The producers news. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1918-1937, 1922-12-08
f. Agricultural Relief and for Release of Political Prison
:. Made By Montana Senator-elec as 100 State and
government Officers Rally to New Cause in u S. Capita
,rr ER ASKS AID BE GIVEN TO FARMERS

their slogan "drive special privilege
out of control of the government anG
restore it to the people,"
/! A program of the course of ~actinn
they will attempt in trying to trans
late their Interpretation of the recent
election results into legislation was
outlined.
Direct Nomination Urged
The program calls for a nomination
of presidential candidates by direct
vote of the people without the inter
venton of any convention; for uni
form primary laws in all the states:
for the enactment of absent voters
laws by all the legislatures which meet
this winter; for drastic federal cor
rupt practices act, and for the abolish
ment OF the electoral college.
/ The conference, by unanimous vote,
adopted resolution offered by Mrs.
Abbey Scott Baker, suffrage leader
calling upon President Harding to- de-
clare at once a general amnesty for
persons convicted of violating espion-
age laws.
No attempt was made to formulate
definite legislative program. This
task was delegated to committee on
resolutions, which will present de-
tailed report of the conference aims
at later date.
Legislative Body Named
The conference unanimously adopt
ed report presented by the resolu-
tions committee, which stated that
your" committee, realizing the i'm
possibility of reporting in a single
day legislative and economic pro-
gram suggests that the chair appoint
a nonpartisan committee for the pur-
pose of bringing about the co-opera-
ton of progressives throughout the
country to aid in the advance of lib
eral laws and a general reconstruction
based upon a program which your
committee on resolutions shall draft
and report at future meeting at
Washington to be called by the chair" F."
The nonpartisan advisory commit
tee, it was announced, would consist
of Senator w. E. Borah, Republican,
Idaho; Senator E. F. Ladd, Republi-
can of North Dakota; Senator II. F.
Ashurst, Democrat, Arizona; Senator
Morris Sheppard, Democrat, Texas;
Representative r. A Collins, Demo-
crat, Mississippi, and Representative
A. FL. Collins, Democrat, Mississippi,
and Representative NJ. T. Logan, De-
mocrat, South Carolina. The resolu-
tions committee is headed by Freder-
ick C. Howe.
Third Party Plan Denied
Senator R. NJ. La Toilette who as
head of the Peoples Legislative ser
vice, called the conference, presided
over the closing sessions. The proceed
ings were marked by harmony and. by
a concert of purpose which upset pre-
cictions that friction would promptly
develop among the progressives in
shaping their plans. At the very out
set of the conference the delegates
Geeiared their purpose 20 wolk tor
progressive measures without at
tempting to organize a third party.
The speech making program, which
took up most of the time. was feat
ured by a bitter attack on Attorney
General Il. M. Daugnerty by Samuel
u termyer, New York LAWYER. wlio
called the attorney general "a cheap
politician" and demanded q thorough
Investigation of the department Of
justice.
MELON Attacked by rear
SECRETARY of the Treasury A. W.
Mellon was the object of vigorous
criticism at the hands Of Representa-
tive J. A. Frear, Republican, Wiscon-
sin. Mr. Frear assailed Mr.. Mellon
for failing to levy drastic penalties
against big corporation seeking to es-
cape taxation by the stock divided
route. He referred to Mr.. Mellon as
"the man who invented stock dividend
melon cutting" and said the secretary
could hardly be expected to enforce
the laws when he was making $780,
900 a day private income. He de.
"a thorough housecleaning"
Of the internal revenue bureau.
Senator-elect Smith w. Brookhart,
Republican, Iowa, went after the fed
eraI reserve board, characterizing it
as "the nonpartisan league of Wall
street." He urged that it be complete
ly reorganized so that it's personnel
would include three farmers, two Ia
Dor representatives, two little business
men and one big businessman. r
Primary Extension Urged
Senator G. w. Norris, Republican,
Nebraska, who acted as chairman Of
the preliminary conference Friday,
confined to members and members
elect of congress strongly urged ex-
tension of the direct Primary system
both through new federal legislation
and through action by the state leg
islatures. In answer to the argument
that the people make many mistakes
in their voting he said:
What has d better right to make
?"
Governor q. J. Blaine of Wisconsin,
urged amendment of the revenue laws
to provide for fullest publicity OF in
come tag returns ase a safeguard
against fax lodging.
SanEel Gompers, president of the
Federation of Labor. as
sailed the courts and called upon the