The people's voice. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1939-1969, 1943-01-29

eral past sessions, a bill for the
>legalizing of gambling will
shortly be up for consideration,
placing the state board of
equalization in charge of Ii
censing.
In the senate, a measure providing
for a "closed primary" has been in
troduced by Olmstead This bill would
require voters to register their party
affiliation and they would receive only
the one party ballot at the polls. The
voter, should he change his mind
about voting that particular party bal
lot would have to give notice of such
intent and reregister party affiliation
30 days before the election, according
to information received, a copy of the
measure not being obtainable as yet.
This measure would require rereg-
istration of all voters in the state or
at least the modification of all regis
trations, and would most certainly
have the effect of limiting the voting
in the state and generally placing the
election of candidates in the hands
of strict party adherents. Moreover
| it Is considered by many as an enter
ing wedge for expansion of the pro-
visions of the measure to general cleo
tions as we'll The bill is at present
in the committee on privileges and
elections in the senate and should
command attention from the people of
the state.
On the brighter side of the picture,
Senator Plank has introduced a bill
for the repeal of the Ubiquitous
"Hickey bill' which has tended to
nullify the enforcement of the state
laws against gambling. This bill has
weathered the committee and is now
in the hands of the printer. A bill by
Simmons would bar old age assist
ance from being considered lien on
property. In the house, Bourassa in
troduced a bill for relief of delinquent
installments on state lands which has
passed the house and is now in the
senate, and a bill by Anderson of
5Aflh6 dubiOiiAJ W bAdAt dC-
partments to appoint their own en-
ployees. This bill is in the hands of
the judiciary committee at present.
Repeal Of the state income tax for
two years is provided in a bill intro
duced by Campbell in the senate. The
fact that it does not provide for re-
peal for a longer period is obviously
a compromise. 1t is expected that be-
cause of some forewarning of the COM
ing of this measure it will meet
harder shedding" than the bankers
gravy bill' now in the senate having
been passed by the house, as covered
elsewhere in this issue of The Voice.
Labor and the farmers see a dis
tinct danger In this measure of repeal
of the state income tax, as a posi-
BILE groundwork" for the introduce
ton of sales tax to provide replace
ment for the loss of income, as is in
dictated in the letter printed below
which analyses splendidly the implica-
tions of the repeal from the stand
point of the common people of the
state
The following explanation of the
effect of repeal of the state income
tax law was sent out by the Joint
Legislative Board of the Railroad
Brotherhoods to their membership:
Helena, Mont, January 27, 1943
Dear Sirs and Brothers:
Inasmuch as there was current COM
ment before the legislative session
opened, that an attempt would be
made to repeal the state income tax
law, the governor in his message de-
clared he was against such repeal
The accompanying tax sheet shows
the said law brought into the state
general fund sS1S,265,2O and when de-
Linquents, unpaid accounts, ETC., are
all rounded up, it will mean around
a million dollars. This is almost half
Of the S2,400,000 balance, the governor
said remained in the general fund at
he end of the past fiscal year, ending
June 80, 1912, so it was small wonder
The governor was against repeal, as
state revenue must come from some
where.
If you will study the enclosed tax
sheet the following questions arise:
l. Which group are you in?
2. What group wants to shift this
tax to someone else? Why?
3. Just where will the state get this
revenue if this law is repealed?
Your Joint Board is keenly inter
'sted in the outcome of the repeal
If the state income tax law, and what
S behind it. We anticipate such a
ill to be introduced. While like any
'ther mortals we dislike paying any
more taxes than are necessary, we
ire certainly against certain groups
n the higher state income brackets
hitting the burden on to our group
md those below us, by repeating the
tate income tax law and later in it's
'lace, to make up for loss of revenue,
)ass a sales tax.
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