Western news and the Libby times. [volume] (Libby, Mont.) 1920-1933, 1932-11-03
Fitzgerald
Speaker At
COP. Rally
Gives Logical Discussion of
Problems Facing Nation
Today.
SAYS TARIFF Is
A VITAL NEED

A goodly number of Libby people
gathered Monday evening to hear
Mark D. Fitzgerald discuss the issues
Of the campaign from the republican
standpoint, he being the republican
candidate for congress from the First
congressional district Mr.. Fitzgerald
was introduced by Senator M. D..
Rowland in a few words telling of Mr.
Fitzgarrald's qualifications, in which
he said he was college trained with
both legal and business experience and
with actual farming experience IN the
Bitter Root valley.
Mr.. Fitzgerald delivered thought
full and logical address In which he
strove to minimize the contentious Of
party politics and asked his hearers
to think over the issues in a calm
and careful manner He stated his con-
viction that the American nation was
facing at this time one of its severest
tests, to decide whether or not it has
within itself the power to meet and
settle wisely the serious problems tina,
advancing civilization places before it.
He quoted from Macaulay's famous
statement in which the historian said
Americas test would come when all
the nations free land was gone and
the cities were filled with mobs Of
hungry men and women out Of work.
He pleaded for a careful and dispas-
sionate study of the problems now
facing the nation.
In passing, he made brief reference
to the charges sometimes heard against
the republican administration to the
effect that it had returned vast sums
to big corporations from income tax
payments because the said corporations
had contributed to the republican
campaign fund four years ago. He
denied that this was done because Of
campaign contributions and cited The
fact TINT Raskob, national democratic
figure, had been repaid five million
dollars from his income tax payment.
And Raskob, Of course had nat COM
tributed to the republicans.
In d discussion of the money ques-
ton, he took from his pocket 4 Ger
ing that when issued it possessed an
ostensible value of about two thou
sand dollars. Today 1t is worth prac-
tically nothing His contention was
that q debased and cheapened cur
rency always brings disaster not only
to the government issuing it but more
particularly to the laboring men of the
nation. He commended that President
Hoover, instead of being opposed to a
study OF the silver problem, had taken
active steps to insure the representa-
ton of this nation in world economic
conference to be held in December
and the president had provided that
the discussion of the silver question
should hold an important part in that
meeting.
Mr.. Fitzgarrald discussed at length
the tariff issue, stating that a protec-
tive tariff had been a settled policy
of the republican party since Lincoln's
time and that protective tariff had
been first established in Washington's
administration. He argued that the
farmer would be swamped with foreign
agricultural products if the tariff wall
were lowered and said American
farmers and industrial concerns could
not compete with foreign production,
especially in these times of deprecated
foreign currency when the matter Of
exchange favors the foreigner and wher
the wages paid the foreigner is SO far
below that paid American labor. n.
spoke particularly of sugar beet pro-
duction in Montana and compared
wages paid here with what is paid
the half naked native of Cuba who
lives in d howell. He also referred to
protection given the lumber, copper
and other metal industries of Mon
tana and was insistent that if our mar
kets were thrown open to the con-
petition of the world. with their cheap
labor and low standards Of living, it
would eventually mean ruin to Amer
lean labor and industry.
The speaker argued that much of
the present trouble Of the American
lowing the war and that another i'm
portant factor is hiss lack of organiza-
ton and co-operation. Mr.. Fitzgerald
pledged that if he was elected to con-
gress he would strive to work out a
plan for the cooperative marketing
of farm produce not only among farm
ers but among all the agencies that
handle agricultural products from the
farm to the ultimate consumer, so
that much Of the present waste could
be eliminated and more profit given
to the farmer instead of to the middle
man.
MIR. Fitzparrald closed with a dis
cussion Of the work being done by the
reconstruction finance corporation. His
argument was that the corporation had
kept many Of the railroads, many Of
the banks, the insurance companies and
allied institutions and many other
branches Of industry from bankruptcy
and thus had prevented catastrophe