davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The people's voice. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1939-1969, 1939-12-27
Clio UNION
REPORTS GAINS.
ATTACKS AFL

New York.-(FP)-A gain of $685.
in membership was reported for the
months of August, September and
October by the general executive
board of the United Electrical Radio
& Machine Workers (CIO).
The board also noted that dues pay
ments were $3.50 higher than for the
corresponding quarter of 1888. Dur
ing the 3-month period the union
signed So contracts covering 10000
workers, won NLRB elections among
400 workers and lost 2 in plants
employing $50.
Reporting on the unions dispute
with the Init. Bro. of Electrical Work
ers (AFL), the board declared that
unity in the labor movement was i'm
possible as long as the AFL was fom-
mated by "racketeers" formal state
ment mentioned 'the large number
of indictments of ALL officials in
every section of the country on
charges of fraud, extortion and other
criminal acts" but did not cite any
names.
These racketeers want no unity"
the statement said, "for that would
put an end to their profitable business
of extorting huge sums from the
government, the public and from the
membership of the unions they domin-
ate
1.-THE fact is that large-scale chiselers
using AFL unions as their headquart-
ers work hand in hand with large
scale chiselers among the employers.
That is why the collusiye contract, in
which ALL and employer work to-
gether to cheat the public and the
working men and women, is the favor
tie device of such chiselers."
Labor unity, the statement con-
tinued, would become a practical pos
sibility as soon as "the millions Of
honest AFL members, aided by those
AFL officials who are honest" acted
to "clean the crooks out of their own
house"
Charles Yale Harrison, publicity
director of local 3, IBEW, said
that the union did not wish to com
ment on the charges by the UERMW
board. Unofficially it was pointed out
at the local offices that the unions
achievement in establishing a So
hourly scale and the 6-hour day was
he best answer to the attack.
why, If we read those charges
o the membership of the local, the
boys would laugh" one functionary
Iaid
The people's voice. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1939-1969, 1939-12-27
PrivateEmployment
Increase Fails to
Lessen WPA Rolls

WASHINGTON OPP - Increased
employment in private industry is not
materially affecting the number of per-
sons on WPA rolls, F. C. Harrington,
Work Projects Commissioner, declared
here while discussing the employment
situation.
Harrington said about 100000 per-
sons had gotten jobs in private in
dustry in recent months but that this
increase had little affect on WPA and
it was not likely that boom would
reduce the number on WPA rolls sub.
stantially.
AS of December IS, he said, there
were 2,044,710 persons on WPA rolls,
an increase of 47,756 over the previous
week. In addition, 1890 people were
employed on other federal agency
projects.
Harrington declined to discuss APP
preparations for the coming year, say
ing it was too early to tell what the
relief needs would be. He did not in
dictate whether the budget to be pre-
sented to congress during the first
week of January will contain an esti-
mate for WPA for the coming fiscal
year but declared that relief needs
for next year could not be estimated
until April.
The people's voice. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1939-1969, 1939-12-27
Capitol Corridor
Chatter
By JAKE

Tuesday again, so I'm scheduled to
turn in some bright, newsy copy. When
l finally reached sort of semi-con-
scious state this morning after Christ
mas day, there was nothing appealed
to me less than the idea of hiking out
to the seat of government and listen
to lot of idle chatter. Believe me, all
that / could thing about this morning
was the wickedness of mankind in
general, and the folly of one person in
particular who would kid himself into
thinking that he was still young.
| found a couple or three fellows
out at the capital too, who were in
about the same frame of mind, / was
sitting in the office of one of those
guys, holding kind of mutual suf-
fering consolation session with him,
when he was called out and had the
office all to myself for while.
Maybe it was my sixth sense (or is
it seventy that made me glance over
the letter lying on the table, instead
of putting my feet on it and resting as
was certainly inclined to do. 1t hor-
rifles me now to think what | would
have missed If | had kicked sufficient
stern will power to overcome that
natural inclination. And look what you
would have missedl You would have
missed reading the greatest beat,
scoop or exclusive story of the season,
not to mention that l might have had
to suffer some slurring remarks from
that editor of yours.
l know that you're just gaga by
this time to know about this letter,
so without circumlocution (please
note my use of that word even II you
don't know what it means) I'll pro-
coed in my usual direct and pungent
style to tell you.
The letter was written on the letter
head of the Wheeler for President Club
and was signed by Barclay Craighead
and Burke Clements name is on it
as president. The letter had a lot of
nice touches in it,; one for a hundred
dollars from this guy who got it. Qf
he's got a hundred fish the morning
after Christmas, then | haven't got
headache today it was nice compli-
ment to pay him. And it promised him
that if he'd shell out the &C" they'd
send his name in to Wheeler, who as
near as | could gather doesn't know
a thing about this club yet. Then the
fellow could see the books of the club
every so often. | guess this would be
so that he could tell when the treasury
Continued on Page Four)
The people's voice. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1939-1969, 1939-12-27
new FREIGHT
COOP SHOWS
Mar kED GROWTH

Another example of the possibilities
of cooperative enterprises is shown
in the results obtained, in field
new to co-op's, the, transportation
business A few figures will tell the
story well. A trucking coop was
started in the north east corner of this
state last spring. Ten consumer co-op's
pooled $850.00 capital to start this
truck line. After one seasons or rather
one summers work they had netted
100000. They paid out sum equal to
two and one third this amount. They
paid out a sum equal to one half this
amount for taxes. Their rate for
freight from st. Paul to northeast
Montana was only about half that
charged by the railroads So far they
have had but very little to haul back,
making one way pay load the usual
thing. They repaired their equipment,
so it is better now than when they
started.
Let's analyze the above figures.
More than a hundred percent was
made on the investment in less than a
year. At the same time they improve
their equipment while charging only
about one half rail rates and hauling
only one way. Taxes were paid in an
equal amount to half the net income
Wonder if the rail roads pay taxes to
that amount? Their usual complaint is
that trucking lines pay no taxes and
that they pay too much. Then labor
for trucking amounting to two and
third the net income makes one ask
what DrODOrtiOn of the net income of
rail roads is paid out for labor? Not
two and third times their net income
Continued on Page Four)
The people's voice. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1939-1969, 1939-12-27
WAGNER HEALTH
BILL DITcHED BY
Administration

WASHINGTON. - OPP - Abandon.
ment of the Wagner health bill by
the administration and its replacement
with a decidedly more modest meas
ure was indicated by President Roose.
welt here.
The president told his press confer.
ence that he is studying proposal
for the direct federal construction of
small hospitals in areas in need of
such facilities but unable to afford
their construction. Such a program,
which, he intimated, will be submitted
to congress, would cost around $780,
600
The Wagner bill, which the admins
tration backed at the last session, pro-
vided for 10 year health program
involving cost of $80,000,000 the
first year and expanding to $243,000,-
900 in the third year. Hospital, mater
nal and child welfare, clinical, disabil-
ity and general health needs would be
met under the Wagner bill, sponsored
by Senator Wagner Cd. N. ".
Under the proposal being studied
by the president the federal govern
ment would build hospitals, to be 100
bed institutions and to cost around
$150,000, with WPA labor in commune
ties in need of such facilities. The
communities would be responsible for
maintaining and seryicing the hos
pitfalls.
The objection to the Wagner bill,
the president declared, was that it
would require the states and COM
munities to match federal funds ac-
cording to the kind of services in
volyed Under the WPA program the
states put up 45T Of the money while
the federal government provided 55@c
In some cases, the president said,
localities most in need of the health
facilities would be unable to obtain
them because of inadequate resources
while Weather communities that
could afford to provide their own fac
ilities would benefit at the expense of
the poorer localities.
In CLIO quarters it was asserted
that for the same reasons it would do
no good to put up hospitals in poorer
unless the federal govern
ment provided for the servicing OF
hem. Only the Weather states and
committees, them CLIO said, could fur
lish the required guarantee that the
would be maintained.
The plan, the president said, is be-
ng undertaken by the Special Inter-
Committee of Health
and Welfare Activities, headed by
Josephine Roche and will be submit
ed soon to the American Medical AS
ISOLATION The ANA leadership bit
erly fought the Wagner bill.
The people's voice. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1939-1969, 1939-12-27
Farmers to Sell
More Meat Because
OF Increased Wages

WASHINGTON. - (FP)- Stronger
consumer demands for meats in 1910
as compared with 1889 was forecast
here by the bureau Of agriculture eco
|nomics on the basis az increased in
dustrial production and consequent
larger consumer incomes.
Incomes, the bureau said, have risen
sharply since last summer but the
rise has not yet been fully reflected
in the demand for meats or in the
prices of livestock. No larger increase
in the exports of pork and lard as a
result of the war In Europe is expected
in the next few months.
Indications that hog prices will be
higher in the coming months were
given in figures showing that corn
prices rose while hog prices dropped
and that the ratio of corn prices to hog
prices is unfavorable for hog producers
for the first time in more than two
years.
The people's voice. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1939-1969, 1939-12-27
ON THE MARGIN

Anyone but a scribbler wouldn't be
sitting around on Christmas Eve try
ing to put words together to make
sentences adding up to something that
he fondly imagines people will read.
1t might be added, that he wouldn't
be sitting around cropping for words
that fit, either, unless he had to- All
of that kind of fellows, including your
editor, that I've ever known, would
rather be going from house to house
on Christmas Eve or most any other
eve, sampling hot or cold beverages.
None of them are very finicky about
them either. But here | am, and the
about it is that l can justly pat my
own back little while doing it.
| don't suppose you read the first
column | wrote for this great family
journal. 1t was about the great human
itarian engineer Hoover offering to
sacrifice time and his great ability
to help the Finnish people, and how
some vulgarians thought maybe there
were some temporarily, embarrassed
people in this country who should
have some help first These COM
munists mentioned folks in Ohio, par
ticularily, trying to make us well in
formed people think there wasn't
enough flour and apples available to
take care Of them. Just typical propa-
ganda.
Today, it tickles my self esteem to
find that these critics of the great
engineer and the chambers of COM
merce and other great civic organic
a finnQ hankfnU him mia fa1v
confounded You understand, of
course, though you didn't read my
column land probably won't read this
one either, and never know how much
you are missing) that | showed how
right and great-hearted Mr. Hoover
was. But you'll probably read the news
stories in the great newspapers today,
so you'll have to admit it anyhow.
There is one that tells that the great
engineer has sent the
first hundred thousand dollars to
Finland. Then there is story show
ing that the folks in Ohio who were
temporarily embarrassed according to
the Reds" haven't a care in the world
today. The city of Cleveland, for in
stance, where there are $4,000 people
too lazy to work for a living, are
going to get a real Christmas dinner
little as they deserve it,
when all they would have to do to
prove themselves real Americans
would be to get out and hustle them
selves a job and earn money for
and then we could send
this food that Cleveland is going to
pass out, to deserving Firms
And to Show us all how we Ameri-
cans do things for our indigents,
Cleveland even pays wages to diet
tian to tell these buns how to cook
heir Christmas dinner. Therell prob
IDLY be lot of them that want her
o come and cook it for them too. BE
ust like them.
Anyhow, Miss Brances Preston, who
holds this job of city dietary consult
mt has planned the menus for them.
She has suggested "a small meat loaf
,r hamburger cakes and that means
me piece of meat person-not two"
here you see how thoughtful she is.
She has the health of these idle
in mind. Since they won't get
nut and get themselves jobs and some
Continued on Page Four)
The people's voice. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1939-1969, 1939-12-27

e%%%NO -
been penalized by the Federal Bureau
of Roads by one years suspension of
his privilege to work as an engineer or
contractor in Montana.
It will be recalled that during Gov
ernor Hollis tenure of office, he re-
moved some of the executive heads IN
the highway department. Among them
were McKinnon. At that time tin
1880 there were insistent rumors OF
favoritism to certain contractors, slip
shod inspection of materials used by
contractors and other features in the
administration of the highway work,
reflecting little credit on McKnnon
and some of the department heads
under his supervision and control.
Legislative Investigation
Cognizant of the rumors of malad-
ministration in the highway depart
ment, a senate committee was ap-
pointed by the state senate in the 1897
session to investigate the affairs and
administration of the highway depart
ment of the state. This committee,
like the general run of legislative in
vestigating committees, were limited
in the time which they could devote
to the investigation and in the faclll-
ties allotted to them. All that could be
expected of them was to call those
implicated in the rumors, place them
on the stand, question them on the
charges made and if they were denied,
call it day. 1t is obvious that the
qualifications of ten or twelve MIL
lion dollar year business and its
administration cannot be investigated
by an inexperienced group of legisla-
tors, however conscientious they
may be, in the course Of three weeks
of hearings for a short time during
some of the days of the time, and any
definite conclusion reached.
Minor Faults
In it's report, the investigating COM
mittee stated some minor faults it had
discovered and some instances of use
of inferior road materials by contract
ors, though inspectors of the highway
department were supposed to be con-
tinually on the job, and that though
complaints had been made to McKin-
non by residents of the locality where
the work was being done and the con-
tractor made to comply with the speci-
fications after these complaints were
made, nevertheless none of these in
spectors were discharged or penalized
in any other way. And the committee
made no recommendations in its re-
port directly censuring the response
BILE officers and the report represents
as is often the case with summarize
ton of findings by a committee of that
character, fair example of what
The people's voice. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1939-1969, 1939-12-27
MI RIB PROBE
GROUP TO GO
ON ROAD

WASHINGTON - (FP) - Members
of the house committee allegedly in
vestigating the National Labor Re-
lations board will take to the road
shortly after hearings are resumed in
Washington on January 5, 1t was dis
closed here by Rep. Howard Smith
3D. Va.), chairman of the committee.
Detroit will be the first stop, Smith
said, because Detroit is hotbed of
labor troubles. That's where we are
going" Eventually the committee
members will go out to the west
coast, it was said.
Hearings mere will be concluded
within two weeks after the January 5
series starts, it was said, indicating
that the committee staff regards its
case against the board as nearly COM
plete despite the fact that NLRB men,
Der Edwin S. Smith testified only for
few hours concerning specific
instance while NLRB chairman j..
Warren Madden has not been called
at all.
Among those witnesses to be pre-
scented when hearings are resumed,
it appeared, will be those furnished by
the American Federation of Labor.
Edmond M. Toland, counsel for the
committee, conferred here with AFL
Pres. VIM. Green concerning the list
of witnesses submitted to the COM
mittee by the federation, Toland said.
AS the committee recessed the
National Association of Manufacturers
put out a statement declaring that the
labor relations act and it's administra-
ton by the board are "a menace to
the nation" 1t said the act was based
on false assumptions" and described
the work of the Smith committee as
definitely encouraging"
Smith recently made nationwide
radio broadcast urging amendment OF
the act to prohibit coercion from any
source" an old wheeze that the NAM
has been plugging since the day the
labor relations act was first discussed.
1t was revealed that the committee
has already spent about $4,000 of its
$4,000 appropriation. 1t expects the
$4,000 to be sufficient TO
complete its alleged investigation OF
the boards impartiality.
The people's voice. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1939-1969, 1939-12-27

rested and beaten. Nearly 20 were
sentenced to six months in the county
Jail.
Both strikers and police testified
before the LaFollette committee. Wit
nesses told how Ralph Newcomb,
superintendent of the struck ranch,
had pulled a gun on pickets, and how
Deputy Sheriff Phillip Wilcoxen had
beaten union men and driven them
out of the county.
The two men acknowledged their
acts. Newcomb said the officers were
picking up only ringleaders," and he
wanted all pickets out of the way.
Wilcoxen declared he used a black
jack only when the pickets showed
fight (Among those he slugged were
crippled boy and man of CO.,
Sheriff Ullrey of Yuba county, in
spite of his denials, was shown to
have been the chief organizer of his
county's unit of the Associated Farm
ers. His memory was strangely vague,
though he did recall that the A. f.
used his office and his stenographer,
who of course was paid from county
funds
How struck cannery in Stockton
tried to provoke riot between local
Transfers and the strikers so that
the picket line would be smashed
was revealed in message sent over
the cannery's teletype In April 1887.
Arthur Schmidt. receiver for the
Packwell Corp. Of Stockton, wired the
Griffith-Durney Co. of San Francisco
as follows:
1--WE are trying to break the picket
line here by getting teamsters In this
Continued on Page Four)
The people's voice. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1939-1969, 1939-12-27
Not So Happy Days

ATLANTA. - (FP) 2,031 persons
paid $40 apiece to see the premier of
Gone With the Wind.
For the New York opening of the
same film, a clothier advertised that
evening dress in the New York man.
ner" was appropriate.
You might think happy days are
here again, except for another item
in the same newspaper:
Contracts on large metropolitan
paper were Cancelled by national adj
yertisers because the paper had publ
cized the Cleveland relief crisis
Bernard MacFadden wants all cleo
trio lights turned on until midnight
Christmas Eve-a might OF light" as
symbolic American answer to war
torn Europe.
And on January 2, we'd have night
mare of light bills.
The people's voice. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1939-1969, 1939-12-27
ICKES WANTS
COLLECTIVE AC-
ton BY LIBERALS

WASHINGTON (FP)-Collective
action by liberals to assure election OF
a liberal president in 1910 was
preached here by Secretary of Inter
Tor Harold Ickes and seconded by At
torney General Frank Murphy and
New York's Mayor La Guardia.
Ickes suggested conference of lib
erals of the republican and democratic
parties to support liberal president
ial candidate regardless of party. If
neither group put forward liberal
candidate, Ickes went on, liberalism
might be forced to "a sacrifice hit"
Ickes said such conference had
been informally discussed with Sen
ators Norris Qnd., Neb.) and LaFol-
lette prog, Wisc.). The calling of
the gathering, he asserted will depend
upon developments within the next
few months such as the trend in the
primaries, the attitude of the presi-
dent and the activities within the dem
ocratic party.
La Guardia, after a visit with the
president, said he told the president
the people of the country should have
chance to vote on the real issues
If both republicans and democrats
nominate conservative.
Murphy picked up the ball at his
press conference later in the day
saying he was in whole-hearted agree
ment with Ickes on the need for ce-
menting liberal forces. He differed
in that he believed it should be done
within the democratic party and under
the leadership of President Roosevelt.
The sacrifice hit" of third party
did not appeal to him.
81 am profoundly convinced" Ickes
declared, that we shall be facing
economic and social shoals if a liberal
for president is not nomin-
ated and elected. If there is danger
of both parties nominating conser-
vative sacrifice hit might be called
for on the part of liberals.
Continued on Page Four)
The people's voice. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1939-1969, 1939-12-27
President and
Lewis Talk

WASHINGTON-(F Pres.
John L. Lewis conferred with Pres.
Roosevelt here for over 20 minutes on
December 10 but made no comment
following the conference
AT his press conference later in the
day the president told reporters he
had discussed number of things with
Lewis and that he had expressed hope
that the two factions of organized
labor will soon get together
Lewis was hopeful, too, the presi-
dent said.
The people's voice. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1939-1969, 1939-12-27
TRESPASSINC AT THE CAPITAL
By A. I. HARRIS

eve wish you a Merry Christmas
and Happy New Year-providine
Martin Dies doesn't declare them un
American" reads a holiday greetings
card received by many Washing
tonians.
A Hoover Apostle
Thomas Dewey suggests that the
government look after it's unemployed,
needy, and INDECENT aged by raising
the national income and not by Dor,
rowing.
That statement lends itself to only
one Interpretation. Balance the bud
get first and if there is anything left
afterwards we will throw you out a
few charity crumbs"
There is only one way of taking care
of the unemployed, needy, and in
digent aged, and that is by taking care
of them, borrowing or no borrowing.
If it can be done by not borrowing,
naturally, so much the better.
Dewey doesn't even promise the un-
fortunates rain checks if he succeeds
in his quest for the presidency.
Haywood Broun, ace newspaper
reporter and humanitarian = he
dared to write what other re-
porters only dared to think.
Which Way Are
Third Term Winds Blowing?
While President Roosevelt remains
silent as sphinx as to his third term
intentions, it will be noted that
When Secretary of Agriculture Wal
lace a few months ago told San Fran
cisco newspapermen that F. d. r..
must sacrifice himself again on the
alter of continued liberalism for
America, he received a public reprlm-
and at the hands of one of the presl-
Dental secretaries;
But that no such reprimand was
forthcoming recently when Secretary
of Interior Ickes and Ambassador to
the Court of St. James Kennedy min
ced no words in declaring that Roose-
welt must again make the race.
OF special significance is the fact
that this comes at time when the
National Progressive League is being
revived for a draft Roosevelt" cam