The producers news. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1918-1937, 1929-03-29

sons aided and abetted by the well named DOaru -
Control" which handled the house SO e1Iec'i'oi'
ing the last session ,o,1 durinO
Perhaps no such spectacle has been Oellelu -
this generations in order that two men OF 'iiee' e
have place at the trough, might draw DOWN P"-s
60 mn mr. more year-contrary to public pohcy allN
tho shirt of the constitution Of the commonwealth
one hundred and sixty were held at their own "a
nense at the capital in the vain hope that they mgh
be comneled to vote the appropriation to furnish
oounle of men meal ticket, and maybe find nam an'
eggs for the third
II was not that the amount of money involved mean
ca much tn Montana but the principle at stake was Jun
damental.
That these men could hold up the legislature 10
nearly week. and defeat three four acts passed "
the Senate unanimously calculated to abolish the aou.
they were perpetrating the state in the House,
the face of almost universal condemnation is no small
compliment to their ability.
In the Legislative "whoopee column, post morten
appearing in the Helena Independent, under the caI
ton of "Abolishng Grant Reed the story is well to
ABoLIsHING GRANT REED
members of the Montana Board of Rail
road commissioners gave a demonstration
of how to put the reverse English on the
power of veto, when they ouSted Grant
Reed member of the legislature from Broad
water, from the position of auditor Tor
the commission.
"Bv single order the commissioners &C
complished what the solid senate and
strong minority of the house of representa-
tives failed to do, repeated efforts our
ing the recent assembly. By simple resolu-
ton the board has made effective the Intent
of two legislative measures which were
stranged by the Board OF Contror OF Vhe
house.
EFarlv in the session bill was introduced
in the house by Representatives Ben Moul-
ton of Grass Range, and Dick O'Day of
Great Falls, prohibiting any member OF the
legislature from holding any position or
trust in any state department The bill was
killed.
Later a similar bill was introduced in
the upper house by Senators Tom Larson
of Chouteau and Dan Hagerty of Browning
The measure was unanimously approved
but came to grief in the house by the same
influence that had slaughtered the house
bill. The vote ga to 3d.
"To some legislative observers the kill
ing of these two bills started the feud,
which tied up the appropriations measures
at the end of the session and threatened to
make an extra session necessary.
"The killing of the two bills aroused the
ire of senate leaders and the house minority
and when the appropriations reached the
upper house the request for salary for Glen
Davis, chief lobbyist against the measures,
head of the gasoline inspection division of
the railroad commission was stricken. Davis
and the job he holds was accepted while he
was member of the legislature. Reed has
been holding the position of auditor for the
commission and secured leave of absence
to in the session.
"History of the closing days of the session
is still fresh in the memories of all concern
ed and it will be recalled that the item
of the salary for Davis was the sticder to
the end when in the 144th hour of the Goth
day, the famous motion by Senator Lou DON
ovan of Shelby, brought the matter to a
show down.
clad the house continued to stand by the
Reed-Davis combination the appropriations
for the entire railroad commission would
have been sunk. Members of the railroad
commission proceeded to put stop to a
practice which If allowed to spread would
undermine every department of state, as the
vote on the Larson-Hagerty bill indicated
that ga members of the lower house were in
favor of job creation for members of the
assembly.
Some members of the senate who dis
claimed any animosity toward the personnel
involved, condemned the practice of mem
bers of the assembly accepting remunera-
ton from the state, during their tenure of
office, on the assumption that the principle
was the same as the count upon which a
former secretary of state was impeached at
the hands of some of the members who in
slst on sticking on the state pay roll.
Zone of the ablest members of the senate
termed the Reed-Davis system of lob Gre
alton, Legislative racketeering that will
disrupt every department of the state un-
less it is curbed now.'"