The producers news. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1918-1937, 1931-05-15
FRIDAY, MAY Is, 1881
NGGER IN THE WOODPME

During the entire debenture bond campaign, and
the ten cent gas tax fiasco, we could not help but
feel that somehow, somewhere there was niger
in the wood pile-something to explain why Tom
Stout was so enthusiastic for th sdebenture fraud
that caused him to put his paper so abandOnedly
behind policy of such puny merit as the borrow
ing of 100000 at interest cost of $2,5OO,OOO
during the next ten years. in order to finish the
state roads in 1885 instead of in 1941, using gas
tax money to pay usurers instead of to match three
million dollars of federal aid money. For Tom
Stout to take such position seemed cracked, tho
Tom can always be counted on to line up to the
scratch when "John" and "COn" make the sign
The whole debenture scheme is so lacking in
logic or common sense, so absolutely preposterous,
that one could not contemplate Toms position to
be other than sensible, unless there was a reason.
The reason supplied, his attitude and his activ
rites became as obvious as a wort the nose.
Tom had a reason for getting behind the big
grab of the road contractors and the paper shaw
ers, well hidden reason, and when Tom has
reason, and that reason is his own personal in
terest, then one knows where to find Tom Tom
is of those men with splendid ideals, who is
chained and bOted TO his ham and eggs. He has
not the intestinal stamina to stand for anything
because it is right, if it means any loss of lucre
for Tom He is not the type of man whose de-
yotion to principle in the face of personal inter
est has helped win anything for the advance of
mankind Pelf with Tom cannot be subrogated
to principle
Toms devotion to pelf shames his soul, then he
sooths the qualms of his conscience by writing a
philosophical editorial in his inimcal grooming.
sleep baby sleep construction that would ease the
chafe of even more tender sensibilities than his
Tom would like to be real, independent He man.
and in his optimistic moments thinks he is. but
when it comes to a choice between the flesh pots
OF Egypt and the honey and locusts of Beuah land
Tom just can't forsake the chlconcarne and refers
to his shackles manly restraint
So, there being for Tom reason, he helped put
over on the public the big debenture bond racket.
not because the money is going to be used to
connect Scobey and Plentywood with the Roosevelt
Trail but because it is not going to be used for
that purpose, because it is going to be used to
build scenic highway (for the benefit of tourists)
from Missoula the home of Mr. Coffee. president
of the Montana Automobile Association thru CABOT
Pass to Great Falls, the home of o. S. Warden.
president Of the Montana State Highway Commits
siOn and then on to Lewistown and to Sidney. thus
divertng the tourist traffic from the Yellowstone
and Roosevelt Trails from both the Yellowstone
and Glacier park, over this scenic central Montana
highway.
1t may be that the back bush counties may have
to wait another quarter of century for their
share of the roads, or may never get them-how-
ever, when the debentures are sold and this de-
sirable scenic highway is built the gas taxes can't
be repealed or altered until after the debenture
bonds paid off
The Great Falls Leader, Mr. Warden's republi-
can paper, told the Great Falls voters about the
plans Monday evening,-the night before election
for campaign purposes. 1t helped get the votes
for the bond issue.
The big bond boosters and the 1O-cent gas tax
sponsors out In the sticks who leaped for the fly
OF the hpp-o-ray boys can now flop about in the
weeds
No wonder Tom Stout wants everybody to for
get about the big bond campaign = the Niger
bothers Tom