The producers news. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1918-1937, 1922-10-20


his promises we find Mr.. Harding al
pointing MI. Taft to the position o.
chef justice of The United States, the
/ next to the highest office within the
gift of the American people. MIR.
Taft had been repudiated by the peo-
/ pie of this country for his leaning TO
ward the reactionary group In TINS
country while he was president ana
surely no one would admit that ne
could have been elected to that high
Office, and one of his first acts was
to hold the child labor law uconstl-
| tutional.
"It was the women of this county
through their organization that fin-
ally got the ear of congress in the
interest of humanity and had child
labor law passed.
"You women of Montana possibly
know very little about how children
are worked in the sWeatshops of the
East and the factories of the South.
Just as soon as their little hands are
able to become useful and their little
minds to work, these children are
placed in factories and worked long
hours at low pay. They take the
place of the bread winners in many
instances and really do the work Of
grownup individuals. And you may
say you are not interested, but you
are. You are interested for humani-
tvs sake and because the children of
today become the men and women OF
| tomorrow and if these children are
dwarfed in mind and body they can
not make good citizens of tomorrow
and SO your children and mine must
suffer because of the dwarfed condi-
ton of these. And so it was that
congress finally passed law prohibit
ing the transportation of goods man.
ufactured lin factories where child la
Dor was employed. Mr.. Taft held this
law unconsti utional. This is the one
act of the Harding administration
that it will have to answer to the
mothers of America for, and one act
for which Mr.. Taft will have to an
swer when he passes into the Great
Beyond. [ am in favor of an amend
ment to the constitution Of the United
States prohibiting child labor.
Revenue Act.
another piece of legislation appar-
emily promised by Mr.. Harding in
the Blackstone hotel was the revenue
act whereby the over rich were re-
lieved Of taxation to the extent of
more than SCI 100000 a year And
by eliminating the excess profits tax
the republican congress saved the big
corporations and millionaires $780,
100000 year in taxes. The revenue
act as passed under the demo cratic
administration called for IS. per cent
AK on incomes of over 100000. I'M
mediately upon getting into power
and to pay the special interests for
their kindly campaign contributions
the republicans introduced bill to
relieve the over Itch of part OF their
taxes by cutting the tax on these
incomes from 65 per cent to 80 per
cent This passed the house, Mr.
to the senate where the progressive
republicans Joined with the democrats
and insisted on keeping the tax at SO
per cent. The bill went back to the
house and there again Mr.. Riddick
voted to cut i again to 80 per cent,
but it remained at 80 in spite of his
opposition and the opposition of Mr.,
Harding.
Ship Subsidy.
"Again we find our president and
the republican party exerting itself
in behalf of the big shipping interests
in keeping with the promises presum-
ahly made at the Blackstone hotel in
Chicago.
"Our great merchant feet built up
at an expense of more ten three bill
lion dollars during the last few years,
is largely idle, tied up at our wharves
under staggering expense for up
keep while large American tonnage
is carried in British bottoms. But
whether idle or operating our mer-
chant fleet is taking millions of dol
lars every day from the pockets of the
people to maintain it. And now it is
proposed to sell this great fleet of
ships to private individuals at private
sale for few cents on the dollar of
what it cost and to give the purchaser
bonus besides in the form of sub
sidy for taking it.
Twenty years ago, in the heyday
of trusts, under the guidance of Mark
Hanna, movement was started to
grant subsidy of nine million dollars
per year to the transportation lines
operating between Europe and the
United States. This was voted out
of congress. The democratic party
then as now stood solidly against the
subsidies. It simply means graft is
handed out to the favored few by the
administration.
The Soldiers.
"In contrast to the ship subsidies
and railroad subsidies proposed to be
given to the Wall Street clique, note
the attitude of our republican friends
upon soldiers bonus. The boys were
taken to foreign lands; they gave up
tl:eir jobs, their business Or the'c pro-
fession, only to find them gole when
they got back. Nary Of them We're
rlufe.l OF broken health tr,l their
professed friends is the campaign of
two years ago now say to them that
there is no obligation to pay you and
for that reason Mr.. Harding vetoes
the bill. There are millions for the
railroads, millions for ship subsidies,
millions taken off in the way of taxes
on the over rich but nothing for the
boy who fought on foreign soil to