The people's voice. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1939-1969, 1940-07-10


] president; suffering four saloons t
7 operate in decency under the law ma
make a governor. Is this the price W
, must pay for living under a democ
: racy? Is this 'the American way?" |
this is "Americanism," give me Stain
Hitler or any other wild eyed maniac
! in preference, but I refuse to believ,
that rule by graft is permanent fix
ture in this country. l think condi
lions are so low as to be intolerablt
and that the people are waking up II
the necessity for direct action" a
the polls. These conditions will. BIZ
righted just as soon as the common
citizenry find out just where to place
their fingers on the underlying causes
for these rotten spots in our body
lpolitic observations
A few instances of present day ap
how and why it is almost impossible
to secure law enforcement First,
where law-breaking enables the culprit
to amass huge amounts of ill-gotten
gains and much political power, it
necessarily follows that other, equally
culpable persons will seek avidly to
become enforcement officers in order
to share in the spoils by mulcting the
crooks Before Governor Dixon's time.
the Governor was the sole executive
head and the responsibility for law en-
forcement was the governors During
,ic fr,ao 1ox
poor, Governor Dixon sought to bet
ter it by creating an executive board,
consisting of the Governor, the At
torney General and the Secretary of
State. The result was less rather than
more enforcement. They passed the
buck from one to another
Then comes Ayers on the scene. He
wished to be the executive in fact
as well as in responsibility; the way
it was before Dixon. He asked the
legislature to give him the sole power
to fire, preemptorily any appointive
officers (the Hitler Bill). The legis-
1ators thought and had a right to
think he intended to do just that,
so we gave him the power and with
it the responsibility; since he seemed
anxious to assume it. I confess, l
voted with the majority for the bill
Result: Still less enforcement, almost
none at all. Instead of the Governor
assuming the responsibility with the
power he has grasped the power and
shirked the responsibility and instead
created machine with which he
hopes to control the state in conjunc-
ton with the lawless saloon elements
and the equally lawless corporation
exploiters.
The "big boiler" now is-since the
lnholy combination think they have |
The state sewed up-that the law can
not be enforced, therefore we should |
submit to be ruled by elements which |
no one of us would wipe our feet on
in private life. Now you know and |
know that under the law all the Gov
srnor would have to do is to simply |
revoke the licenses of all joints break
ng the law and they would be prompt
y closed up. There is troupe of in
,pectors travelling up and down the
state drawing salaries but apparently |
having no power or object in view.
called the attention of one of them
o battery of slot machines in
saloon and was promptly informed
hat law enforcement inspection was
10 part of his duties according to his
l have never learned
ince then what his duties were and
re, according to his instructions.
I have yet to contact a 75c lawyer
r politician from Butte, Helena or
he Falls, who did not gloat over the
act that law-enforcement was impos-
ible in these towns. These camp
scavangers are proud and /,
oastful of the fact that these towns
re kept the emunctory cesspools of
he state. ,
To conclude: / for one refuse to /
elieve that the people of Montana
re content to yield always, to be
lled by crooked politicians who fat
IN off the offal of the criminal ele-
tents. l don't believe that the people
re so hopelessly stupid as to believe
lat honesty and decency are not OBJ
ainable in Montana government, at
,ast to some degree, when they are
to realize what it is costing
lem in money and the loss of their
elf respect.
A. J. PLUMER.
va, nannot contrnI what Won do not | :