Montana labor news., 1939-08-10
RELIEF ALLOWANCES WHOLLY INADEQUATE
TO TAKE CARE OF The MOST ELEMENTARY
needs TO PRESERVE LIFE AND HEALTH

History of the Failure of the
Legislature to Appropriate
Sufficient Money Revealed in
a Talk by Legislator Paul Can
non Before the Council of the
Joint Unions in Helena.
Following is a transcript of a talk
made by Paul Cannon, one of the
legislative representatives of Silver
Bow county, made before the state
meeting of the Montana Welfare
Council at its meeting in Helena,
wherein Mr.. Cannon explains fully
the reason for the alleged shortage
in the welfare fund and shows where
the blame fer this alleged shortage
lies:
Mr.. Chairman, Ladies and Gentle
men of the Montana Public Welfare
Council:
l have listened with considerable
interest this morning to the report
of Phillip O'Donnell, chairman of
the executive committee, and in
particular to that portion of his talk
wherein he states that the Governor
has blamed the Legislature and the
Legislature has blamed the Cover
nor, and no one will shoulder the
responsibility for the unfortunate
condition existing in u entire
public welfare regime. So, Mr..
Chairman, it is my desire here today
to give you a complete resume of
the actual facts which surrounded
the original appropriation for the
welfare department and the subse-
quent events which resulted in its
reduction.
During the early part of the ses-
sion, the administrator of the well
fare department appeared before the
House appropriations committee and
made the following recommendations
for the necessary funds to operate
his department. First, he asked for
$751; 900 to carry the department
through until March 81. Then, for
the period beginning March 2 and
ending June 80, the amount Of S847,-
500 was recommended, and, further,
for the biennium beginning July l,
1899, the sum of $2,350,000 was asked.
The appropriations committee wrote
these amounts as requested in House
bills Nos. $50, 419 and 427 and re-
ported same to the floor. The House
passed the bills exactly as written,
without any changes OF modifica-
tons in the amounts requested.
Now, it is very interesting that
you follow the subsequent course of
events. The Governor and his adj
visors, consisting mostly of lobbyists
for wealthy corporations operating
in the state, were determined that
no further taxes should be levied
against any of the corporate inter
ests, which could well afford to pay,
inasmuch as they receive the bulk
of revenue from our natural re-
sources. Many revenue bills were
introduced by the progressive fac
ton in the House, among them an
adequate tax on telephones, on cleo
trical energy, on natural gas, on strip
coal mining, and various other reve-
nue. measures which, to say the least,
should be considered as reasonable
and just. One by one these bills
were brought out on the floor of the
House and a coalition of Republicans
and conservative Democrats killed
them. Hence, on the last day for
introduction of bills, there was only
one revenue bill remaining, and that
was the so-called gambling bill.
It had been the strategy of the
conservative leadership in the House
to kill all sources of revenue and
then bring out the gambling bill at
the last minute with the ultimatum
to the members, "You must take ii
or nothing" As the sentiment in my
county favored the enactment OF
such legislation, I voted for this
measure; but there were many mem
bers throughout the state who could
not sincerely represent the senti-
ment in their counties and vote for
this measure, and, as a consequence
thereof, the bill, as you all know,
failed of passage.
From then on CONSERVATION
reigned in the ranks of the Governor
and his henchmen who had staked
everything on the passage of this
one bill. Several caucusses among
the various factions in the House
were held to devise ways and means
to provide alternative revenue
caused by the failure of passage OF
this bill. The Republican members
caucussed on the subject and the
sentiment of this gathering was that
sufficient revenue existed to ade-
quately operate the welfare depart
ment and other state department.
without any further taxation of any
kind, and that they would do nothing
in the matter whatsoever.
The progressive faction in the
House also caucussed on the sub.