Montana labor news., 1938-11-03

that an attempt would be made to
steal votes by tampering with absent
ballots in several counties in the
First congressional district.
that are on the company payroll is
being circulated among our people
in an endeavor to defeat O'Connell.
And the defeat of O'Connell is de-
sired by the big ship not merely be-
cause he has maintained clean and
unsullied liberalism but because the
defeat of O'Connell in Montana
would be construed in the rest of
the country as a rebuke to President
Roosevelt and the New Deal. All
Of you recall when Congressman
Maury Maverick was defeated by
the forces of reaction in Texas the
pages of the corporate press of
America were flooded with stories
and editorials about how Roosevelt
had been rebuked, the case would
be analogous in the defeat of O'Con-
nell only to a greater extent be-
cause the case of O'Connell is being
watched from every corner of the
nation. His victory or defeat on
November 9th will be notice to the
people of this nation as to whether
the forces of reaction combined with
the personal ambitions Of renegade
progressive politicians have been
able to defeat a tried and true sup
porter of President Roosevelt and
the New Deal.
Every sort of means will be used
to defeat O'Connell. You are being
told that Jerry is a Red, that he is
a Communist, that DR.. Townsend is
against him, that he is not dignified,
and a hundred other things. A diff
ferent potion is prepared to be
served to every different group of
individuals in the state. O'Connell
is not a Communist as the people of
Butte well know but the kept press
hopes to fool the folks outside of
Silver Bow county. O'Connell has
done everything that any represent
alive in Congress could humanity do
to secure enactment of the Town
send plan but that does not stop his
big business opposition from fight
ing him on that score. Instead the
Republican state central committee
and Senator Wheeler saw to it that
DR.. Townsend's expenses were paid
to make a trip to Montana to attack
O'Connell who has always fought for
the Townsend plan and to endorse
his opponent who is not for the
Townsend plan, who never was for
it, and who never will be for it.
Anyone who is interested in the
case can discover the facts by read
ing the Congressional Record at the
Butte public library which proves
conclusively that O'Connell always
championed the Townsend plan in
and out of Congress.
The people of Silver Bow county
know that O'Connell is an able
speaker, that he is a clear and quick
thinker, that he will not compromise
knowingly with wrong. They know
that in any political rough and
tumble he is capable of taking care
Of himself and he is proving this fact
Enthusiastically in the present cam
paign where he is not only opposed
by the Anaconda Company, the
Montana Power Company, the cen
trail machines of Senator Wheeler,
the state house machine of Governor
Ayers, the railroad corporations, the
big banking houses of the state but
also by a Republican opponent for
whom not even his friends can find
anything to say other than that they
believe he is an American citizen
despite considerable evidence to the
contrary-evidence by the way that
the Republican opponent has manu-
featured himself or with the help
of his big business friends.
Boiled down to bottom this fight
is concerned with whether the peo-
pie of this congressional district de-
sire to support President Roosevelt.
They cannot support the President
by electing a Republican who by
inclination and by reason of his big
business supporters could not pos
sibly support Roosevelt. They can
support President Roosevelt by re-
electing Jerry O'Connell who has
the ability, courage, and %tenacity to
continue to give all his energy to the
task Of helping the greatest friend
that labor ever had in the White
House continue to make America a
better place in which to live.
John E. Kennedy, Secretary to
Congressman Jerry j. O'Connell.