The people's voice. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1939-1969, 1940-02-21
NOTES FROM
Miners UNION
IN BUTTE
State Boards Need Working over

|
Here in Montana the situation as re
CARDS the common people is not mate
rally different from the national sit
uation. The Public Welfare act is
perhaps particularly in urgent need OF
| liberalization. The pitiable condition
of the so-called "beneficiaries" of this
act, Victims would be a more fitting
term) is public scandal and would
be disgrace to any European state
Of the fifteenth century. The entire
act needs humanizing and the cold
and clammy bunch of vampires that
constitutes the board of public welfare
must be replaced by human beings
This, of course, can only be done by
consigning to political oblivion that
arch devotee of Bacchus who is re-
sponsible for the appointment of the
board This is "a consumation de-
voutly to be wished" and one of the
detectives of Labor's Non-Partisan
League.
The Workmen's Compensation act is
also in need of Improvement In
stances are numerous where workers
have been injured during the course
of employment through no fault of
their own and after receiving COM
pensation under the act have been
denied unemployment by their employ
ers. This is a manifestly unjust con-
dition and must be remedied.
A survey of economic conditions
throughout the state shows that the
small farmer is as much the victim
of exploitation as is the industrial
worker. Indeed, in many cases his
condition is less favorable than the
worker in the mine, mill or factory.
There is considerable evidence to
show that Montana, the Treasure
State" is rapidly becoming a state of
tenant farmers. Many Of the small
farmers along with the industrial
workers are fast becoming convinced
that their problems are similar and
that only by concerted action of the
two groups can any betterment be OBJ
tanned
The exploiters, naturally, are always
cunningly at work trying to convince
the workers and farmers that each
is the natural enemy of the other and
must fight each other in order to get
something from the legislative hop
per. This under the age-old and
sometimes very successful policy of
Divide and Rule. Labors Non-Par-
tisan League Is cognisant of the needs
of the small farmers and the mem
bers of the league realize that it is
only by the unified action of the two
groups that legislation of mutual bene-
fit to both can be enacted The
league therefore, welcomes and So
licits the cooperation of the Farmers
Union and all other progressive groups
trying to improve the lot
Of the common people.
What Has Labor's Non-Partsan
League Done in the Past?
In the 1889 elections the league, in
cooperation with the Montana Pro
gressive Council, succeeded in electing
some thirty odd progressive candi-
dates to the state legislature and was
also instrumental in securing the cleo
ton to the supreme court of the state
Of Montana of a liberal justice, Asso-
ciate Justice Left Erickson. Labor's |
League did particularly
well in Silver Bow county, electing
eight out of eleven candidates to the |
house and senate. True, the whole |
30 of them did not accomplish a great |
deal in putting over the program of |
the league and of the Montana Pro- |
gressive Council but this was because |
they were vastly outnumbered by the |
black shirts. This emphasizes the |
necessity of putting on a vigorous
in every county in the state |
to the end that the progressive legis-
alton sponsored by Labor's Non-Par-
-isan League and the Montana Pro-
Council be enacted
ROBERT G.. BROWN.