Montana labor news., 1934-07-19
Daily Press Untruths

Previous to the primaries one never
saw such an array of untruths in a
public press anywhere in the United
States, as appeared in the daily papers
of Butte. In the first place, the daily
press grossly mistated the report Of
Congressman Monaghan before the
Miners Union. As this was a closed
meeting of the Union it is surprising
that the press even received a report
Of the talk. Somehow or other they
secured enough information to malign
Congressman Monaghan in this Con-
gressional District. 1t accused Monog-
han of stating that the strike was lost
and recommending that the men go
back to work. 1t exaggerated the i'm
plications made by Monaghan regard
ing Frank Walker, Secretary of Labor
Perkins and the National Labor Board.
1t was deliberate effort to put Monog-
han in a bad light with Labor and with
the Administration in Washington.
Walker reading the Standard reports
of Joe's report replied and the reply
was given full space in the daily press.
A mountain was made out a molehill
for those who sat in the conferences
here realized that Walker showed no
Partially to the Anaconda Company
and they also know that it was the AT.
of L. representative and not Walker,
Jacobson or Chappell who recommends
ed the sending of a committee to
Washington. Labor also knows that
it was Frank Walker who arranged
the first conference of A. c. Nj Co.
Officials with Wagner and Wheeler in
the East. The Daily Press of Montana
deliberately distorted the truth to create
dissention among the workers and
create an air of suspicion against every
one honestly trying to help in the
speedy settlement OF the strike here
in Butte.
Another mistruth was the statement
to the effect that Dept. of Labor Rep
r%esentative, Chappell returned to Wash
ington because the Butte Unions re-
fused to send a committee to Wash
ington. When the recommendations
to the workers came from Washing
ton, the Federal Representative told
them he didn't blame them for not
sending a committee to the National
Capitol. Chappell was called to Wash
ington by the Department of Labor
for a conference with Department of
Labor Officials on the Butte situation.
Again the truth was distorted to pre-
JUDGE the public against the striking
workers and create d~issention in the
Great Falls, Anaconda and Butte
groups.
The last series of misstatements has
been regarding the violence at various
mines. A list of pickets has been print
ed as being rock-throwers at the vari-
Gus mines. The rock-throwing has
been done by boys and women and
not by the pickets. One would believe
that had the company enough evidence
to prove that these men were Destroy
ing property they would bring action
against them. They tried to testify
to the effect hat the pickets were
destroying property during the Gale
trial but the evidence seemed to be
mostly a fuddled nightmare Of Carri-
gan. Again these distorted facts and
wild dreams are printed for the pur-
pose Of creating disorder in Butte, fore
ing martial law in order to destroy the
Unions. This is the kind of press that
serves the people OF Montana and yet
these Montanans boast Of the fact
that they live in the free and open
spaces. How long this type of news
service will be tolerated in Silver Bow
County remains to be seen. If Butte
and Montana were to have a free daily
press the people would no doubt die Of
the shock but they must steel them
selves to the hope that someday they
may have it.