The producers news., 1927-12-16

rupton Of public officers IA less heinous and esa
a menace 70 our institutions than enteepl,lE w
the corruption OF Justice declares the Newark
Evening News, which add: "The courts are our
last bulWafki let Them be undermined ana we are
at the mercy of the underworld
Can YOU convict million doars2 asks the
AsheVille llmesi and Oklahoman, os though m
answer, eXclaima 1T were an amazing feeble gov
emmont If 1t should find itself unable even toll
try men charged with fraud and corruption by our
highest court
The Portland Oregon Journal says OF men Of thia
atipe' Whatever they touch they STAN ue cor
rupt They think dirty gold will buy honor. They
SS 5ey dp Gesoy @ mogty m Of oee - Of bev % could
Anarchists, Bolsheviks, l. W. W. and thugs are
high-minded citizens in comparison.'
Such chataetefa are the worst enemies OF law
and order we have,' agrees the Cincinnati Times
Star. "lf the public stands for corruption Of
ufies, 1t Will stand for anything" declares The
New York Evening World, which believes that
there are literally millions in America VINO aie
cynical on the subject of Justice where great
wealth and power are concerned"
Under the heading Sinking Lower and Lower,
The Columbus Evening Dispatch edtoralizes as
foows
"fhe public has ceased to be much surprised at
The successive revelations of fraudulent character
and conduct brought to light by the oil investiga-
! ton begun IN The senate under the leadership OF
senator La Follette and continued IN the UNITED
States courts.
Ordinarily, while a case Is still in the courts,
The careful person does not feel like expressing a
decided opinion That guilt is present. When the
supreme court, however, IN civil case based upon
the same set Of transactions, has most emphatcal-
I ly declared, in an official decision, that these
transactions We're permeated through ana through
with fraud The ordinary citizen may consider hini-
self completely absolved from any further obli-
cation to hold either his Judgment or his tongue IN
suspense
"fhe revelation Of last Saturday show more
clearly than before that the government Is face to
face with set of men who imagine that their
4 money Is sufficient TO place them beyond govern
ment control or punishment. It would be dsast
rous to permit such an idea to be Justified by The
final result"
The indignant and patriotic outbursts Of the
press, printed foregoing, are n part Of "A leading
article IN the Literary Digest Of recent date
lhey are, OF course, only fractional part OF ma
: tionwide editorial protest
In all this spirit Of protest is the most hopefu
sign that has appearde on the American horizon
IN a generation. Because il has been no mort
than reflection Of a nationwide and deep-seate'
sentiment ii Is clear and convincing poor that th
heart Of America Is still sound despite the cor
roding and cofSpting influences Of It's grea
wealth.
That soundnesa q heart, too, belongs to TN
people Of Monta baa with reference TO the long con
tinued abuses @nd usurpions Of power by It's or
ganzed wealth, motivatd no white different,
than were the men Of wealth who conceived an,
executed the infamous Tepot Dome deal.
Their obJ@ctives were te same-exploitation o
a natural resource forged Of gain. In the Teapo
Dome case IL was omm the case Of Montana i
has been water power ma
The methods used ruR identical in principle
the use OF money Co corrupt those IN authority. Ii
The Teapot Dome case II was not required tina
corruption be extended TO but comparative few
IN the Of Montana water power il has bee
necessary TO extend corruption into every nook an
Granny Of the state until the very air the peop1
I breathe Is thick with It's nauaeating stencil Cor
ruption has become widespread, TO the end tina
all discussion Of the graft be hushed and all pro
test be stifledi control Of political parties be
came so over powering that political program
were no better than Punch and Judy shows, th
q mannions speaking the voice of the water powe
graft. Not even the courts have wholly escape
the blight.
: In the broad sense OF the term political Mon
tana has become mere feudal barony, is peopl
I vassas to a small group Of Wall Streeters, grea
only IN their wealth, and powerful only as Sincai
was powerful in Teapot Dome.
4 The people of Montana have the rene
, dy in their own hands, in their right 10 in-
itiate legislation to tear out by its very
! roots the huge graft of the Montana Pow
er company.
The Montana Power company has itself provide
basis for such legislation, in It's proposal TO th
federal government for a franchise for the lowe
t, Flathead lake project As reported by Senator I
j. Walsh that written offer was in the followin
4 terms
, "The Montana Power company will carry on dc
velopment Immediately that will produce 10000
r horsepower they will pay royalty Of 81 pc
lHoIsSpoWel dlnuallgf lhcy VIII repay the pfoJeS
o fund 100000 spent for the Newell development
d they will furnish 100000 horsepower for mill pc
h dowatt hour, and 5000 horsepower at 2h mill
per kilowatt hour for general use"
Upon this basis an Initiated bill would produce
very large sum annually for the state treasur.
+ thus tightening the burden Of taxation; and
i second initiated bill would save the rate-payei
] several millions Of dollars every year.
. The economic benefit to the people would |
y verv great, as the high rates charged by tl
j. power company have been net reduction Of the
r earning power and a corresponding loss in pu
! chasing power.
" Having no graft to protect the Montana Pow,
. comnany could retire as political overload for MOI
f tana and thereafter attend strictly TO its ow
j. business-that of furnishing current for electr
li@ht, heat and power
That would be good
II 1t could also allow a lot Of newspaper men
e earn an honest living-for once
i That also would be good-even for the newsp
- per men.
ELEMENTS OF POLITICAL EDU-