The producers news., 1936-02-28
THE ALLIES OF NTRENCHED CREm
lUNlLO VI ULO By HIN Maui,

O11lC6 CuS ETSS1Q6uCB jackson
Day radio opening of the cam
paign, the spokesmen of Dupont's
Liberty League and other Tory
factions, have found cherished de-
nunciation of Mr.. Roosevelt in the
cry that ''he has arrayed class
against class" by his Jeremiad
aginst lobbyists, corporation law
years and forces of intrenched
greed One would think from the
loud cry that he was the first of
our presidents to do this. There
have been several chance arrivals
at the White House. Most of the
chief executives, however, have
struggled for the place. All Of
these latter have gained it by ar
raging class against class. Jeffer-
son arrayed farmers and artisans
against rich merchants and bank
ers. Jackson added to Jefferson's
cohorts the men of the frontier.
James Madison faceted the usual
plan Of successful politicians into
a definition of all government.
Government is fundamentally a
struggle between conflicting So
cial and economic interests"
Now that capacity for produc-
ton is acknowledged by all to be
sufficient to supply an abundance
for everyone if the unemployed
were usefully employed, it fol-
lows as an axiom of Madison's
theOrUm that whatever class con-
trolls the government for few
years will enjoy social security
and economic comfort. 1t can Sc
cure it's share. Class strength and
organization for a fight for con-
troll can arise only from the con-
sciousness Of individuals that
there are definite classes or when
persons definitely establish in
their own minds to which class
they personally, truly belong; per-
manently and with little chance of
escaping from it into a more ia
vored class.
Five years ago, l published a
pamphlet in which l sought to
clarity classes in Montana between
people who live here, intend to
stay and absentee landlords. (This
term, l, of course, borrowed from
Irish histOry.) Probably / was the
first to apply it to our condition in
Montana. If the pamphlet did
no other good, it at least helped
to make some of US class conscious
against dominant outsiders and
their local satraps, lobbyists, jury
tlxers, attorneys, judges, cohorts,
dinner club speakers, college pro-
tessors, newspapers, old line pOl-
lticians, both democratic and re-
publicans,-all generally termed
stool-pigeons Tin quite classic but
curb-stone English.
More and more corporations
have come to be we'll known as
members Of what l styled in the
pamphlet "The Grand Alliance Of
Absentee Landlords" The pam
phelet had a fair fair circulation.
$500 were sold-enough to pay
printing expense. Then the rest of
the issue were distributed free to
all who wished it. It went to
cIergymen-Catholic and Protest
ant, teachers, lawyers, doctors and
especially EVERY member of the
Legislature of 1881 found one On
ms desk when the session opened.
Progressive speakers and writ
ers since have used the facts set
out in the pamphlet without re-
membering the source.
The industrial collapse was re-
cent in 1880 and the depression
young. The pamphlet foretold that
the depression would get worse
until the people of Montana drove
mlnlons Of the absentee landlords
from our judicial, executive and
legislative offices. Very little has
yet been accomplish in seizino,
power by the people, and except
Tor the doles bestowed on ne with
other so-called sovereign states.
oy the central power, the depres-
sion would have become bv now
oaretooted starvation.
The rank and file still nrafor
the uncertainty of beggarv to the
manllness Of the pioneers who
went out boldly to capture a livIi-
mood in the wilderness. This is
from no lack of physical courage
cut from the fact that ther are
Tens OF thousands of men and wo-
men that simply do not 0uietIv
figure out which class thev act1I.
long in. M 'i'ile De-
First, we see the absentee land
lord class. Their power Is exerted