The producers news. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1918-1937, 1931-05-01
Friday, May |, 1881
VOTE Err DOWN!
By HANS RASMUSSEN


What is going to happen Tuesday? Are the
people of Montana going to vote upon themselves
another six million dollars indebtedness? Some
people are getting little worried over the stu
alton.
Against running the state another six millions
in the hole stands the Farmers Union, most of the
Taxpayers Associations and the Labor Unions in
some of our biggest cities, the Producers News and
a couple other small papers. For the proposition
we have the Highway Commission and all the road
contractors, of course, the Automobile Association,
all the commercial clubs-even the Raymond
Commercial Club (whoever heard of the Raymond
Commercial Club before?) and all the yes-papers
IN the state
Posters and literature galore is scattered over
the state-some say $4,000 worth of it-boosting
for the loan, and what does all their arguments
amount to They are trying to make you believe
the Governor, the Attorney General and others
have said things which they never said. None of
these people have out yet and said that
Measure 35 does not call for extra sc gasoline
tax. They have just been beating around the
bushes about it in order 10 fool the people.
That the state will lose 719 millions of govern
ment money if don't hurry up and borrow the
six millions is of their arguments. Sounds
like selling oil stock-this is your very last chance
sounds like the government is going out of bus
mess The fact is if we borrow the six millions
we must pay 21a millions in interest for which
we are getting no returns whatever. These 2h
millions of interest money we could match with
government funds and would have 5h millions of
dollars extra to build roads for over the 10-year
period. In other words, by borrowing the six
millions to complete the roads in four years we
to lose 5s million dollars worth of road work.
IL
the roads sounds good TO most of US. But as
long as most of the contracts are given to big
outside firms, as long as these big fellows are
getting fancy contract prices and subettng them
to some poor sucker at half the contract price,
and as long as the sub-contractor is hiring men at
dollar day and probably losing money at thas
just that long road building is not going to do the
working people of Montana much good If the state
and counties would do the work and hire local
people it would be an altogether different propo-
sition, but that would cut out the graft of the
six millions and probably nobody would be inter-
ested in borrowing it then.
If Measure 35 gets a majority vote on Tuesday
it means, that the state at any time can collect
10c gasoline tax and refund to the farmers
on the last cent tax. After the debentures are
sold the law can not be changed for 10 years. For
that length of time all gasoline tax will go TO the
state and there is way the counties can get any
of it. The state is not going to collect the 10
cent right away-they going to wait until they
have spent the six millions-when that time comes
the Highway Commission and the debenture hold
will take it to the supreme court and the stats
will be compelled to collect the 10 cents. Just fol
that reason H. B. No. 90 was not repealed
Let US show them on Tuesday that there is al
least one county in the state where they can no
fool all of the people all of the time. Sheridan
county has been looked upon as the most wide a
wake county in the state. Let US live up to Ou
reputation and show them we are still on the map
Let us forget about barberry bushes, the gophers
and the wheat for few hours Tuesday and all g
and VOTE AGAINST 1Oc tax.
VOTE DOWN THE SIX MILLION DOLLAI
BOND ISSUEl