The people's voice., 1943-12-10

of these groups (but not the most
insidious it is in the open, not unpro
ductive, not the greatest financial
drain) is the Anaconda Copper Min
ing company. The most insidious
best organized blood sucking, unpro
ductive drones in the state are the
foreign insurance companies. Next
possibly, comes the chain banks with
a satrap in Minneapolis, but the sui
tan is the House of Morgan. The rail
roads come third, unless the inter
locking directorate of Anaconda and
Montana Power would put the latter
in third place.
There would not be much timber in
this state, governor, if Theodore
Roosevelt, a Republican whom you
pretend to admire, had not put the
bulk of our forests in federal control.
Go back a little further, governor,
and laugh at your own clamor about
infringement of states rights. This
state was once a part of Louisiana.
/ Louisiana was slave state.
The one who pays the fiddler calls
the tune. The last legislature was
SO busy being lobbied that it forgot
to appropriate for the pressing needs
of the hospital for the insane. The
corporation lobbies had run the legis-
lative session. There had been glar
ing oversight in corporate manage
ment. Suddenly good fairy God
III xr.+ IL
check dried the tears of the Ford
administration sobbing like Cinderella
sitting in the ashes. The governor
could make a really interesting
speech if, to the Rotary, the Moose,
or the Red Men, he would tell the
name of the fairy Godmother. Who
ever did it has been running the state
ever since, just as surely as banker
runs a ranch if he takes a big
mortgage on it, to avoid bankruptcy.
Two guesses are current as to who
put up that money In 1914, when
the militia was sent in to Butte, the
pay checks of the soldier boys from
the country who were blind as to
their real function here were paid by
the Anaconda company. One guess
is, that company repaired its over
sight in running our last legislature.
If the money came from that source,
directly or indirectly, why they are
calling the tune while the executive
plays the fiddle.
There is another rumor, that for the
privilege of carrying on their popular
vocation uncolested by legal inter
ference, the gambling fraternity
raised and paid over the money neces-
sary to tide the state asylum over.
They certainly seem to have been
calling the tune ever since the rescue
of the present administration from
the childish omission to feed and keep |
warm the 1,500 helpless unfortunates. |
Dear Governor, the federal intrusion |
in Montana has been mostly bene- |
ficial. Our state government for SO
years has been too weak to cope with |
the immense corporate pressure
supreme bench because in the six
years previous, that court, out of 81
cases in which railroads were in
volved, "a had been decided in favor
Of the railroads. You did your duty |
on that bench. The corporations dis
ciplined you like they did Wheeler
when he ran for governor. Have you
both been somewhat disciplined ever
since the punishment was admin
stered?
To the federal government we owe
he liability to train men of inter-
state carriers for negligent injury to
servants. The original railway safety
appliance acts are of congress. There i
S pending before the U. S. supreme
court a case seeking to declare insur- ]
If so declared, it would be !
| blessing. The congress then might :
lave power to regulate them The
Babes in the Woods in the legislative
md executive halls in Helena have no
uch power. For years the foreign in !
urance companies have collected in !,
,remiums from Montana people al :
most eight million dollars the year :
nore than they have paid us back in =
osses. Their total taxes on premiums
n 1912 was $311, 1902. T.
They probably invest in our state
ebentures. In fact, our state debt :,
! kept at unwieldly figures for the :.
enefit of the chain bank sand insur-
nee companies. Our state credit is
Ugh. State securities sell usually at :,
premium
In 1912 Fidelity and Surety Insur- q
nee companies were paid in pre- =
liums by Montana Dopey Dupes !,
i2O, ,469.9O. They paid back in losses
l5,70343, roughly, profit of $500 =,
er cent? On no investment at all 6.
p. =
The governor has been speaking n
tely with pride of the treasury's be- :,
e in such financial condition that n
e can, without federal aid, take care N
any unemployment situation that =,
ay arise on rehabilitation of the =,
med forces. That is not possible
he financing methods of the state
e a cancer.
Governor, it, as you say, there is n'
veral million of idle money at the 81
sposal of the state examining board, Ill
ould a little suggestion from tax ne
yer be in order? About A years vi
% bonds were issued for building Ut
e capitol building The issue was De
00,00000. After paying interest at CT
mr. nor cont fo, Id voare f17e nor in