The people's voice. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1939-1969, 1942-09-18
WHAT HAPPENED AT THE
DEMO STATE CONVENTION
BY RINGSIDE OBSERVER


BY RINGSIDE OBSERVER
Montana democrats went down the
line for President Roosevelt and Mon
tana agriculture at Billings last week
witnessed for the first time in the
history of hte party since 1920, the
complete eclipse of that once great
political sun Burton K. Wheeler. Sen.
James E. Murray was in the saddle
and the complete eclipse of Wheeler
ON the unity banquet Saturday night
under pretense of an urgent call to
come home.
Home in this particular instance,
was the sumptuous mansion of B. R.
Albin, Wheeler's bosom friend and the
moving force behind the anti-union
low-wage employer group of Billings
where Wheeler and his cronies en-
gagged in a game of penny ante poker
until far into the morning
| Also, for the first time in recent
years, that Wheeler satellite, j. Burke
| Clements, chairman of the State In
dustrial Accident Board, was COM
pletely eliminated from participation
in the party's affairs. 1t is likely
that Clements openly announced sup
port of the Anaconda Companys fav-
orite, W. D. Rankin, the republican
candidate for senator, had been heard
by some of the delegates present.
Although Clements and Wheeler
were given the treatment they de-
served by the democratic delegates,
many still wonder whether Governor
Ford and the State Board of Examin-
ers will approve the fragrant misuse
of state automobiles, state mileage
coupons and state per diem charges
that Clements will turn in for the
state to pay. Clements was the only
state official who used a state-owned
automobile to attend the meeting.
Not only did he use it to attend the
meeting but he also used it as long
range taxi to pick up another non
paying passenger, way UP at Bolton
in Glacier park.
How long, Mr. Governor, will you
permit the misuse of state funds by
this copper company satellite who
holds down his job because of his |
close friendship with the fifth floor
Mr.. Governor, as chairman of the
State Board of Examiners, how will |
you explain your ok to the long dis
lance telephone calls between Gle
ments at Helena and a certain United
State senator down at Washington
and up at Glacier National park,
which most certainly cannot be called
state business. The legislature will
be asked to investigate these illegal
charges and your approval of them
makes you equally guilty of either
gross oversight or worse.
But to return to the convention.
Senator Wheeler surely proved he
cannot take it when he ducked the
speaking engagement. This would
not have caused comment had not the
senator personally requested the priv
lege of speaking at the dinner. Oblig-
ngly the committee made him the
principal speaker of the evening. But
he reception he got from the dele
gates during the preceding day; the
complete eclipse of the Wheeler-Clem-
snts- CT aighead influence in democrat
C party affairs; froze out the senior {
senator who preferred to play poker 1
With few of his yes men rather than I
o attend the meeting and enlighten E
he delegates with his changes of I
leart since Pearl Harbor. The SEN $
tor felt that as long as the com S
'any's newspapers had given him a l.
Jig play-up in the newspapers as the ?
eature speaker, that he couldn't get [
ny more credit out of it by attend n
ng. Besides his record of public Il
peech making in Billings the last L
ear or two has been definitely Il
barred by certain egg incident a
yhen he last told a Billings audience {
hat neither the Japs nor the nazis Il
vere enemies of the free people of II
.merica. Really, one can't blame l
i'm for ducking his engagement But p
ne can blame him for using the COM p
any's newspapers to get his name in u
rint and then taking powder.
Aside from the Wheeler incident, q
le feature of the convention was the e.
ose harmony that exists within the p
inks of the party under its new lead p