Montana labor news., 1939-08-10

port cutting the relief appropriation
without causing a turmoil among the
members, let me explain to you the
procedure that was followed. The
final day for reports of the special
investigating committee was moved
forward from the 55th to the 58th
day. Then, to divert the attention of
the House from the pressing relief
problems, the House reactionary
leadership inspired by the Governor
and his advisors, cooked up impeach-
ment charges against our progressive
attorney general, Harrison j. Free
bourn. l might inform you here that
there was absolutely no evidence
furnished the House upon which to
base impeachment charges. The sole
testimony against the attorney gen.
eral came from one %ex-convict in the
state of Washington and was taken
by deposition. This person refused
to come to the state of Montana to
present his testimony. Any justice
court in the state would have thrown
out the testimony offered here
basing impeachment charges of the
investigating committee against At
torney General Freebourn.
However, there was a two-fold
purpose in publicly smearing the
attorney general and to divert their
attention from the pressing issue of
the relief appropriation reductions
and have the conference commit
tees report adopted by the House
without opposition.
Second, to turn the fire on the
attorney general in order to place
him in the limelight instead of the
Governor, who rightfulIy should
have been the object Of impeach-
ment charges as a result of the in
vestigating committees report of
the liquor departments operations
showing widespread irregularities.
Consequently, when the conference
committees report was brought to
the House, impeachment proceedings
were in progress and the scheme of
the Governor and his advisors
worked to perfection and there was
little discussion on the relief appro-
priation reductions. I voted against
the conference report and so did
many other progressive members.
However, again, we were unable to
muster enough strength to stop the
work of this powerful machine and
the reduction was made.
From here on you all know the
story. The Governor waited until
after the adjournment of the Legisla-
ture and then instructed his welfare
board to make the reduction In the
benefit payments and the corpora
ton owned papers throughout the
state gave widespread publicity to
the statement that the Legislature
had not appropriated sufficient funds
and that the cuts were necessary as
a result thereof. As conservative
and reactionary as the legislative
body was at this session, I will say
this much, that I do not believe that
the Governor or his aiding corpora
ton lobbyists could have driven
through this reduction in the welfare
funds if the members knew that a
reduction in benefit payments was
to follow after the adjournment of
the session.
We, of the progressive group in
the House and Senate, did every
thing humanity possible to alleviate
the distress in the state. Our pro-
gram, which we considered reason
able, was dumped into the waste
basket. We felt that taxes should
be levied according to ability to pay
and that the huge Wall Street cor
porations, which are rapidly de-
pleting our state Of its natural re-
source, should pay their just share
of taxes on the wealth which they
are extracting here. However, our
ideas did not meet with the approval
of the Governor o. his corporation
hackers who are in complete control
of III state g%vernment. They, the
corporations, are in politics for the
sole purpose of preventing taxation
upon themselves, and when the de-
Gliding issue arose as to whether fair
and equitable taxes should be levied
to take care of our welfare problem
or whether a reduction should be
made in the welfare appropriation,
they most naturally favored the
latter course for they we'll knew that
a levy of fair and equitable taxes
would mean that they would have to
pay their share.
Now, this welfare council has for
warded petitions containing a great
number of signatures to the Cover
nor asking that a special session of
the Legislature be held to correct
the relief situation and so far he has
ignored them. Of course, his excuse
is that the state of Montana cannot
afford the cost of a special session. l
therefore, will offer the following
suggestion for the approval of this
council.
There r here today three mem-
bers of the state Senate and six
members of the House of Repre-
sentatives. We have discussed the
matter and have decided, with your
approval, to circulate a round
robin call for a special session Of