Montana labor news., 1935-06-13

they started out from two years ago.
The public have not yet realized what
has happened to them and history re-
peats itself that every attempt that the
people make in this country to reform
and revise the system under which they
live, invariably the supreme court takes
the re%actionary side and says to the
public Il you can 60 no further.
Many Of us were in opposition to the
NRA while it was in force, but we find
that the courts decision throws us back
to the old chaos from which we start
ed. 1t can be likened to the bred
Scott Decision, by which property
rights submerged human rights and
while the NRA can be considered as
nothing but an entering wedge for fu-
ture endeavors towards social justice,
it is now incumbent for the people to
renew their efforts to attempt that if
it can be done in conformity to the
court decision. An appeal was taken
by the people Of the U. S. from the
bred Scott Decision and it was re-
versed by means of the War of the
Rebellion, and immortalized by the ter
rifle Battle of Gettysberg, and the in
spired address of Abraham Lincoln. If
there is to be a repetition OF history,
the natural inquiry would be what war
will it be necessary to fight to reverse
the supreme courts decision on the
lNRA? Our constitution is.a property
rights instrument. The people making
it were believers in the superiority Of
the ownership Of the means Of pro-
duction and distribution, otherwise the
cooperative mind.
NRA had many Objectionable fea-
lures, among which prominently was
the lack OF enforcement Of Clause "a,
relating to the labor problem. The ones
having to do with its enforcement
could not withstand the pressure of the
large industrialists and it is doubtful
if labor will ever get its rights unless
they can control enforcement. How
ever, it would seem as though, ever
since the world war, labor has been af-
Ifected by the capitalist psychology so
that they were ready to profit by the
increasing costs as well as the indus
trialists. The leadership Of the capital
lists has not developed any better than
the working class and one seems to be
badly affected as the other. In the
meantime the great u%norganized forces,
commonly denominated as the public,
suffer continually from the quarrels
between the upper and neither mill
stones OF society. The search for Soc
ial justice is not confined to the work
ing class. There are many earnest men
and women among the so-called rich,
who realize the inequalities of the pre-
sent day and would willingly give up
their positions if they could be assured
of social security.
Years ago an Episcopal minister ap-
peared in the pulpit Of the Trinity Ep-
iscopal Church at Portland, Oregon,
which was the leading church of that
denomination, and he spoke to those
rich parishioners saying to them, mo
man is safe in this country as long as
there is another man starving" The
truth did not impress the congregation
at the time, but if any Of them are liv-
ing today and they remember what he
said, it is likely that they will be fearful
that the regeneration OF society will not
be accepted peacefully, as it is eviden-
ced. there has never been as much dis
content throughout these United States
as there has been through this period
OF depression.