Montana labor news., 1935-12-19
Sane SALVATION BY
STATES RIGHTS

The Juror over the decision of the
U. S. Supreme Court which discarded
much of the New Deal Program, would
subside appreciably if the national and
political party were not hurt by mine
old men assuming to u the country"
The decision is really based on the cen
fury old doctrine Of states rights
against Capitalization; the theories Of
Jefferson against those of Hamilton.
Students agree that the Supreme Court
in asserting the right to declare an act
of Congress unconstitutional has for
$40 years usurped a power not given by
the constitution or found in the COM
mon law of England, Scotland or Ire
land. While he, as many students Of
the science of government, think that
the power Of that Court should be cur
tailed in this respect by another
amendment to the Basic Law, the OBJ
iect of this paper is to convince Mon
tana folks that by using what weapons
are left US of states rights" we can
get many of the same benefits which
we hoped the central power would give
US but which for some years at least,
and perhaps for our lives, it is pre-
vented by the Supreme Court from Civ
ing the people. It is the duty Of men,
in a fight for their i~nalienable rights,
when one weapon breaks to seize an
other, and that quickly before death
comes. Death is around the corner"
not prosperity, as Hoover and Dawes
and the Carter Glass democrats an
nounce.
May, June and July are the months
OF an expected and usual rise in en-
pioyment in the North Temperate
Zone, due to providing food for the
winter. According to figures from
Washington in May, 1885, unemploy-
ment reached nine million six hundred
thousand. In June it was nine mil
lion seven hundred thousand; in July
it was nine million eight hundred thou
sand. If a doctor finds that a Butte
miner weighs $50 pounds in May, 145
pounds in June, $40 pounds in July, he
knows that he will die shortly if he
does not get out of the mines. The
Ford Works shut down last week. The
SO million profit of General Motors for
Q months is a symptom of disease, not
Of prosperity. It was profits like that
which brought the present depression
in 1929. The Duponts own the Cen
eral Motors. If that 80 million had
gone to wages instead of the Dupont
family that would lead somewhat to
health Of the people,
In Montana, we are living not in a
fools paradise by any means but in a
fools plan. We are getting in govern
ment expenditures at Fort Peck and
other works in Home loans, Land
banks loans, A. A. A. disbursements,
direct relief, as large a share in pro
portion to population as any state in
the Union. This is due to active eff
forts by Wheeler, Murray, Monaghan
and Ayers. The dam at Fort Peck
may be complete in two years. Muir
rays special achievements, the Buffalo
Rapids Irrigation Project, $4,000 acres,
near Glendive, can be completed in IS
months if diligently prosecuted. When
done, it will support a thousand fami-
lies in comfort or add a million dollars
a year to the Northern Pacific surplus,
whichever IS desired by the Interstate
Commerce Commission in fixing the
freight rates on wheat, etc. OF by the
Legislature of Montana in adjusting
the taxes on that railroad.
The U. S. Supreme Court permits a
state to regulate hours of labor in
hazardous work. We can require a
six hour day in such work. We can
prevent child labor. We can require
a limit of 20 cars to a train. We can
increase the workman's compensation to
the widows, cripples and orphans in
Butte for injury and death in the mines
Of the Anaconda Company totals one
half as much as Con Kelley's yearly
salary. In fact, the legislature could
cut Cons salary down, because it can