Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1921-current, 1922-09-14

Helena, Sept. 13.-Devoting his talk
almost entirely to criticism of the pre-
sent congress and an attack on the
tariff bill, Senator Thomas j. Walsh
delivered the keynote" address OF
the state democratic convention, which
convened here at II o'clock Wednes-
day morning.
The convention was called by j. K.
Erickson Of k~afispell, chairman of the
state central committee, who, after a
short talk in which he emphasized the
.'vulnerability of the republican party
in both its national and state plat
forms, introduced Senator Walsh as
temporary chairman.
The record of the present congress
was almost entirely Senator Walsh's
theme. What" be inquired, has it
done for the two great classes OF our
people, the wage earners and the
farmers?"
The Clayton act. often referred TO
as Iabor's magma charta, has, in effect,
been annulled by the recent injunction
proceedings instituted by. the attorney
general without a protest from con-
gresB or any responsible member of
the dominant party.
The tariff bill has been loudly pro-
claimed as having been conceived in
the interests of labor and the farmer.
Let me quote what was recently said
by Farm and Home one of the
leading agricultural papers of the
country. 1t said, Europe is unable
20 pay for our surplus food %stuffs, in
consequence of which $50 million
bushels of American wheat that nor
maliy would 60 abroad are backed up,
for the larger part, on the American
market. Congress is blind to the stu
alton. The higher 1t builds it's pro-
hibitory tariff, the more our exports
decline, and the less able are foreign
ers to pay for what they wan to buy
Of us, not TO mention the interest on
the Is or 20 billions Of dollars they
owe u.s.
Let me give you a few figures to
show how it is that now. after five
years of disaster the Montana farmer
is obliged, when a merciful providence
has blessed him with bountiful crops,
TO sell his products for a pittance
, above the cost of marketing them. In
1921 we exported 2s0, 100000 bushels
+ of wheat. In the six months ended
June 30. 1922, only 81 900 bushels.
At the present rate of export we
6hhlJ III SAViA va LpA ma ~ oi ANhp
g $50. million bushels this year, although
Europe should take more than she
did last year
What has our government done
about peace in Europe? Nothing.
What plan has the republican
party. or those responsible for its
policies, conceived to accomplish the
end of the League of Nations was con
trived to=attain?
Our honor and our interest alike
: condemn the policy of isolation and
aloofness to which the republican party
finds itself bound. II has exhibited
~impotency to deal with either the
domestic or the international pro-
blems which confront US. America
never had any tolerance for do moth
ing policy.
q ut is not without significance that
the republican state platform adopted
last Saturday is silent on the record Of
congress. The inference is a reason
able one that the republicans of Mon
tana agree that it is the worst in 20
years.
"Mr. Wheeler. our candidate. is not
a political accident, coming to the sur
face amid the troubled waters of po-
~litical unrest. He has carved out the
place he holds in the esteem of the peo-
@ple of Montana by the vigor of his ca
+reer. professional and official, by the
independence he has displayed in public