The producers news. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1918-1937, 1932-02-05
Friday. February 5, 1882.
PROGRESSIVE MISLEADERSHIP

The first issue of the West Progressive, Helena,
Montana, has appeared. With it the editor has
mailed to his mailing list document entitled
County Associations Of Taxpayers and Voters:
Manner of Organizing, What They Can Accom-
plish"
The document starts off with the slogan de-
signed TO deceive the farmers of Montana. Gas
Stunning that the primary object of taxpayers as
sOcations is to reduce taxes for the rank and file
Of taxpayers" 1t proceeds with statement Of
how the big corporations which control the state
and the legislature do not pay as large part of
the tax burden they ought.
The proposal of the Western Progressive in
cludes the following: "Taxes must come down, es-
pecially on farm land and city homes 4. . Certain
public officials must accept substantial salary cuts
=. The Public Service and Tax Commissions
should be abolished Stocks, bonds, bank de-
posts, and other intangibles must be taxed
legislature must be elected which, for once will
not be hand-picked by the corporations. If this
were done we could pass hydro-electric tax and
natural gas tax . An income tax law should
be provided by a change in the constitution" So
far, for the time being for his program. What
are the means to get all this accomplished?
He appeals to the growing realization among
the farmers that they must organize if they wish
to accomplish anything for themselves "Natur-
ally the question arises, What can be done about
it? Without organization nothing can be done
about it."
He goes on then to say, "The only way these
things can be accomplished is through county tax
payers association" Then a state organization
of such taxpayers should be formed.
Says Lewis Penwell, the editor of the Western
Progressive, eff this were done the following pur-
L. i.
payers association would, thru conference, argu-
ment, and persuasion, induce the county commits
sioners and the local school boards to generally
reduce their current expenses" Second such
county organization would be on their guard
against the corporations sending to the legisla-
ture the usual hand-picked delegations"
This is the program of one of the most vicious
attempts to mislead the farm masses-vicious Just
because it is concealed in sei-radical phrases and
attacks on the trusts.
What is the present situation of the farmers Of
Montana. Thousands of them cannot pay their
taxes, thousands of them one or two years
taxes already, many of them will be subject to
eviction in the coming year. What does the
Western Progressive tell these farmers? Wait
until next November until we get some non-cor.
poration representatives in the legislatures The
United Farmers League tells these farmers thai
they must organize for struggle against evic
tons tells the farmers that if they are sufficient
y well organized they can prevent the eviction o.
any farmer in their county
The Western Progressive tells the farmers, de
the taxpayers association argue, confer with, per
suade the county commissioners to cut taxes ant
the local school boards to generally cut their cur
rent expenses The United Farmers League tell
the farmers, go to the county commissioners Il
argue, TO confer, to persuade them, BUT APPEAL
Il IN MASSES. The United Farmers League lead