in
serted in their constitutions the ne
cessity of submitting to the people at
the end Of every Is or 20 years the
question of calling a constitutional
convention so that necessary changes
may be made. Constitutional conven
tons have been held in different parts
of the country, and are now being
brought before the people in various
states OF the union.
Reasons for Convention.
1.-THE teachers of Montana ask for
a constitutional convention to provide
for more nearly equitable taxation, to
remove the state board of education
and the state and county superintend-
ents from partisan politics, to secure
d state land board that will not jug
gle school funds which have resulted
from federal gifts to the schools OF
the state, to fix responsibility OF state
and county officers, to reform the pres
ent system of election which makes in
telligent voting impossible, to revise
present methods of enacting laws by
providing for a more nearly continuous
session of fewer but more nearly rep
resentative legislators and to make pos
sible a more efficient form of county
government. In Montana it would take
four years to reap the results of such
q constitutional convention. BY pro-
cess of amendment alone to bring about
the desired changes, it will take
generation.
Sixteen amendments were intro
duced during the last legislative ses-
sion, most of which were jokers de-
signed to help block any constructive
amendments that perchance may have
been introduced. A study Of past leg
islative sessions will reveal similar tao
tics whenever certain interests were IN
danger A glance at the personnel
of the joint committee ON constitutional
amendments during the last session
throws an interesting side light on the
situation. A farther study OF those
who appeared before this committee
to block the bill for constitutional
convention turns on a flood Of light. If
by exposing such jockeying. in, legisla-
ton as has taken place in the last
and other sessions is wrong, then the
teachers Of Montana should plead
guilty.
IF it is crime for a more intelli-
gent and more nearly responsible and
representative form Of government,
then we are criminals. SO, also, is the
governor of Montana, for no one ia
the state has been more outspoken for
the foregoing issues. So. also, are
thousands of the citizenry of the state.