davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The producers news. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1918-1937, 1935-12-20
WHERE is ROOSEVELT'S
RELIEF PROGRAM GOING !
Direct Relief Remains Central Issue for Unemployed;
Workers Organizations Must Demand
Large-Scale Public Works

pletion from July to December.
He has Officially" cut off direct
Federal relief grants TO the States
and through them to the cities.
Meanwhile, however, he made
some additional ALLEGATIONS to the
states, to aid them in completing
the transition to the new pro-
gram"-though this is little
confusing when we remember that
he has also at the same time an
nounced that the transition to the
new program is completed.
What are we to make of all
this? And what is the prospect
for next year? Is this program
going to be fulfilled? It is nee
essary to answer these questions.
Unemployment Permanent
In the first place, we must al
ways bear in mind that unem-
ployment, and widespread unem-
ployment is not temporary but
a permanent feature of the the
remaining years of capitalism,
"PIivate" industry is not going to
re-absorb the great body of the
unemployed. According to the
most favorable estimates Tin all
probability, much too favorable to
be true), maximum of 5,OOO,000
workers have been reemployed
since the low point of employment
in March 1888. This leaves g
minimum of 100000 unemploy-
ed at the present time. Moreover
these figures take no account OF
workers on part time who are not
making during a year even a bare
subsistence wage, or of the new
workers coming from the schools
and colleges. 1t also leaves out
of account the highly seasonal
character of employment in many
of the great industries such al
automobiles and textiles. The un
employment figures may be re
duced still further by the contin
uation of the present upcurve il
the business cycle; but they will
remain at an enormous figure.
Many of these unemployed still
manage to live from savings, as
sistance from relatives, charity o
odd dollars that they pick up her
J and there. But these sources hav
) been drying up, and prosperity
! is not returning to an extent suf
! ficient to revive them. Of the res
of the unemployed, it is and vii
/ continue to be impossible tina
: they can all or even a major par
be taken care of by any "mad
work" or ''relef work" or "puh
lie works. plan.
Direct Relief Still Primary
Direct relief-the dole-wiH cor
f tinue as a permanent feature @
! declining capitalism. In the chac
= Continued on page two)
The producers news. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1918-1937, 1935-12-20

bookkeeper; Bernard Glaspell,
jamestown, farmer; Clifford Pet
erson, Reynolds, farmer; Willard
Schwalbe, Hillsboro, garageman;
Alfred Larson Calvin, farmer;
Dewey Grieve, Buffalo, farmer;
Thomas C. Brown, Valley City,
insurance man; George Otis,
Wyndmere, merchant; Russell
Cooper, Fordville, farmer; Gust
Edlund, Powers Lake, farmer;
A. M. Cornwall, Fargo, secretary
of Loan and Savings company;
A. M. Bonhus, Valley City, cleo
trician.
Government Admits Defeat
District Attorney Lanier, who
prosecuted the case issued the
following statement from his no.
tel room. -.
''No honest jury under the
courts instructions could convict.
The eject of the courts instruc-
tons was another directed YER
dict.
1.-The governments indictment
and theory as approved in the
eighth circuit appeal case was not
available on this trial, therefore,
vitality important evidence pre-
scented to two juries, one of which
convicted, and one of which dis
agreed, was not allowed to 90 to
the jury"
Lanier referred in his state
ment by implication to the direct
ed verdict of acquital of Erickson
by Judge Wyman, on defense mo-
ton two days ago.
The first trial of LANCER and
his co-defendants resulted in a
conviction, which was reversed
and sent back for retrial by the
circuit court, the second trial end
ed Nov. Is this year in jury dis
agreement. g.,
Judge Wyman informed the
jury that any one of three forms
of verdict might be returned:
1. Guilty as charged.
2. Not guilty, as charged.
B. Any one, or more of the de-
PENDANTS guilty, as charged.
If the defendants had beer
found guilty the maximum pen
atty would be two years impris
onment and $4,000 FINE. A min
imum punishment rested with thu
judge.
l Langer's Plans Unknown
Questioned as to his futur
] plans the ex-governor declined t.
: make any statement. Politica
wiseacres, however, belive tina
;, LANCER will go after Senate
Nye's scalp who is wholly re
:. sponsible for the investigation
: which forced LANCER to prov
;" that the powerful machinery o
the U. S. government canno
: crush an individual when publ
). sentiment resents the unscrouplou
e methods employed by legalize
! stool pigeons.
The producers news. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1918-1937, 1935-12-20
GEORGIA CHAIN GANG
POLICY CONDEMNED
BY THE PRISON ASSN

ATLANTA, Ga-Georgia's chain
gangs stand condemned by. the
American Prison Association
meeting at Atlanta, as utterly
inconsistent with dictates of hum
anity." Appointment of a com,
mittee to visit chain gangs and
jails throughout the country was
authorized.
Governor Eugene Talmadge OF
Georgia, replying to critics, prals-
ed chain gangs as permitting
prisoners to work out of doors IN.
stead of within the "drab.- walls
of a penitentiary. Sweat boxes
and other tortures associated with
the Georgia chain gang system
have become known to a widening
public during recent years.
1t is to the Georgia chain gang
that Angelo Herndon, youthful
Negro leader of a delegation
seeking relief, will go for Is tt
20 years, if steps now being tax
en- to free him do not succeed.
The producers news. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1918-1937, 1935-12-20

grocery order of $40 and some
canned food, but they are told that
this is the last of the relief allot-
ment. that it is impossible to get
anv more funds from Washington.
These men are ineligible for WPA
jobs under the present ruling that
only those who were ON relief pc
fore November 1 will be certified
they have been laid off since Nov
ember l.
Mass meetings have been held
in Wheeler and New Deal by the
League for the Defense of the
American Standard of Living
Meetings scheduled this week alt
one in Park Grove on Tuesday, 0n'
in New Deal on Saturday Inv
League which was organized Oh
December IL has membership o
over 500.
Miles Romney met with com
; mittee of the workers last Saul
, day morning to hear their gile.
: ances. He attended the meetlng !
t New Deal in the afternoon ana tIs
tened to the demands OF IN
+ whole group. He has contacte
Q Frank Walker in Washington an
: expects to be able to break throug;
: the relief before November l III,
s and to provide WPA proJeo'
Continued on page three)
The producers news. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1918-1937, 1935-12-20

Funeral services for the late
Gov. Frank H. Cooney, who died
in the Columbus Hospital at Great
Falls at $3.50 Sunday night from
a heart affliction, were held We'd
nesday morning at St. Helena's
Cathedral in Helena. Burial will
be in Missoula at later date. A
motor hearse carried the BODY from
Great Falls to Helena Monday af-
ternoon.
On Saturday shortly after Gov
ernOr Cooney and DIR. H. J. Nc
Gregor, his personal physician,
and Chairman of the State High
way Commission, had arrived in
Great Falls from Miami, Fla,
where they had attended the an
nual convention of the Associa-
ton of State Highway officials,
the governor was stricken with a
heart attack. The governors
health had been declining for over
a year, and his condition at Mia
mi became sufficiently alarming
W cause CQ6 CdIICSIldClOH Oh Cn6
remainder of his itinerary, which
included a visit to Washington,
and return to Great Falls imme-
diately.
Frank H. Cooney was born at
Norwood, Ontario, Dec. 81, 1872
His father, John w. Cooney was
a native of New York and his
mother, Mary O'Callaghan, a ma.
tive of Ireland.
He moved to Butte in july 1891
and secured employment in re-
tail grocery store and later in g
wholesale department grocery
company In 1894 he and hi.
brother Howard G. COoney estab
lished the firm of Cooney Bros.
and two years later incorporated
the Cooney Brokerage Co., will
branches in Great Falls and Mis-
soula. Business headquarters wer'
maintained in Butte, while he ant
The producers news. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1918-1937, 1935-12-20
MORE BATTLESHIPS FOR
"PEACE"-AND PROFITS

American financial and indus
trial interests greedily cycling the
rich plum that the huge Far East
ern market means for them, have
worthy servant in Franklin d.
Roosevelt the extent of whose
"pacifist" comment is matched
only by the extent of his naval
prOgram-the largest in recent
history,
The present construction pro-
gram extends from 1888 10 1888.
1t involves an outlay of over $780,
100000. There are 81 vessels now
in process of cOnstructiOn-33 in
eight private yards and 81 in
eight navy yards. resent employ
ment in naval construction is
nearly $4,000 workers, 10000 Of
whom work for private employ
ers, the remainder for the gov
eminent.
The producers news. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1918-1937, 1935-12-20
By John West

The new stage in the Roosevelt
relief program began during the
first weeks of the last session. of
Congress, and has now reached
it's elimination. The publicity
agents of the Administration ex-
planned their idea as follows:
At the beginning of 1886 there
were approximately 100000 per-
sons receiving direct relief (the
dole) at least part of which came
from the Federal Treasury. Di-
rect Federal relief was to be elm
mated. 100000 of these 5000
900 could be classified as "unem-
playable" because of illness, old
age, or some similar reason. These
were to be transferred entirely to
the relief rolls of the states and
municipalities, and cut off from
Federal relief. The remaining
100000 were to be given tenn
porary work at a security wage"
BY the Works Progress Admins
tration. This temporary work
was to continue for the most part
until some time during 1886.
By then the majority of the "em-
ployables" would be re-employC0
by reviving private industry. The
rest would be transferred to
"heavy'' and more permanent
public-works projects along the
lines of the PWA.
Program Not Fulfilled
To accomplish this program
S4,88O, 100000 was appropriated
| bv Congress-. $880,000,OOO was tC
be used to continue direct relief
until the WPA program was full
ly running and the unemployablei
sent back to the states and cities
The original announcements prom
ised that the WPA would be a
maximum operation by July l
E and that at that time the full 8,
100000 would be on its payroll.
Naturally, none of this pro
, gram has been fulfilled. The Jul,
date was successfully advanc
ed to December 1. The $880,OOC
900 for direct relief grew into
: billion and half. The WPA wa
to "put 3,5OO,OOO to work.; bu
E actually more than 100000 wer
merely transferred to it fom tn
aleady operating CCC, ana eve
J with these the December figur
is considerably below the full 3
100000. How much below it is nc
yet possible to say, since the pub
y Lefty from Administrator HoI
C kins' office is not noted for az
It curacy.
e Nevertheless, Hopkins has al
i nuounced that the program is &c:
S sentially completed" without,
J. course, offering any explanstio
of what happened to delay con
The producers news. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1918-1937, 1935-12-20
Co-defendants Frank A. Vogel and R. A. Kinzer Who
With Oscar E. Erickson Stood With LANCER
to the Finish, Also Acquitted
LEACUERS IN HIGH CLEE AT RESULT
Federal Investigation Forced by Reactionary Political
Elements Through Their Spokesman Senator
Nye of North Dakota
Special to the Producers News

Bismarck N. D., Dec. 19-The last round of the legal
6ate which started about twenty months ago between the
United States government and Ex-Governor William Ian
ger and some of his political associates ended today favor
Oh LANCER when federal jury decided that LANCER
not guilty of the charge of conspng deraud the United
States government.
1t took nearly II hours before the jury returned verdcs
OF acquta Tor LANCER Frank A. Voge former state high
way commissioner and R. A Knzer at time executive
secretary of the state relief organization both of whom
were tried the charge of conspiracy to defraud
Federal Judge A. Lee Wyman of Sioux Falls S. D. who
presided at the trial issued instructions to the jury at D. m
last evening" 1t was learned from George c. Otis foreman
OF the jury that only three ballots were takenthe first
two ballots resulting in a 1912 for acquittal
The producers news. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1918-1937, 1935-12-20
English Tories
Fool Radicals

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS on re-
suits of the British e.ectionS. The
London Daily Herald, Labor Par
ty organ, sees n definite recOv-
cry" of the labor vote since 1881,
when the national government
was swept into power and declar-
es:
'The future lies, inescapably,
between Tory and labor"
''In 1881, the National gov
ernment's vote was far more
than double that of the OppOsi-
ton. This year the superiority
is only some 16 per cent" The
Herald states, pointing out that
representation in the House of
Commons gives no indication
of how evenly divided the pop
ular vote actually was.
''NOt so good as we had hop
ed. Not so bad as it looked at
first glimpse. That seems to be
a reasonable estimate of the pO-
sitiOn," says the Labor organ.
''TlEe Tory managers had cal
culated well; their choice of mo-
ment twas good; their scare
tactics were effective if I'M
scrupulOus.
''The electorate is not far
from evenly divided. But the
Tories have AN undue number
of seats by narrow majOrities:
there has been a formidable in
cease of the Labor minority ev-
en- in Tory stOnghOlds.
"The old slogan, 'Agitate, or
ganize, educate still holds good
Tie work has to be begun at
once"
The distribution of seats inI tn
new House of Commons will be a
follows: Government, 422; opposi
ton, 1T; others, 2.
At the dissolution of the oil
house, the government had, 81
seats, the opposition 81 and otf
ers 5.
The Labor Party constitutes
152 of tie present opposition
whereas it numbered only OF
; before dissolution. Ramsay Nc
Donald. who abandoned Labor
four years ago, was defeated
One Communist, William Gal
lacher, was elected in a Scottish
constituency.
Tories Win Election BY War Sea
The war scare was used by u
? Conservative and their allies
build sentiment for a huge q
J. forces, army and navy. Lab
PARTY candidates, mary of who
see in League of Nations saI
e tions against Fascist Italy I
hest guarantee of preserving. pea
in Europe, did not entirely succe
in differentiating their own pl
gram and making clear that In
are opposed to new armamerts
> imperial expansion.
n Labor Party Made Mistakes
5 The failure of the Labor Pal
le to seek to counterfeit jingcls
d sentiment aroused by the rece
ID Jubilee ceremonies In honor of !
= monarchy was factor in cont
lie buting to the governmen
is strength, in the eyes OF some
servers.
The producers news. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1918-1937, 1935-12-20
LANCER Wins Last Round
Workers at Fort Peck Starving
WALTER LICCET,
EDITOR, Is SLAIN

Minneapolis-Walter w. Lig-
get, editor and publisher of the
Midwest American was shot down
by an assassin on Dec. 10, as he
and Mrs. Liggett and their 10
year old daughter alighted from
their car at the rear of their
home nj Minneapolis.
The killer concealed himself in
an alley at the rear of the Liggett
home and poured bullets from a
IA calibre revolver into the body
of the newspaperman. Liggett
fell mortallY wounded and died
before medical aid could be ad-
ministered.
The widow of the deceased
man identified one Isadore Blu
menfeld, liquor salesman, as the
killer of her husband.
81 will never, as long as I live,
forget that mans face" said Mrs.
Liggett, referring to Blumenfeld.
81 saw his face as he fired the
Shots"
This was the second attempt to
assassinate Liggett within a few
months. AS late in September
last, he is reported to have es-
capped from a gang of would-be
killers. He is the second editor
of the Midwest American to die
from an assassain's bullets with.
in year. Howard Guilford hav-
ing met similar fate within q
few blocks of the spot where
Liggett met his death.
During his brielf stay in Min
neapolis Liggett had incurred the
enmity of police officers, county
and state officials and the racket
GERS and bootleggers of the under
world. He attacked them all anC
linked them together, stating tina
high officials and underworld
characters were unified in tn,
breaking of all moral codes O.
the city and the state. For thi
he had been framed on a statu
tory charge which was Wig
orously pressed by the Henne
pin county attorney, one of tn
officials attacked by him. Lig
get was acquitted, the Judge il
case remarking "There has beef
perjury committed in this case.
Indignation now sweeps tn
county as demands are beini
made for a Federal investigation
of the murder and the cause
leading to it. Governor Olson o
Minnesota, has ordered an inves
tigation also. The governor cam
under the lash of the dead editor
! though at one time the two wer
fast political friends.
Liggett was we'll known in thi
part of the country because c
his association with the Nonpart
+ san League movement.
The producers news. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1918-1937, 1935-12-20
BULLETIN
FEDERAL LABOR UNION
WIRE DEMANDS TO
FEDERAL AUTHORITIES

FEDERAL AUTHORITIES
The following telegram has
been sent by the federal labor
union at Fort Peck Dam to
Representative Roy E. Ayers,
James d. Graham, President of
the Montana Federation of La
Dor, and the Great Falls Tribune.
Hell busted loose. PreSi-
dent Federal Union per-
manent civil service EN-
plOyee fired. Committee
called on Larkin demand
reinstatement. League
Defense American Stan
dard of Living, Valley
County Trades and La
Dor Council, ID. Graham,
Roy E. Ayers, all labor
boards appealed to. Vic
tim powder man kept
seven months during
slack sasOn, fired when
needed after union cleo
ton.
Wagner, Murray, Wheel
er also wired.
Signed, Harry JUL,
Secretary, Federal Union.
The producers news. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1918-1937, 1935-12-20

elected by the workers and located
in the project towns. The league
insists that Hart come here in per-
son to investigate for himself.
200 men have been laid off at
Fort Peck Dam according to fig
ures given Miles Romney, trouble
shooter for the National Emer-
gency Council, by Marjor Lar
kin, district engineer in charge of
the construction of Fort Peck Dam.
At least 1000 of these men with
their families are still in this vi
cinity and have no means of sup
port or of leaving the community.
They have no place to go. Relief is
being given to them at present.
The producers news. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1918-1937, 1935-12-20
OEPLORES A. r. OF L.
RED PURGE"

,At9kee - (FP) - "Dem-
\ should at least prevail in
&c zoe aniors'' asserts the
a. se's Alliance. national organ
a.. unemployed and part time
a.. It IS deplorable that
amer american Federation of La.
49, launch a drive 70 Dust
,'.lleals at a time when the
movement needs all its for
eonbat the renewed on
- Of big business interest.
!" the working people.
The producers news. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1918-1937, 1935-12-20

AO OoAAOO O1to1tAllOuS
con the third ballot, reached
ABOUT 1920 p. m. last night, we
stood unanimously for acquittal,"
Otis said.
The jury had been instructed
by Judge Wyman that no verdict
would be received after 10 p. m.
Reports the jury had reached a
verdict, however, filtered thru
Bismarck early today.
AS LANCER and his friends cell
ebrated the acpuittal as a "real
Christmas present." two other
defendants who have pleaded
guilty also received similar
gift" in a different manner.
The two were Harold Melon
aid, former solicitor for the Lead
er, and Oscar Chaput, former bus
mess manager of the Leader, who
also indicted on conspiracy
charges, chose to plead guilty
early this year.
No Discrimination
Today, of them, Lanier announc-
ed, "It would be an objectionable
injustice to let Chaput and Nc
Donald suffer when the principals
have been acquitted. l will moi
resist an application to with
draw pleas of guilty by these de-
PENDANTS, and l shall thereafter
move to dismiss the cases as Il
Chaput and Mcdonald"
Laniers announcement followed
a conference between Chaput
Mcdonald and Lanier shortly af
ter the verdict of the jury haC
been returned.
At 9:15 a. M, Judge Wymal
ordered the jury brOt into tn,
courtroom.
LANCER, Vogel, Kinzer and thei-
counsel, Francis Murphy, ]. K
Murray, and J. T.. Murphy had ar
rived earlier to pace thru tn,
corridors.
LANCER moved into the court
rom where he conferred with poll
tical associates, among whom ap
peared ]. M. Anderson, forme
candidate for state superintendent
of public instruction and head o
the second judicial district Farm
ers Holiday association.
U. S. District Attorney P. "
Lanier was not present in tn
courtroom as the jury. returne
its verdict. Harry Lashkowit;
assistant to Lanier, represente
the government.
Not Guilty
Gentlemen, have you arrive
at a verdict?" asked Judge Wy
man.
The jurors nodded. Otis aros
handed the verdict to Frank Ia
colt, deputy United States clerl
eve, the jury find the defenC
ants and each of them not guilty
read Talcott.
@ Broad smiles wreathed the IA
\ es of the defendants. Oscar
= Erickson, chairman of the sta
republican central committee,
rose from a corner in which ]
had been sitting, and rushed 70
- WdrQ 10 COllS SiCuldIS AdllSCA al
e his two associates.
~ Judge Wyman thanked the ju
y ors for their consideration of Il
= case and dismissed them.
u AS the jurors filed from t
- jury box, LANCER, Vogel, KIM
A' and Murphy shook each by t
hand, thanking them for the We
Of dict.
S "How do you feel now, Bill
lg called one of the jurors to Lang,
n Merriment rose in the col
s. room, as newsmen appeared
es photograph the principals and t
tn jury. Judge Wyman had retir
m to his chambers.
lg LANCER is Happy
eff any of you fellows get II
ny trouble, I'll pardon you," Lang
,ul laughingly called to the juro
on They responded with a roar
to laughter.
k Members of the jury we
Grant Cunningham, Devils La
The producers news. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1918-1937, 1935-12-20
Official Release-Special to The Producers News
Glasgow, Mont.
December 20, 1886

december ~, 1885
The Fort Peck League for the Defense of the American
Standard of Living, affiliated with the Workers Alliance of
Americaa national unemployed organization with MEM
berh of 100000 and endorsed by the American Fedora
ton of Labor, has sent kilograms to William Ruffcorn
State Relief Administrator, Ray NJ Hart, State WPA Ad-
mnistrator, and Harry L. Hopkins demanding work
lief for the 1000 destitute families in the Fort Peck vicinity
Hopkins is asked to furnish funds to take of these fam
lies Ruffcorn is asked to employ at least three
veSgaOrs in Valley County-at present there is one and
that in Glasgow 16 miles from the nearest of the pro-
ct towns The League REQUESTS that these investigators be
The producers news. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1918-1937, 1935-12-20
AfHLETES

III EHo
u. Irving Rather. head - .so
Pc .srIS ca! Legion post At y N tne
u City College. ufges a. . new ''eY
an Awake America - 70 at pro
S : communism from Amer ic..,
g s, he suggests clubs .'r :, - !
LON famous Generals which
!. "a a. Law special stress m , sfbl
S FOR athletes are V a,,, an II.
s Americans" ' A Ss"I 1Ss
-. soy, swimmer, polo star star S SOf
40 1S.Of Of the New York Ciy 1T
ne L commission banked sI04
between 1881 and 1894 ri,
y, N this period amounted .,
~ Athlete Smokey y,
oers' Louisville jockey IN
,5e n stuPor threw a Kent ti
. from his car and ran ,'+ owe
y, BODY Sy repeatedly Athl sf
blackburn trainer Of To
y Is being held in Chicsg
Ne murder of EnOch HauseSe'