Montana labor news., 1936-04-16
Organ Of the
Railroad Companies
Attacks Sen. Wheeler

[ataASKxC DEiHs W lklCAGf
A publication owned and edited by
the railroad owner class, published a
recent radio address Of Montana's IL
lustrous United States Senator B. K.
Wheeler, in the smallest and most un-
ineligible print. They evidently did
this with the purpose in view of at
tempting 10 impose their SANDER, which
they printed on another page, in large
print, on the man who is not in accord
with their methods, and who stands in
their way in these %endeavors, and has
by his brilliant speeches and splendid
efforts on behalf Of the common peo-
pie as well as the employees OF the
railroads shown them in such glaring
light that they squirm under its rays.
He is exposing them so the public may
understand the deplorable facts Of
their orieination which was in decep-
ton.
Senator Wheeler said in the speech
we here refer to that "The old high
handed free booting days Of railroad
ing are done. They have been the
plaything OF Wall Street" He further
shows hat eqhty-nine railroad com
panies are now in receivership or bank
rupt. They constitute one-fourth OF
fine railroad mileage Of the United
States. This fact means that the
United States government will refi-
nance them and take our money TO do
it with and we will not have anything
to say about it. Thank God, we have
such men as Wheeler to expose this
deceit or no one knows where it would
end.
The r%ailroad companies in order to
carry on the nefarious campaigns have
persistently carried on propaganda Of
villification against the independent
truck operator, the man who is serving
the public without resort to govern
ment loans, frauds or deception. In
This connection, Senator Wheeler said,
The trucks and buses are wonderful
things" They have accomplished what
Congress and the Interstate Commerce
Commission and the shipping public
have failed to do"
Again referring to the publication Of
the railroads, which | am discussing
here, it classifies the electorate OF
Montana as the mob, and then, they
claim they should have all the shipping
business OF the state After they at
tack the states voters and a United
States Senator, they then attempt,
through methods OF coercion to compel
the officials OF Montana 10 give them
all OF the transportating jobs for the
state in exclusion Of the citizens, resi-
dents, voters and taxpayers OF Mon
tana.
The TACT must be borne in mind, that
among those most instrumental in
electing Senator Wheeler, the several
times he has been so honored, were
the railroad employees and their
Brotherhoods. Yet this SO called Traf-
fic World, which represents the rail
road companies as a publication and
spills their propaganda on an unsus~
pecting public calls them the mob.
In their official publication they
abuse their employees, oppose pention
laws for them which they have at
tempted TO have passed and supported
by Senator Wheeler, and they call
them the mob which means rabble be-
cause they elected him to the United
States Senate, and on the other hand
they threaten the small business man
with a boycott by this same mob if
he does not submit to their dictation
but uses his American privilege tc
transport by truck or airplane as he
desires.
The facts Of the Interstate Com
merce Commission shows that the
trucking industry employees more than
a million men which is mor than the
railroads employ by more than one
hundred thousand and in addition the
trucking industry pays thirty-seyen
million dollars more in taxes than the
railroads each year which they did not
borrow from the government.
They organized Ship by Rail Club,
which is now extinct, and they them
selves went in to the trucking business.
The employees are not in sympathy
with their Wall Street masters. They
realize that if the railroads got a. the
freight it would not employ n more
OF them.
The above facts are sef-evident and
admitted. W. invite discussion on the
above facts. | am writing this article
on behalf Of the railroad employees
and leave the judgment to the voting
public Of Montana, and I predict they
will again vote for Senator Wheeler.
| advise the small business man that
the sentiment Of the average railroad
man is to throw a physic into the rail
road companies whenever possible.
The writer is aware of this fact, hav
ing been one Of them himself.
B. c. KINMAN.