The Western news. [volume] (Libby, Mont.) 1933-current, 1942-10-15
Rankin Rdps
Record Of
Murray
In
Criticizes Stand Taken
By Montana Senator, and
Faults of Administration.
BLAMES PRESIDENT FOR
SCRAP SALES TO JAPAN

SCRAP SALES TO JAPAN
Wellington D. Rankin opened his
address at the rally Saturday night
in Moose hall in Libby with the
statement that criticism of govern
mental policies was needed more in
war time than at any other time
He proceeded to quote from a num-
Der of Americans to uphold that
statement, two of them being Pres
ident Wilson and Abraham Lin
coin. His address was then a we'll
reasoned but not bitter criticism of
the present administration and of
the record of his opponent, Senator
Murray Mr. Rankin was introduced
by Fl. Mccullough of Eureka, chair
man of the republican county CEN
trail committee.
Mr.. Rankin vigorously attacked
Murray for the statement in his
nominating petition that Murray
would "unflinchingly support all
New Deal policies" Rankin con-
demned such an attitude, the sign
ing away of a. senator's own indie
pendence of judgment and the
pledging to support any policy a
president might dictate even before
the thought had even originated in
the mind of the president. If every
senator thus signed away his in
dependence, we might as we'll do
away with the u. S. senate because
they would have surrendered all
+hnsr - ~
nothing for them to do, Rankin said
Condemns Scrap Shipment to Japan
The speaker read from official
documents to give the history of the
attempt to step the shipping of scrap
to Japan. As early as five years
ago, bills were introduced into con-
gress seeking to stop such ship
ments. None of these got anywhere,
however, until in 1910 a bill was
enacted giving Roosevelt power to
stop shipments of scrap iron to
Japan whenever he wished, said
the speaker. However, the presi-
dent did nothing and scrap iron was
going out of this country to Japan
right up to the time of the Pearl
Harbor attack, said Rankin. This
same iron, which was permitted to
be shipped out of this country by
a complacent administration, is now
killing American boys and sinking
American ships, said the speaker.
Immense Increase in Employees
Rankin read from the democratic
platform of 1882 the familiar state
ment made by Roosevelt at that
time that if elected he would reduce
governmental expenses by IS per
cent. Rankin then quoted official
figures to show that at that time
governmental civil service employ
ees numbered about $4,000 Every
year since the present administra-
ton took over the handling of af-
fairs that number has been increas-
ing, said Rankin, until today it is
close to two million employees and
it is said that within another year
it will be over three million en-
ployees. Those figures do not in
clude the military and naval forces
of the u. S. government nor did it
include boys in the CCC.
Mr.. Rankin enumerated the vari-
GUS ways in which Montana is con-
tributing to the war effort. The
state has sent Is per cent more men
into the Army through induction
than the average state, he said, and
the production of agricultural
products, livestock, metals and
lumber stands well at the front in
states of the Union.
H. All -,
the light of what Montana is ac-
complishing, the state should re-
ceive some small war industries, at
least commensurate with states
which are similarly situated.
That Montana is doing her part
in furnishing food for the war eff
fort is borne out in figures for
this year which were quoted by the
candidate y, The wheat crop is esti-
mated at 100000 bushels, the
state ranks second in the produc-
ton of lambs and fifth in sugar
beets. The largest farrow in the
last 10 years shows the hog produc-
ton to have reached 275,000 and
cattle attained 1,l27,000 head.
Montana ranks third in the pro-
duction OF lead, copper and zinc and
with Arkansas and Tennessee pro-
duces NJ per cent of the manganese.
In 1941, 374,000,000 feet of lumber
were cut in Montana This is the
largest total since 1929, Mr.. Rankin
said. Production of 100000 bar
rels of oil in 1871 went long way
toward keeping tanks and trucks
rolling and made it possible to keep
production going in other lines of
war work
Makes Comparison
With this picture in mind, Mr..
Rankin asked his listeners to view
the ALLEGATION of funds to Various
Western states until July, 1912.
Montana received $39,957, 900; Ne
vada, a smaller state, $l02,000,0 900;
Ari1npa x17S mn 000. Colorado