The producers news. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1918-1937, 1930-05-16
THE STRUGGLE FOR POWER

1t appears that neither economic depression nor
the senate lobby investigation has materially de-
creased the number of citizens who are engaged
in the business of assisting one or another of rival
interests to secure possession of power sites in
this and other states.
Newspaper offices are flooded with inspired pub
icty calling attention to the virtues of group
of power grabbers and flaying rival groups for
their plots against the "peepuls" interests
Here in Montana the copper octopus, through
of its many subsidiaries is trying to grab off
the Fathead Lake sites. Other interests represent
ed by Walter Wheeler of Minneapolis are bidding
against the Anaconda interests. Both are out for
profit at the expense of the wage slaves who may
be employed by whichever group brings home the
bacon.
In most countries the people would not for
moment tolerate the proposal to give this valuable
power site to either group. They would see no
good why natural resources should be
turned to exploiters for private gain when
they could be used for the common good. While
we do not take much stock in government owner
ship long as the government is the tool of cap
italism, at the same time we opposed to allow
ing private interests whether from Butte or Min
neapolis to grab off natural resources to which
they have no moral right whatever.
1t is food for laughter to note the air of pro-
gressivism assumed by rank traffickers in the
spoils of corrupt politics who supporting the
Walter Wheeler interests in the struggle for the
Flathead concession. Of course it is easy enough
to fool the liberals. Any confidence man can get
rise out of such papers as the Nation, The New
Freeman and the New Republic Those liberal
saps are always making choice between "good"
capitalists and "bad" capitalists They fell for
the League of Nations and every other confidence
game pulled off by the powers-that-be since the
end of the world war to the London naval confer
ence Only after they hit in the face by the
cold facts do they get wise and then their mouths
are open like suckers for the next bait
1t does not make particle of difference to the
people of Montana whether the Anaconda subsid-
iary or the Minneapolis capitalists get the Flat
head site. The only beneficiaries from the strug-
gle between the two financial interests are the
lobbyists. In these days of mergers there is lit
tie reason TO believe that even in the event of the
Minneapolis group being successful they would not
merge with the copper interests and pool their re
sources. This would likely be the answer to the
argument that competition would be the life Of
power in Montana. The surrender of Clark who
started out with his Brutus sword to slay the An
aconda dragon should be a lesson But why should
the lobbyist worry? He is out to make the jacI
and make the people believe that he is fighting
their fight. Heap much hokum
1t seems TO us that the public ownership lobby
in Washington is resting on its oars these days
Has it too been seduced into somnolency by the
specious plea that the cause Of Walter Wheeler
and his capitalist supporters is the cause of tn,
people? Why do we not have a fight made fol
government development, ownership and operation
of the Flathead sites such as Senator Norris il
making for Muscle Shoals? Until such an issue il
made, it is futile to charge senators Wheeler ant
Walsh with being lobbyists for the Rocky Noun
tain Power Company" The whip that the Ana
conda yields the backs of its slaves is harsl
but not whit harsher than that which the Min
neapolis power interests would WELD over thei
"Flathead" slaves, and are now welding in othe
fields.
pox both of them.