Montana labor news., 1935-03-07
LABOR GAINS LITTLE
in STATE ASSEMBLY,

session of the Legislative Assembly Of
Montana draws to a close, it is appar-
ent that the working class Of Montana
will be able to count on their gains on
the fingers of one hand.
The house is progressive and this
is due largely to efforts Of organized
labor in the political field last year
and to an awakening political on
seriousness on the part Of the farmers.
The small farmer, and especially the
tenant farmer, is coming to realize
that his interests are closely tied in
with those of the working man. But
the big stockman, as a rule, is still a
capitalist. He may be broke, he may
be mortgaged to the hilt, but he still
has hopes of coming back. He has the
baron complex and it dies hard.
Watching the House and Senate in
session, noting the trades, the COM
promises, the pressure applied from
various sources, one comes to realize
that it will be difficult for the working
class to advance their interests by such
methods. Every individual and group
that to the Capitol has an axe
to grind or an interest to be served and
the final result must be a compromise
of these conflicting forces.
On third reading today, the Senate
passed H. B. IA by a vote of 43 to H..
If the bill is signed by the Governor,
which it no doubt will be, the working
class may count this as one of the
small gain which they can achieve
through a bourgeois legislature.
Briefly, the bill would submit to the
people of Montana a constitutional
amendment giving the legislative as
sembly power to reduce the work-day
below 8 hours, whenever in its opin-
ion, a reduction will better promote the
general welfare"
H. B. IA has had a rough ride
through the Senate. Passed by the
House, it was killed in the Senate. On
February %, by motion Of Armstrong
of Park County, to indefinitely post
pone. This motion was vigorously
fought by Meyer of Silver Bow. IN
an eloquent speech he asked the Sen
ators how they could go home and
face the unemployed and the people on
relief, after having voted to kill the bill.
On a roll-call vote, the bill failed to
get the two-thirds majority required
for constitutional amendment and was
therefore dead. Later on a motion was
made to reconsider and the bill was
resurrected and placed on general file
and as stated above, was passed today
by five more than the required two
thirds.
H. B. 20, which would abolish Plan
Two of the Workmen's Compensation
Act, was killed in the Senate rs to IS,
with Meyer, Garrison and Clifford
fighting st%renuously for its passage.
Although the Senate is r%eactionary by
a small majority, there are many hon
est and sincere men in there and Silver
Bow County car well be proud of the
gallant efforts put forth by Harry
Meyer in the interests Of the working
class and common people Of Montana.
There is a beautiful copper covered
dome on the Capitol building and a la
Dor delegate was heard to remark that
the influence of that copper extended
down into the Senate chamber.
Much legislation of a progressive
character has passed the House only to
die in the Senate. But the same thing
is true in other state legislatures and
in the national Congress and it must
suggest the thought-Shall the Senate
be abolished?
1t is a grim fact that the working
class cannot hope to gain social justice
or a fair share Of the wealth they pro-
duce by working through a bourgeois
legislature and the sooner they get this
fact in mind the better,