Montana labor news., 1939-03-02
With The Legislators
BY Special Correspondent

The closing days OF the session
have been jabbed into a state of
activity and excitement by the ac-
tons of the House Investigating
Committee in its belated report.
Originally sponsored by the left
wing members of the House in an
endeavor to get behind the scenes
with the Governor in the Relief
Commission, the Highway Commits
sion and the Liquor Control Board
and find out just how much sub
stance there was to the oft repeated
rumors of payroll and expense claim
padding, discrimination against GER
tain brands of liquor and pushing of
other brands, the investigating COM
mittee of is members appointed by
Speaker Manning has turned their
fire on Harry Freebourn.
At an early date in the session
when the investigating committee
was requested, an attempt was made
by Spiegel of Butte to have the COM
mittee appointed from the floor
rather than by Speaker Manning.
The attempt failed and the commit
tee was appointed and was then for
gotten until the 58th day when it
made it's belated report.
The report was an unexpected one
in that it requested Harrison j..
Freebourn be impeached for accept
ing graft from one Mr.. Hart, and
Billy McCrone, a former constable
of Butte, as a consideration for per-
mission to place slot machines in
operation throughout the state Of
Montana.
A bitter battle waged over the
committee recommendation of i'm
parchment proceedings.
Those members Of the House who
were in the 1885 session when a
similar attempt was made to i'm
peach Governor Cooney and Secre-
tary of State Sam W. Mitchell knew
the significance of the committee
recommendation. Harrison J. Free
bourn was difficult to handle and
should be either removed or dis
credited through a smear.
Some months back the preliminary
work was laid when Tom Stout of
the Lewistown Democrat and Harry
Kelly of the Kalispell Monitor car
ried on an extensive campaign of
smear in connection with the attempt
of Freebourn and Mitchell to insure
state bridges against loss or damage
from flood, earthquakes, ice gorges,
etc.
The difference between the Gov
ernor and Harry Freebourn and Sam
Mitchell was not as wide as the
papers drew it. Ayers had discussed
the matter as a feasible project up
to the time of completing the con-
tract with an insurance company.
He baked when his choice of CON
pany was not followed.
At the trial when a hearing was
had on the injunction to restrain
Freebourn and Mitchell from pro-
ceeding with the contract it was
brought out and entered in the
records of the trial that this insur-
ance was reasonable because of the
losses of bridges in the year imme-
diately preceding the trial. This in
formation was never carried in the
daily papers of the state.
All this is background for what is
going on under the Capitol dome
at the present time.
According to the members of the
progressive bloc in the House there
has been no evidence offered to
show that Harrison J.. Freebourn, as
Attorney General, is guilty. The
grounds on which impeachment
charges are asked for are that an
affidavit has been submitted by one
Mr. Hart who is now in Seattle,
stating that he at various times gave
Attorney General Freebourn sums of
money for the privilege of operating
slot machines in the state.
This in itself is grounds for grave
suspicion possibly but it is not suffi-
cient for impeachment charges with
out supporting evidence.
In this same regard it should be
mentioned that the investigating
committee mentioned the testimony
of DR.. Dunn, former assistant super
intendent of Warm Springs Asylum,
that at various times from February
1887 to May 1898 he delivered to the
Governors mansion in Helena food
supplies, consisting of canned goods,
sugar, flour and meats upon direct
orders given him by Governor
Ayers.
Yet in this case the investigating
committee reported they did not
have time to investigate the charges
further.
The Senate investigation of the
State Highway Commission was a
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