The producers news., 1931-07-17
THE INDUSTRIAL

Clements Is an archdeacon of the
well known school Of Helena poli-
} tioians. (There are many splendid
people in Helena who actively hone
Tor honest government but these
are usually outvoted or outcounted
by a group Of lobbyists, Some
thing for nothing" fellows, railroad
lawyers, round the town men. COR
porate pencil ushe:y and redlipht
rlngstera.D He saw a chance thru
ms power OF fix hv thess nssest-
ments to aid the Helena banks M
the expense Of the rest of the
state. He put the assessments so
nigh against the public emplovers
and small employers that the state
,und quickly grew more than one
nalf million dollars above what
Jerry Locke, his able Predecessor
Ihought was n reasonable reaerve
ms move made Clements a bigger
Iellow with the Helena bankers.
Here was a Helena boy that did
something for Helena. The Helena
banks claim the first rights TO use
all state money and the ring IL so
tlght through Erickson's banking
department that no independent
bank can break Marlowe's strangle
mold on the state house or open n
bank in Helena. Until the flattery
as this coup d'etat was spread on
him by the Helena bankers and
polyannas, Clements maintained n
fairly level head for one of his po-
litical origin.
While he was always the tool of
The Montana Power Anaconda
crowd, they themselves would sug.
gest to Clements If "A case was too
raw, that he decide IL against them
for show 10 the people; n pre-
tense Mt independence and decency.
Then in those day she wanted the
good will Of the rest Of the state.
So when there was claim against
a small company, Roundup Coal,
for instance, Clements would do
] the right thing by the injured or
orphaned. He fooled for time a
good many outside lawyers.
This game was going on fairly
well. Though there was grow
ing murmur at dozen or more
outrageous raw decisions in Butte.
Evans, chief counsel for the Pow
err Mining department of the Grand
Alliance Of Railroads, Telephone.
Mines and Merger Banks, became
III. All moral restraint that he
had exercised over the legal de-
partment was thrown to the wind.
The rule became anything TO op-
press 40 long as Il means n dol
lar Tor the company or It's allies.
The Claim Department seemed the
easiest field for a display of the
economy of despotism.
CLEMENTS GUBERNATORIAL
DREAMS
Hobbins, Svengali for many OF
ficial Trilbys, Is the supposed au-
thor of the clever idea that made
Clements, with the salvation of
five thousand helpless crlppics and
orphans in his keeping, more ser
vile than the local company mes
senger in the Marlowe Bank Build
ing an Helena. The pushers of the
Grand Alliance puzzled how to riv-
ct, their chain already snapped, on
Clements collar 40 that he would
decide that there could be no com
penbation for any injured man who
had ever had tuberculosis, syphilia.
mumps or measles. The COMPANY
hospital physicians could be count
cd OF TO swear (if desired) that
the injured mans lay off or death
was caused by the Illness not the
injury Clements Is rather cute.
For yielding, and thus saving mil
lions in the course of time. he
wanted something IN return. The
smart idea is credited TO Hobbins
OF telling Clements that while the
Company would keep Erickson 81
lent for a while as TO third term.
yet, as Washington and JeffersCn
each thought himself unfit for n
third term, the same idea might
finally dawn on Erickson and he.
Burke, was the man to wear Erick-
sons shoes, (badly run down at
the heels.)
or course the Company crowd
knows enough history not TO try
the old carpet bag plan Of electing
a majority Of negroes 10 the Mon |
tana legislature so they can be
credited with not wishing 20 do
more foolish timing, i.e., try to
elect Clements to the Governprship
Tor any other office) after he is
cast from his present place 70 the
scrap pile with many others who
have believed the rings premises
but the mere suggestion upset
poor Burke's never very stable
equilibrium. His intimates, when
he would confidentially tell them
Of the Company's promise TO make
him Governor would suggest that
perhaps the Alliance would prefer
Hazelbaker, a director Of merger
bank for governor and Tom Stout
the late synthetic senator from
Fergus as Hazelbaker's Democrat
ic stalking horse. Burke did not
believe these well meaning friends.
Since this promise of the governor
ship, Clements has thrown away
all prudence and deeency in his
awards.
LOADED DICE UNPLEASANT
FOR LAWYERS
Whatever Jerry Shea wants the
board does. The maculate gang
# Company physicians, Northern
Pacific physicians, Montana State
that enter Clements
swearing arena against any help
esg claimant of compenaation Ia