Montana labor news., 1935-03-07
All People Should
Attend Legislative
Assembly and Learn

What a wonderful thing it would be
if all of the people in this grand and
glorious state of ours could only take
about two weeks and watch the state
Legislative assembly at work. What an
insight they would get into just what
interests some of their representatives
and senator's actually do represent.
They would also find out that a lot of
those that talk, yes even shout, progress
siveism and liberalism when at home
and running for election, mean and do
about such ideals when they have been
elected and actually at work trying to
make progressive legislation a reality.
While Montana has approved of the
Child Labor amendment to the Fed
eral constitution some time ago, many
of the legislators at this last session
seem to have overlooked the fact or
have forgotten all about it. While the
President Of the United States has
been %endeavoring to broadcast the
ethical idea that every worker is en-
titled to a real living wages, not just a
bare existence but a wage that would
guarantee to everyone that works pro-
ductively a return sufficient to give him
or her some of the educational, in
struction and joyous things Of this life,
we have been treated to an exhibition
in Helena where it was stated that IS
cents an hour, 10 hours a day was all
that a girls or woman's labor was
worth in certain industries in this
state. Further, the threat was made
that if Montanans insisted that their
woman-folks earned more than this and
consequently we're entitled to a larger
share OF what they had produced, that
these big hearted, eleemosynary indus
tries would scrap their investments in
this state and move further south where
such radical and unsocial ideas were
never thought of.
Imagine too how educational it would
be to find these same progressive poll
ticians %associating with the r%eactionary,
stand-pat corporate interests %associat-
ing to such an extent that the lobbyists
of these interests could lean over their
shoulders and tell them how to vote on
certain legislation which in their opin-
ion would hamper their taking Of in
creased profits in the form of wealth
and even life itself from the workers
of this, our state.
How educational it would be to
spend a couple Of evenings on the mez-
canine floor of the Placer Hotel with a
guide who knew the personnel of these
corporation lobbyists, and see their
progressive Legislators called out to
have a little instruction and to see them
later on in the wee small hours of the
morning progressing progressively to
bed minus any and all ideas progressive
or otherwise, and unable the next day
to be present when measures vital to
the farmers and workers OF the state
come up for consideration.
If the people of the state could just
once see all of these things with their
own eyes what a house cleaning there
would be at the next election, what a
different class of men they would send
to represent them. They would require
that educational, moral and ethical
background of their representatives
that would in itself preclude their
falling an easy prey to such tactics.
Procure and study the roll-call votes on
the progressive legislation that was of
fered at this last session; talk with
those you know that were witnesses to
the session and find out if these roll
calls were backed up by the same type
Of action when committee reports were
under consideration, or whether the
stand indicated by the roll-call was
taken purely for publicity purposes.
Wherever you find discrepancies re-
member them and ask an explanation if
he individual ever appears as a candidate
for an office in the future, which they
undoubtedly will, as there is nothing
that gets into the blood mor virulently
than having been a member Of a legis-
lative assembly.
ED. DUNCAN.