Montana labor news., 1935-03-14
ROBBERS OF WIDOWS
AND ORPHANS

An intensive and bitter campaign is
now being carried on by the large
public Service" corporations turnout
the United States to kill the Wheeler
Rayburn holding Company bill now be-
fore the Congress. Thru both the UP
and APP Dispatches are sent to prac-
tically every newspaper in the United
States telling OF the dire effects which
the widows and children, the blind,
the halt and workers and the investors
and even the coal dealers will suffer
as a result Of this terrible bill. On
February 18th a UP dispatch from
Washington appeared in the Montana
Standard quoting DR.. Hugh S. Magill,
president of the Federation of Utility
Investors, as saying that investors in
utility stocks had suffered $~92,0OO,00O
loss since the Wheeler bill had been
introduced in congress. Further he
states, 81 think these losses demons
trate our contention that the passage
of this bill to eliminate holding COM
panies would actually eliminate the in
vestor."
A Pennsylvania newspaper, the Sun
day Transcript carrying great scare
heads has been sen to many people
in Butte and Montana urging them
to wire or write to Senator Wheeler
protesting against Legislation hostile
to holding companies employing mill
lions" For two pages the editor belch-
es fire and birthstone upon politicians
warning upon Business and destroying
College, Church, Hospital and Public
School endowments with the holding
companies five year death sentence.
David Lawrence in his ultra react
ionary United States News AN indie
pendent publication" as he euphimis-
tically terms it, delivers a TRADE against
the New Dictatorship as typified by
this bill which would warp the Con-
stitution, wipe out the savings Of old
age, invade the rights of the several
states, spread the hoof and mouth dis
ease, disrupt business, seriously hinder
recovery and would be nothing more
than an arbitrary confiscation of pri-
vate property.
All of the foregoing charges are, as
the reader knows, merely smoke sore
ems and are further examples of the
pernicious propaganda with which we
of Montana are only too familiar and
which was poured out in such blobs
and globs by the Montana Power Com
pany and the other Public Service
corporations during the campaign pre-
ceding the recent election.
The truth of the matter OF course
is that the power companies have over
played their hand and have bawled
Wolf once too often. Under stupid
selfish and short sighted leadership
their attempts to sell the idea that their
rates are fair and the service delight
full have failed. They are very in
tent on getting onto our minds the
fear of government ownership OF uti-
ties which would mean service and not
profit. In Canada under able politi-
cal and business leadership the Cana
dams have experimental with the crea-
ton of Water Power for Service, for
the service of the poor as well as the
rich, for the small consumer as well
as the large and for the rank and file
of the people who constitute the fun
damental natural resourc of any
country. Water Power in the United
States has been created for Profit and
for the profit of the INSCRIPTIONS and
predatory element in our society and
that difference between Profit and Ser
vice spells the difference between the
gradual recovery which is now develop
ing in Canada as against the impasse
we face in this country with millions
unemployed and in want because GU
wealth, our natural which
are by Gods law every mans heritage
are controlled by men who can grow
richer and more powerful by merely
sitting tight and doing nothing. While
hunger and want, disease and suffer
ing, insanity and suicide, violence ant
crime run rife thru the land while the
farmer, the small business man, the
great mass of workers are slowly ant
inevitably sinking into a mire of pow
erty and debt, with independence lost
with lost insurance, homes and jobs
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