Montana labor news., 1945-06-14
MAURY GIVES RADIO
ADDRESS ON OPEN
FORUM PROGRAM

Continued From rage OlleJ
itv in western Montana over our feed |
inc streams of the Columbia.
Every governor OF the state served by |
the tennessee Valley Authority speaks |
with the highest praise of the prosperity
that the federal-owned corporation has
brouaht in his respective state. They
loudly proclaim that such arguments as
are made by our Governor against the
Missouri Valley and Columbia valley
Authorities are not borne out by the
facts concerning the greatest experiment
for helping the common man and the
small businessman ever made by our
government. or in fact by any national
government.
These excessive freight rates, uncon-
trolled prices of insurance, excessive
rates for electricity, are the three great
drains on our state economy; it is all
artificial-not natural 1t is kept so by
enormous sums Of money spent in cleo
-on. The allies, the corporations and
gamblers, promoters Of vice, who spend
this money to elect their choice for
governor pay the fiddler, and. call the
tune
our last election disgraced Montana In
the eyes Of the nation The Ford-tor-
Governor committees filed their repor,
showing $4,000 expended for Ford
election; that was only part Of the
actual expense. Ii the advertising space
in newspapers and on bill boards. th,
/ radio talks. the travelling of $l0-a-daJ
!, men and women heelers, saloon swamp
= ers professional gamblers around th'
state. working for our Governors return
to office were all counted, the cost O.
his election was probably above $3.50
/ 900.
This is a disgrace national disgrace
Montana is known elsewhere as a "rotJel
I borough" It is thrown up to our youn
people when they travel beyond ou
ll state limits, and they have no answel
II and they realize the truth, and, ono
Il outside stay out of a state controlled b
IL railroads, insurance companies utillJ
III companies, mining companies, and
Il pernicious press, whose annual deficit
= are met by absentee landlords an
whose purpose for existence is to sprea
false propaganda to sustain our artifici'
economy.
There are some slight changes tha
might actually be made by our helple'
people before the Missouri and Columb
Valley Authorities disarm, by compel
ton, some who supply the money to col
rupt Montana.
The expense of running our state go
ernment is too high When we had
automobiles, and poor roads we need'
county seats in communities distal
from our larger cities. The people
the state would now be just as w
served by the abolition OF eight counti'
The legislature has power to create, al
can abolish, counties.
We should study some improvement
that have been recently made in sta
governments elsewhere; these not on
cut down expenses, but also seem to il
prove the government. For instan
. our legislature consists Of fifty-six sen
tors and ninety members Of the Hou
California has more counties than
have. and seven million peOple-abC
is times our population There are
members of the Senate in California;
of the House. We could get more ei
cient legislative work done, and ms
personal responsibility, if we had
senators and 30 members Of the Hou
A reduction Of our legislature to
number would actually be a saving
the expense account Of the enterta
ment committees provided every
years by the corporations for our les
lative assembly.
Our Constitution is out of date; it
ratified in 1886 years 40. In tn
days the people of the West were be
harangued by orators of the Popu
party. The purposes of our Const
tional convention we're to curb the
of peoples rights nowadays most