Montana labor news., 1939-11-16
OBSERVANCE OF States 5Oth ANNIVERSARY
RECALLS LAB0Ry PART IN BUILDING STATE
Mon0polies Spell Poverty and
Ruin for MOntanans.

This month, on the eighth to be
exact, we observed the fiftieth an
niversary of Montana's statehood.
Carved mainly from the Louisiana
Territory, which was purchased
from France by that champion of
peoples democracy-Thomas Jeffer-
son, and partly from the Oregon
Territory, over which the United
States almost went to war with
Great Britain, Montana is the third
largest state in the Union.
Yet its population hovers around
100000, which is 39th as compared
to the other states; and further, it
is the only state in the Union which
lost in population between the 1920
and 1880 censuses.
How can this be accounted for?
There is no one who will deny that
Montana is rich in natural resources.
Very few states indeed can com
pare to the Treasure State in
metals, oil, natural gas, timber,
power. It's soil has produced bumper
crops. It's livestock is plentiful.
Since the adoption of the Constitu-
ton of the state, the working popu-
lation has produced an average of
5000, 600, 900 in new wealth yearly.
Progress Before Mon0p0lies Came
From 1890 to 1920 the population
increased at the rate of so per cent
every ten years. Then it began to
stand still and even fall back. Why?
The answer can be found in the
fact that the decline in population
comedies with the absorption Of the
major wealth and resources of the
state into the hands of monopolies
like the Anaconda Copper Mining
Co., Standard Oil Co., Montana
Power Co., Great Western Sugar
Refining Co., the railroad corpora
tons and big landowners like Camp
bells.
This absorption was in opposition
to the best interests of the people
of the state and the wishes of the
trainers of the Constitution of the
state of Montana. 1t is not surpris-
ing that the Montana Standard and
Butte Daily Post articles on the 50th
anniversary observance and even its
special July 4th anniversary edition,
with its Sc full-sized pages, includ-
ing nine pages dealing solely with
the political and historical back
ground of the state, nowhere even
refers to the first section of the
Constitutions DECLARATION OF
THE RIGHTS OF THE PEOPLE
OF THE STATE OF MONTANA
which reads:
"All political power is vested in
and derived from the people; all
government of right originates with
the people; is founded upon theiI
will only, and is instituted solely
for the good of the whole"
Constitution Guarantees Civil
Rights
To recall that part of the Consti-
tuition means reminding the work
ers and farmers that the strangle-
hold of the Anaconda Copper-Mon-
tana Power combine on the state i:
in violation of the Constitution.
So too does the press controlled
by the Anaconda Copper Mining
Company carefully avoid mention
of the other rights of the people o.
the state of Montana, particularly
that mo law shall be passed i'm
pairing freedom of speech; every
person shall be free to speak, write
or publish whatever he will on any
subject"
Mention of this would not fit ir
with WallStreet's plans of abolish.
ing civil liberties in preparation fol
involving the country into the i'm
perialistic war to protect and ex-
pand the profits of the monopolist'
and profiteers, and to make the
world safe for capitalist exploita'
ton with indictments against the
Soviet Union.
Further too does the press Of
finance capital avoid printing Sec
ton A of Article XVIII of the Con.
stitution, which reads:
"a period of eight hours shall
constitute a days work on all work.
or undertakings carried on or aidec
by any municipal, county or state
government, and on all contract
let by them, AND IN MILLS AMI
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