The producers news. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1918-1937, 1936-06-12
F00LTNG THE PUBLIC
BY LEVERNE HAMILTON
,nrrN THIEVES FALL OUT
BY LEvERNE HAMILTON

masters of Montana's Destiny"
decided that something must be
done about it. ENTER: LEW
PENWELL. "
Penwell had for MANY wears
been a partner of Tom Walsh in
the law and sheep business-an
ideal combination, for political
lawyers have been herding-and
leadlng-the human sheep. to the
financial advantage of the LAWYERS
for years.
In my own knowledge of Pen
well for several years prior to
1892, l had never known of him
being allied with any but The
most reactionary interests of the
state, but 10 and behold! The new
Penwell set up Montana Taxpav-
ers League, began making radical
speeches.. started the Western
Progressive, adopted our reform
program, in toto, set about raising
particular hell in the state and
cussing out the Corporations with
a i'm and vigor that aroused the
admiration of the gullible public.
This activity of Penwell caused
considerable speculation among
those of us who had some knowl-
edge Of his previous connections
and we were in some doubt as to
the proper course to pursue. How
ever / stated to the other members
| of the committee that I was very
skeptical of these eleventh hour
converts to the progressive cause,
but since our facilities for securing
publicity for the program were
necessarily limited, it might be
just as well to sit still, say moth
ing and get as much publicity for
the program through that medium
as was possible to secure while we
were watching Penwell play at be-
ing a radical.
Though not entirely clear at the
time, it became evident later on
that Penwell's motive was as we
had at first suspected, to be a
candidate for Governor on a plat
form sufficiently progressive to
split the progressive vote in the
state, permit Erickson to be elected
Governor by confusing the public
on issues, and his reward for this
accomplishment was the appoint
ment as Collector of Internal
Revenue for Montana. When this
became evident our progressive
group realized that because of the
gullibility of the public there was
little we could hope for except the
adoption of small portion of the
program, or the program itself in
a mutilated form which would
pacify the gullible voters and not
injure the corporations too much.
That is exactly what happened and
this is the first time that it has
been thought advisable to give the
inside story of "the charge of the
Penwell Brigade to the public.
am giving this story to the public
at this time in the hope that some
of the voters at least if given a
knowledge of the facts may avoid
being "sold" by similar proceed
ure in the coming campaign.
HE EENW ELL-OOONEI
! ORGANIZATION
After the election of 1892 the
Western Progressive 81 became a
Penwell-C ooney organ and played
and sung hymns of praise to Coo
ney and the higher powers, y
striking progressive chord only
often enough to keep the gullible
voters pretty thoroughly fooled
This continued UP to the spring
of 1886, although due to Federal
regulations Penwell's ostensible
connection with the Progressive
had been severed for some time
previous.
THE WAR
IOF THE "PROGRESSIVES"
In the winter and early spring
of this year by a double cross of
the Wheeler-Mu rray-Ayers-Ro Rookie
teller political group, together
with another group of politicians
who THOUGHT they were INDIE
PENDENT, the Holt-Morgan-In In