Montana labor news., 1937-02-18
HOW They VOTED

Predatory interests control Mon
tana Senate. The Workers Bill,
House Bill No. 10, introduced by Nc
Leod of Cascade, failed to pass the
Senate. The Senate has failed to
pass any progressive measures with
the exception of the Firefighters Bill.
Less than five hours after the Senate
in considering committee reports
recommended the passage of Senate
Bill II which would create a new
Liquor Control Board with an adj
ministrator at $4,000 a year and as
sistant at $4,000 a year and other
help not to exceed $4,000 a year each
and further recommending for pass
age a temperance commission advo-
Gated by Senator Campbell of Mis-
soula County, this commission would
allow $1,000 a year for an admins
traitor and a percentage of the liquor
profits to advocate temperate drink
ing, while on the other hand these
same persons advocate longer hours
Of liquor store operations and cheap
er permits.
Notwithstanding these actions, the
Senate turned thumbs down on
establishing a Labor Department
which would have served all the
workers in Montana, organized and
unorganized.
Thought should be given at this
time to just who are the workers
and what they mean to a community
or the nation. Perhaps it would be
better to start from scratch and see
just who are the people; perhaps it
may be well to give thought to who
mans the great railroads, to who
mines the precious ores, to who con
verts the forests into myriads of
things used by man, to who drives
the reactionary legislators to the
State House or to those that serve
their every wants while failing to
serve the builders of the nation.
While endeavoring to shoulder the
great burden Of legislating, these
same people seem to forget just who
they are supposed to represent. From
their vote and the joy shown by such
persons as Al Wilkinson, Billy Ray,
ex-senator McGilvra, Frank Bird,
Tom Miller and their ilk when the
vote is announced on measures, you
would feel that some fifteen or TWEEN
ty persons cast the votes that elected
these people to office.
That the corporations defeated the
Department of Labor Bill is unques-
toned; contrary to their statement
that they would take no part. Three
votes were taken on this measure,
on a standing vote the bill lost by a
vote of 19 for the bill and 30 against;
on a roll call vote to %segregate the
bill from the committee report, the
bill received its second blow by a
vote of 27-23. You will note that on
a roll call there was a change of
heart in the final and last vote, the
vote was for the bill 26, against %.
You will therefore see that every
Senator voted on the last ballot
taken.
During the time these votes were
being taken the stooges for the COM
panies were busy in the corridors
getting henchmen on the ground. The
workers, the backbone Of the nation,
have been moderate in their requests
for beneficial legislation, with mil
lions unemployed this nation has
been kept on an even keel through
the orderly workings of the Ameri-
can labor movement.
Reminiscing over the last cam
paign the people of Montana are to
be congratulated on their good judg-
ment in picking James Murray for
the U. S. Senate instead of the Sen
ator clown Tom Larson of Teton
County, who openly fought House