The producers news. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1918-1937, 1934-06-07
BRAIN TRUST
BY JOHN L. SPIvAK

|,
unit idea is really simple. Hall a
dozen trusted and intimate tulends
of the brothers met in Bens nome
Each was appointed a unit com
mander; that is, it was his job to
line up two other men, sworn TO
secrecy since their own jobs ne
nended on it. These two men were
each to line up two, these four two /
each and so on until there were |
80 men in the secret unit. NO one
but the commander was to know
the names of all the members. NO
names were to be used at any
time in the matter of the very
small dues. Each unit of 81 was
given a letter of the alphabet and
each member in the unit a num-
Der and they were SO recorded.
The idea of being very secret
and meeting at midnight in some
home or barn or chicken coop
thrilled the people of Hibbing who
we're rather bored with their hum
drum existence anyway, and this
feeling of being conspirators con-
tributed a great deal to the very
rapid development of the secret
unit idea. Only men were accepted
it being understood that the
women would vote with their men
anyway. Most of the membership
consisted of small business men
and property owners who were
eager to do away with the graft
ridden parties. At -44
When last years election came
along the secret units named Ar
thur Zimmerman for Mayor as the
. labor's choice, and his paper and
, the other political parties laughed
again. And so we'll had the Sc
cret units been organized that tho
news of their existence had Leaked
out, the ruling parties did not ever
suspect their strength. When thu
:, election was over, Arthur B. Tim
:. norman, 35-year-old linotype op
. orator was Mayor.
! And from then on Arthur
: troubles began.
n First he dispensed patronage /
keep his units from being dissatis
10 fled, for as the Mayor explained
c to me in his office one secret Sur
$ day afternoon, patronage is tn
s. life of a political party; and SCI
ID ondly, he announced that his wa
IS to be a labor government. Shortl
re after his announcement the irol
ne ore companies very sweetly sat
IN that the SOS per capita tax whiC
n they were paying was too lars
ut and that it would have to be low
adj cred or they would take the ma
at ter into the courts. The May
he and the Brain Trust back of hi
Ike did not worry. for the people we
-er with them.
lat When l called the Mayor and I
YER quested to see him, he left a NEE
m, ing with an A. F. of L. organic
of who had just arrived to start org
re- nizing the miners. The Mayor W
it apparently pleased that the secl
65. unit plan had spread as far as N,
as York, but he would not talk wit
ess out the secretary of the secrt
St units, his brother Ben, who is n,
20, and is still a linotype operat
ere "The important thing to me, \
old Mayor" l said, ''is that this is
use announced labor government. Y
an are having difficulty feeding
the unemployed miners. What v
for happen under your regime? 2"
lol- Trouble" he said frankly. M;
po- be riots. I can see it coming h
uld within a year."
on. "What will be your positions"
the "My sympathies are with
lge. laboring man."
|, in ct know. But you are fac
do with a peculiar situation Yo
the sympathies are with the work'
You are labor government.
ons you have sworn to uphold and
,rol. fend property and your memb
raft ship consists chiefly of small pr
op- erty owners. What will you
arty when the workers demand fl
yon+ even to the extent of taking
and forcibly?"
d it He shook his head with a v
but ried air.
ct don't know"
brot evil you order the police
/ a shoot into them? ?"
you He stared at his brother a
to then out of the window. Fins
he shook his head.
that "I'm going to try to straigl
reat it out if possible, but if it
idn't to the stage where the workers
Iino- sist upon taking things u
the I'll tell the police to lose tn
Tim selves somewheres."
.ood, "But what happens to your
pom to protect property"
Last "I don't know" he said a Il
late. forlornly. "But Pm not goin
ither give orders to shoot down
we're workers. I know if I were hun
that I'd take a brick and smash a
lized dow and let them give me 30
to and feed me while I'm in jail.
and "But that doesn't answer
and question. IF you permit the
light. lice to let them take food,
been you lose the support of the
kind store keeper and property o
the who makes up most of your I
entity bership, and consequently you
, 20 litical control; and if you orde
bling police to stop the workers yol
no longer for them and lose