The Carbon County chronicle. [volume] (Red Lodge, Mont.) 1924-1924, 1924-10-22
Frank ]. Edwards, Candidate for Gov
eraor on Farm Labor ticket writes
scorching letter on taxation ques-
aion. Insists on debating campaign
issue with the Governor.

Branding as a deliberate falsehood
statements used by Governor Joseph
M. Dixon in refusing to debate cam
paign issues with Frank j. Edwards,
gubernatorial candidate on the Farm
er Labor ticket, Mr.. Edwards has
written another letter to the COVER
nor, under date of October 16, renew
ing the challenge and calling for a
show down of facts.
Mr.. Edwards letter, in full, follows:
Helena, Mont, Oct. 16, 1924
Gov. Jos. M. Dixon,
State Capitol.
Dear Sir:--In your speeches at Bill
lings and Great Falls, you gave your
reason for refusing to debate with me
by stating that it was common talk
that am in the campaign to throw
mud for the interests at Butte and
that | am financed by the Anaconda
company.
This, Of course, is deliberate false
hood. There is no such common talk.
1t is your talk and the common talk
of those who are in league with you
to loot the state.
Your whole public career Ia SUR
rounded by falsehood and intrigue.
vo.s xsra~a xo,ynx r1.rtnI Do n,~ ~
flee without the support of the Ana
conda company.
/ have never had the support Of
the copper trust or the railroad trust
nor of any Of the entrenched inter-
ests. And your intimation o. 4er-
TO the contrs~y cannot be fsaAdt1 ri
on single fact or circumstance. Your
effort to evade the truth must be sup
ported by falsehood.
Unlike yourself, have never worn
a copper collar. Unlike yourself, |
never will. Your public career and
conduct justify the assertion that a
copper collar can be removed from
and may be replaced around your
neck at any time.
You have made yourself the issue
in this campaign. Your misrepresen-
tations and exaggerations are now the
issues. Those matters of economic inn
portance to this state and her people
have been obscured through your po-
litical subtlety.
You never proceed directly. Your
every move is by way Of an indirect
course. And Enthusiastically you
are now running for office with no
definite corrective program and re-
lying entirely on the possible weak
ness of those opposing you.
There may have been some honest
men with honorable intentions asso-
ciated with the drafting of the initial.
ed mines tax measure which is now
your alleged issue. However, your
attitude in this direction savors Of
something known only to yourself
You have stressed the Importance Of
expert advice In tax matters and yol
were permitted to import tax exper-
Mr.. Nels p. Haugen, from Wisconsin
to assist you and yet in the most i'm
portant tax matter and the one which
you contemplate raising by far tn,
greatest amount of revenue, you has
seen to it that the name of Nels
Haugen, tax expert, be completely dis
sociated from the mines tax measure
Last March you said, under you
signature, that the mines tax meas
ure was prepared by the "committe
on agriculture" In July and sine
then you have been saying, 9Th
mines tax measure was carefully pre-
pared by the Montana tax commits
sion.'"
The mines tax measure having emi
mated from at least two sources 0
origin and none having expert ad
vice from the indispensable Mr.. Haug
en-, and the complete dissertation 0
yourself from all initiative procedur
indicate the existence Of plan know
only to you and to those secretly as
sociated with you. This is a matte
of great public concern and the fact
sheuld not be held from the publ,
These facts and others which ar
pertain to the history and substanc
Of the initiated mines tax measur
should prove quite clearly, directly an
circumstantially, thr. you, the COVER
nor Of Montana, are personally and fo
personal reasons, associated with