Montana labor news., 1945-05-31
OPEN FORU M
Stop Laughing, This
Is Serious

A story current in Butte about Hon
Dan M. Kelly, western vice president and
political protagonist of the Anaconda
Copper Mining Company, is causing both
kinds of laughter in Butte; in fact, II
is spreading over the state.
The story runs that Dan last week
called meeting for supper at the Fin
len hotel of 125 Of the business and pro-
fessional men classified in the Compan2's
political files as faithful" After a
harangue against the President dan
once became attorney general as a Dem
ocrat), Dan praised Governor Ford's gal
liant and lonely stand against the Mi
souri, Valley Authority, and closed his
peroration with a promise or threat that
his Company had worked a great secret
plan for the city Of Butte that he could
not divulge. But he added with the
solemnity of the high priest of Egypt
or an Indian medicine man. WE MUST
HAVE A GOVERNOR WHO WILL co.
OPERATE WITH US FULLY, OR WE
CAN NOT CARRY OUT ALL OUR
PLANS"
The insiders with Dan are laughing
WITH him at how he will fool the public
at the coming election with cheap trash
about any plan to benefit Butte. The
Butte voters are laughing AT Dams con-
fession that Ford is Cooperating fully
with the Montana Twins, currently IA
nous by that name throughout the ma
ton since the spoch-making scream in
Harpers Magazine about the Montana
Power and Anaconda Companies
Either my sense Of humor is dull, OF
fifty years life in Butte, and a good
memory, make me too thoughtful. I, in
taking the arrogant statement seriously
seem alone, Of all the cynical population
of Silver Bow county who are laughing
at and with Dan, and repeating in mer-
riment the COmpany's final word to the
voters as announced by the high priest
with all the $40 a day" ringsters in the
county and state tuning in as altar boys
I am puzzling my head as to what
the Twins chief plan actually is, not
only about Butte, but about the entire
state. Memory of the past is always the
only guide to the future. can state
some acts of the Big Twin in the past,
then all can do their own guessing as
to the prime plan or plans of both
Twins for the future-if they can re-
elect Ford to cooperate with them
fully"
When fifty years ago I came to Butte
(for my health, am the only one that
ever came here for that purpose), there
were operating on this richest hill in
the world seven independent strong
competing mining and smelling com
panies, and some small ones. There
were enterprising private citizens OF
means developing properties, The ACM
employed more men than any other-it
conceived the plan Of driving out ano
getting the properties Of every rival
For thirty years. continuously, some il
fought, and some it bought It fought
first, and finally bought J. A. Murray
the uncle Of our junior senator He dice
hard in his battle in the courts
1t fought F. A. Heinze He held hi
own until judges were elected whom h
thought would cooperate with the Ana
conda. He then sold out Anacondl
fought Senator w. A. Clark, a rugget
individualist; the wealthiest man eve
in this state, who certainly loved thi
city who gave it parks and an orphans
home; ran a fairly free newspaper. Whei
he died, his children sold to the ACA
Company the Clark bank newspaper
hardware store, every foot of land il
the state, except the old home wher
old w. A. had thought he was rearing
a strong abiding Montana family.
Before Nascism and Fascism had beei
conceived in the brain of tyrants, tn
Anaconda Company invented "infiltra
ton" They procured the ever plan
legislature TO cooperate fully viii