The people's voice. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1939-1969, 1943-11-05
By LEVERNE HAMILTON
DEVELOPMENTS Cd

| LIE EEOf- wi EiN " w
In our discussion of the evolution
ary economic process we seem tt
have 'borne down" rather heavily
upon some subject or subjects which
have had a direct contact with some
'tender spot" in the already raw cpl
dermis of some member or members
of our "jittery capitalist group" In
Montana. Indications Of this pres
sure were not expressed by the usua,
cries of couch" attended by the Gus
tomary profane CALCULATIONS that gen
orally accompany such an incident
But that some body's corn has been
trodden upon" is indicated by that
| fact that within the past few weeks
agents of the FBI have been busily
engaged in investigating the past his
tory, present activities and future in
tentions of your humble scribe. Con-
sequently l digress for few para
graphs to comment on these develop
ments.
Readers will recall that during
World War I, we had perfect orgy
of ''red batting" INDUCED in by vari-
Gus individuals and groups who, hav-
ing some personal grudges to settle
and neither the enthusiasm nor Gin
testinal stamina" to perform the task
themselves, attempted, by accusing
these "thorns in the flesh" Of having
"pro-German sympathies" or fostering
radical IDEAS" to induce an accomo-
dating "Uncle" to take the job off
their hands," In those days we had
Councils of Defense" for the suppress
sion of "Non-Partisan Leaguers"
Loyalty Leagues" for the suppress
sion of ideas, and Hundred Clubs"
for the suppression of everything.
Having had some experience with
these organizations your scribe feels
fairly we'll qualified to recognize any
symptoms of a recurrence of the old
'malady" But times have changed
in the course of our evolutionary prog
ress. The public is not so prone to
become "hysterical" at the presenta-
ton of an "Idea," Loyalty Leagues"
and "Hundred Clubs" are conspicuous
by their absence and the public gen
orally seems to be more interested
n'facts" than in settling some ones
political grudges.
Present day agents of the FBI are
in general pretty 'level headed"
lot, they have to do, and not gen.
orally interested in sticking their
necks out" unnecessarily or burning
their fingers" pulling some ones
chestnuts out of the fire." SO aside
from discovering that your scribe has
never been a member of the Com
moonist Party" that his ancestors
have been u. S. citizens continuously
since 1853, that he is an ardent be-
lever in and supporter Of the First
to the U. S. Constitution,
the result of the investigation seems
to have been a "dud."
Your scribe doesn't know to what
Chamber of Commerce of other Git
terry group" he is indebted for the
setting in melton of the FIJI machin- |
cry, nor does he care sufficiently to |
lake the trouble of finding out.
mention the fact only as an indication |
Of the way "the political wheels go
'ound' and as evidence that some
where in our discussion we have trod- |
len more or less heavily upon some
tender capitalist corns" "a and with |
his we continue our study.
In our study of the part which cleo
rical energy is playing and will con-
inue to play during the war and post
var period we remarked upon the
development by the federal |
government of new sources Of power.
We may now devote brief space to
! few dry statistics" regarding fed