Montana labor news., 1937-08-26

States will become history. That ses-
sion of the 18th Congress will ad-
journ in one of the most critical
periods of the United States and
will adjourn at time when it should
not do So This Congress came into
being with the mandate of the Amer
il neople as registered on Novem-
: I'd of last year ringing in their
s this Congress came into being
the fighting message of the
2 ident of the United States de-
= ed in his Madison Square Gar
2 speech on the Saturday evening
: ceding election to inspire it-this
agress came into being with a
arer mandate than any other as
mbly in our history-yet no Con-
ess had so much to do and accom-
ished less-yet no Congress in my
memory has ever disappointed the
people Of this country more than
this onel
Yes, the forces of reaction-the
forces of entrenehed wealth, of or
ganized greed, of special privilege
have won an immense but what we
feel, is a temporary victory in the
session of the Congress which is
about to close.
A program in behalf of the labor
ing people Of this country-the Wage
and Hour Bill with its provision of
minimum wages and maximum
hours-with its provisions to abolish
child labor and sweatshop conditions
has been scuttled in the Rules Com
mittee of the House of Representa-
tives by the Tory Democrats of the
South and the reactionary Republi-
cans.
A farm program has not been de-
vised. A farm program has not even
been presented, and American agri-
culture faces one of its greatest
crises without any legislative help
from the Congress of the United
States.
The unemployed people Of this
country-those people working on
the WPA, those unfortunates who
are on relief-have been sold down
the river. The curtailment of the
WPA program is tragedy and a
crime because it has thrown 100000
workers out into the street-maybe
to starve-maybe to die, with no
hope of employment-with all of
them wondering where they are 60
ing to go-wondering where they are
going to eat, wondering where, my
friends, they are even going to sleep!
The American Negro was prom
ised-the American Negro expected
that he was to be protected from
lawless gangs, that he was to be pro-
tected against lynching by mobs TAX
ing the law into their own hands.
Today, although the House Of Rep
resentatives passed an anti-lynching
bill, and a splendid one, the Senate
Of the United States has refused to
consider that bill in this session.
Thus the American Negro finds him
self still in the shadow of the whip,
the rope, and the torch!
Nothing has been done about tax
alton except to plug a few loop
holes, and organized wealth still
evades its just share of the tax bur-
den in this country.
Congress enacted a so-called neu-
trality policy which is actually a
policy of un-neutrality. It is dis
grace to the american people. AS
matter of fact, as it has been ap-
piled in Spain-has put us on the
side of the War Dogs of Europe,
Hitler and Mussolini, against the
friendly and democratically elected
government of Spain, and will prob
ably force us to take a position ad-
vantageous to aggressive Japanese
imperialism.
The aged people of this country
who were promised some real Sc
curity-who were promised not the
mere pittance of $50 month or less
upon which they now gradually
starve, have been denied security.
They still have just as much as ever,
the inability to meet their doctor
bills, the inability to meet high rent,
their inability to pay prices for food
and clothing which are increasing
alarminglyl
Last and most important of all,
the Presidents proposal and pro-
gram to reform the Supreme Court
and the Judiciary Of the United
States has been scuttled and defeat
ed by the Tory Democrats and Re-
publicans and by fake Liberty
League Liberals in the Senate of the
United States.
Too long has the Supreme Court
of the United States been the sancti-
monious citadel of reaction in this
country-too long has the Supreme
Court been the protector of the over
lords of industry in this nation-too
long has the Supreme Court been
the protector of the wealthy, the en-
trenched greed, and the special privi-
lege seekers Of this nationl The fight
for Court reform must go onl Yes,
my friends, while the President of
the United States has been betrayed
bv the Tories within hic ouyr, ro,,Iye