The producers news. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1918-1937, 1934-04-06

A bip man with booming voice v
and a ready smile for everyone got !
on the train at Meridian. Miss. AS c
he passed my seat in the smoker I
he greeted me with a loud and
genial "Hi-."
put him down mentally as
politician. subsequently, in long
talk we had together while ne
munched at an apple, / found that
was right. He was Marion W:
Reilly, a MERRIAM lawyer who had
once almost been elected Governor
of the state.
Reilly as the trial lawyer Oh ms
firm is constantly travelling about
Mississippi. We talked of work
ers. farmers, business men-what
happened to them since the depres-
sion, how they felt, what they
thought, what he as one OF the
leaders in the state, felt and !
thought. =.
"You know" he said in a conf
Dental tone, "there are too many
people altogether. What we need
is a war. That'H thin 'em out and
start things humming again. The
trouble is l can't seem to get any
one to agree with me- He shook
his head regretfully. "The Amer
lean Legion boys aren't saying
much, but there isn't one who Is
not sorry he went over"
Sentiments against war z"
Eyes. but that doesn't mean any
thing. You know how it is. When
the flag waving starts and the
band starts playing and everybody
is making speeches about atrocities
everything changes then. 1t can
: be whipped up easily"
! The candidate for Governor did
not approve of federal relief.
"Just as long as the government
keeps pouring money into the state
. they're going to keep on taking
charity. But it's not this willing
Il ness to take charity that's bother
:, ing me SO much as everybody talk
! ing about imposing higher person
: al taxes. What scares me is whei
YOU get a man like my partne
who has more money than hav'
- saving that the government ougn
: to redistribute the wealth OF tn
! country. He says it is right, lie
\ gallv and morally, for govern
! ment to confiscate part or all o
!, the wealth in the hands of few
+ You'd be surprised how many pee
ple are talking like that now, sui
O. stantial citizens, too, who al
n ready to have their own none
ID taxed heavily if the same is dor
v to he huge fortunes.
nd "They think the whole cause
he the depression is the concentrate
of wealth in the hands of a fey
There's a good deal of unrest
this state and lot of sentimel
as against the rich. They feel tn
IL, the government has not Above
III but helped the rich to get rich'
at at the expense of the poor. Al
nd feeling the way they do, / tell "
I'm afraid to think of what mig
to happen if government money sto-
to coming in here.
ed "Take Meridian, for instanE
pt. More of an industrial town becau
ere of the railroad shops. It's alwa
rs, been a strong union place and y
Id, would expect that sort of talk, b
md now you find it in the farmil
areas. Now these union men a
7ed pretty conservative, but you knt
in what happened? They and a
ear of unemployed organized the
ed selves and demanded that the c..
vho A.. money be turned over to tn
927 for distribution instead of to pT
we'd lie officials. That's what's t
ent matter with labor. They just SCI
to want somebody of their o
ted picking to handle everything. II
rich don't trust the man in public off
en- any more. j..
of "Well, sir, I tell you it look
for like trouble. There were so m
when they were turned down ii
ap- they were going to smash
ser- C.W.A. office. There was plel
Rev. trouble in the air. l had to t
the to 'em-I'm union lawyer, J
me- know, and they now I'm alw;
iful for the working man-and
couple of other leading citiz'
nee talked to 'em and told them to
two back of the President. We fins
ing managed to keep that unemplo,
his meeting from breaking up In
me- riot"
lrge Reilly thinks the solution to
depression is to put men back
work on the land where they
grow their own food.
cere eff everybody works the Ia
heir and grows his own vegetables t
be- will have enough to eat"
200 Glow will they get money
-l1ul clothes and taxes ?"
stul "Sell their produce"
Kew. "To whom-if everybody VIC
the land?"
He shrugged his shoulders.
"It's beyond me-" he said
nally. what do you think?"
ner The puzzled politician left
man train in Jackson. A few miles
er of the city farmer got on
heavy-set, unshaved fellow wit
red face and hands hardened
long years of toll. From the '
dow we glimpsed groups of
iven groes or whites half hidden
Mrs. swirls of smoke rising from t