The producers news. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1918-1937, 1936-04-17

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fooling the public, one who de-
sires to retain seat in the Ma
tional House of Representatives
must necessarily be an adept, for
he must go before the voters every
two wears with his political "fan
dance" to convince the voters that
he has fought vigorously and con-
sistentlv in their interests, but he
must at the same time so dexter
ouslv manipulate his "fans" that
he is able to successfully cover up
from public view those acts which
would expose his subservience to
corporate interests. Consequent
" he must display mental agility
on the political platform and in
his official activities that is the
equal of the physical agility Of
Sally Rand. He dare not lose a
single fan. For that reason few
members of the lower house Of
Congress attempt to succeed them
selves but seek after one term the
elevation to the Senate or aspire
to be governor Of their states
which positions only require that
they appear before the public for
votes at four or six year inter-
walls. If we look back over pO-
litical history of years with which
we are all familiar we discover the
truth of that statement.
Probably the most successful
prestidigitator that Montana has
had in Congress for a number Of
Years was Scott Leavitt who to
give him credit did attempt sue
cessfully to return to the lower
house and was able to sell the
public so completely that it re-
quired a Democratic landslide to
bring about his defeat. However,
since this series does not attempt
to deal with has-beens we shall
devote no time to such ancient his
tory but deal with facts which are
of sufficiently recent date as to
be important in their bearing on
the future.
The Democratic landslide of 1884
carried Roy Ayres into the
lower house of Congress from the
eastern district of Montana, some
thing which might not have hap
pened had the voters in the west
ern portion of the state been con-
suited, for the people of the ag-
ricultural or eastern district were
not as familiar with his labor rec
ord as those of the western por-
ton. One of his actions which
especially did not endear him to
the people of the western indus
trial district was his decision rem
dered when sitting as a Judge in
the celebrated custer suit brought
by the A.C.M. interests against
the Socialist Mayor of Butte, Lewis
j. Duncan. Duncan, it will be re-
called was Mayor of Butte at the
time of the great strike and the
custer suit was brought because Of
the fact that he would not call
In the national guard to be used
as A.C.M. gunner. He thereby
earned the enmity of the Masters
of Montana's Destiny and since
these eminent gentlemen knew
that he could not be ousted if the
case were held in Butte or that
vicinity they had the case tried
before Ayers in Lewistown with
the result referred to. Ayers
seems to have had little hope of
a second Democratic landslide en-
abling him to succeed himself and
knowing that he has not the men
tai agility to repeat the ''fan-
dance" every two years, now hopes
to be elected governor. I am won
dering how his candidacy will he
received by the industrial portion
OF the state, and if the memory of
the voters among the labor groups
is sufficiently retentive To recall
his record during the past twenty
three years.
My acquaintance with Joe
Monaghan or his record does not
go back quite so far since he Is a
much younger man. However 7
tlrst met Joe in the Legislative
session of 1881, when / for q hrief