Montana labor news., 1945-02-15
OPEN FOR u M
The Court Packing Bill

lawyers and their clerks for 30 years,
has by acting as brake on all progress.
done much to make the ordinary citizen
dlstrlst the lawyers as a class. But in
proposing House Bill las for a Consti-
tutional Amendment, to put every judge
Of the Supreme Court and District
Courts out of office on December Is,
1916, and fill all the vacancies by ap-
pointment Of Sammy Ford, the Priests
Of the Gold Chalf, posing as a Bar Asso-
citation. have shown more ignorance Of
the safeguards of government by the
people than high school children.
Not content with packing the Primary
Election Laws for election Of judges, this
erudite aggregation of pussy footers for
the Grand Alliance Of insurance rack
eteers, chain banksters mines, power,
gas, railroads, bus lines, telephones,
chain stores. would boldly blast down
the capstone Of the Arch, j. e. "The pow
ers of the government of this state are
divided into three distinct departments:
The Legislative, Executive and Judicial. Z"
Sec /, Article u, Montana Constitu-
ton
The Anaconda, leader of the Bund,
having recently purchased the COVER
nonahip at probably more than $3.50, 600
$4,000 Of our men are at war; proposes
TO cash in on its investment.
The citizens may judge whether this
House bill is an Anaconda measure or
not. A call for a Silver Bow county bar
meeting about this Bill las brought good
attendance on February 3rd After dis
cussion. a resolution against it, and to
notify the Legislature Of the hostility to
it by lawyers of this county, was made.
The only talk for the bill was by an at
torney for that company. On the stand
ing vote, the resolution overwhelmingly
carried. Three stood up for the bill and
against the resolution These three are
attorneys for Anaconda, Montana Power
and for many insurance companies and
railroads No one can appraise the bill
without reading it carefully about a
dozen times. I attempt a sketch 1t
proposes that the Constitution be amend
ed to provide:
ON and after December Is 1945, all
justices OF the Supreme Court, and all
district judges, shall be appointed in
the first place by the Governor of the
State Of Montana, from a list of nomi-
nees selected by the Judicial Commission,
which shall consist of seven members,
each Of whom shall take and subscribe
the Constitutional oath, and shall be
constituted as follows: The president Of
the State Bar Association, (Harry Grip
pen), the senior district judge in point
of service in the state, the immediate
past president of the State Bar Assoeia-
ton, (Bill Jamieson), the dean of The
Law School of the University Of the
State of Montana, which four shall Sc
lect three other members as follows:
one representing labor (open shop or
unionO, one representing agriculture
Ocattle Iancher or head Of the A. c. NJ.
Model Smoke farm under the Big
Stack?). one representing industry
oarna1 business man, or Montana Power,
or A. G. No !, and when a vacancy
occurs in the office Of chief justice,
associate Justice, Or district judge (they
will all De vacant December Is, 1916 if
this becomes law, the Judicial Commits
sion shall certify three nominees for
each office to be filled, to the Governor,
who must appoint one of the three for
the office.
4 70 Il %
Anaconda pay S460O000 for a school
house undermined by the Company, they
do not like him, and have written in a
clever way of eliminating him) As
senior Judge he would be on the COM
nission) The Judicial Commission may
not nominate one of its members for an
appointment by the Governor.
The State Bar Association Cor COM
pany clerk composing this proposed law
should study grammar. Its avowed pur-
pose is to accomplish the selection OF
the most honorable persons to be
judges
The proposed law rambles on:
No Judge Of any court of record in
the state Of Montana, appointed or re-
tanned in office in the manner prescribed
herein, shall directly or indirectly make
any contribution to. or hold any office in
political party, or organization, or take
part in any political campaign
The ignorant clerk, author Of this
text, would thus disfranchise all judges
the important act in every political cam
paign is that of casting the ballot
This Hitler hallucination proceeds:
AT the end of the term for which he
is ELECTED (the clerk must have
meant APPOINTED, the justice Of the
Supreme Court and district judge shall
go before the electors upon his record
WITH NO OPPOSING CANDIDATE, the
electors voting upon the question Shall
Judge (naming HIM be retained in the
office of (naming the proper Judicial
oafdce)"
Some other Jokes in the Dream
The voters may not even write in
another name No one would be quail
fled for appointment by the commission
unless in active practice of law for 1C
years before appointment This would
exclude from reappointment every pres
ent justice or Judge in the state.
The clerk writing this evidently forgot
that Justice Morris and Judge Berg must
under all circumstances, be continued ir
office.
A bait is put on the hook to catch
vote and quiet the judges themselves
1t would raise the pay to $4,000 fol-
Supreme Bench $4,000 for District
Bench. Everybody agrees that the pay
for judges is not nearly enough, buf
the Legislature can raise that for futur,
incumbents without Con nstitutiona n a
amendment.
The nightmare would force retiremen