The producers news. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1918-1937, 1933-03-24
WHEN TWO RELIEF
COMMITTEES MEET
(BY HANS RASMUSSEN

AS a rule the Central Relief
Committee is not in the habit of
advertising its meeting, they want
1t kept secret, so nobody will be-
there to bother them. This last
Tuesday it was different, their
meeting had been announced and
given some publicity, it was going
TO be held in the afternoon.
During the forenoon the Farm
ers Relief Committee, picked at
the farmers mass meeting started
gathering in town. Chris Heiberp
coming all the way from the Quit
meyer country, Mrs. Henderson
from Archer and Mrs. Snuggins
from near the Canadian border.
north of Outlook. The two from
town being Jones and Mrs. Heron
The Farmers Committee was to
meet with the Central committee.
At two O'Clock the Farmers COM
mittee went over to the bank
building and said "How do vou do
to the relief clerk, ex-banker
Stenhjem. There was no Central
committee, and the farmers settled
down and made thmslves at home
the best they could. After a while
they sent out for a deck of cards
and started playing. They were
going to stay until that Central
committee met, if they had to
stay right there a week or more
During the afternoon the MEM
bers of the Central Committee
would come and peak thru the door
One at a time. They wera all
there, Bennett, Anker, Ziebarth
and SimundsOn, Wankel was fix
ing his car in the garage. Every
now and then the telephone would
ring. From the answers the clerk
gave, 1t could be understood that
someone wanted to find out if the
farmers were still there and how
they enjoyed their meeting.
At supper time the clerk got
hungry and Bill Erickson came in
to take his place. The farme.s
were not going to leave and have
the door locked on them. They
had no supper, kept on PLAYING
cards, visited and had a jolly good
time. 1t was the first time they
had been in possession of a bank
building, they rather liked it and
prepared to stay all night and in
vite others in for the card party.
At 8 o'clock the Central Commit
tee finally showed up. The battle
between more relief and less re-
lief started and lasted for a couple
of hours. The farmers winning out
on most of the points.
One very interesting point was
brought out at this meeting. The
farmers had demanded that $24,-
600 relief for the month of April
should be applied for. Jack Ben
nett made the statement that it
had been applied for and was
turned down. The rest of the Gem
trail Committee not knowing any
thing of the kind had ever been
done. That put Jack Bennett in
kind of sweat box, out Of which
he tried to squirm out by saying
that he had inquired privately
which made the impression ON
all present that Jack was tax
ing his statement right out of the
air, and tried to lie himself out of
a tight place.
About 10 o'clock the Farmers
Committee finally got thru with
their part of the meeting and had
a chance to go get bite to eat.
After the Central Committee had
tried to tire them out and make
them the goats for over seven
hours. But goats are good fight
ers, and better fighters were 5ust
what this little meeting made out
of the Farmers Committee, as we'll
as of the thousands of people who
are backing them Ip.
They got to realize that, if you
want this Central Committee to
do anything for the people in the
county, you got to stay right with
them until they do It, and no fool
ing about it.