Montana labor news., 1945-03-22


chasable, but the price is so high that
only the Anaconda, and its allies, can
pay the price. The last gubernatorial
election has become the type, and the
CIO now publishes to the nation what
our type is-hush, hush, prevails no
longer. The election expense Of Sam G.
Ford was acknowledged to be $4,000,
contributed o~stensibly by professional
gamblers and corporation lawyers. If
the newspaper publicity were accounted.
for, the sheet would show 100000 adj
ditional.
This is known through CLIO channels,
as well, where sam was raised a south
ern Democrat, as in Montana, where his
politics are unknown beyond his alliance
with the Power crowd to oppose the
MvA.
our corrupt elections now a by-word
elsewhere make our young folks abroad
ashamed to confess ytheir native state.
The usual comment elsewhere on
Wheeler opens and ends with the re-
mark: HE slings mud at Churchill, at
Stain, even at Roosevelt, but he has
no unkind word for Hitler" Informed
citizens elsewhere know why this has
been so, and throw it in the faces Of
young people who go outside,
They know that when the F. B. l.. in
vaded the quarters of Viereck, nov serv-
ing twenty years for espionage, large
mail sacks of Viereck's reasonable prop
uganda were found contained ready for
mailing-in envelopes with the free
mailing frank Of Senator Burton K.
Wheeler.
When state pride prompts u young
folks to defend Wheeler, strangers say;
When the Atlantic was full Of U-boats,
sinking our ships, Wheeler gave the Ger
mans information that N Marines were
on voyage to Iceland. He cares more for
his own publicity than for the lives Of
our young men. Outsiders class him
sometimes a chatterbox, but when a
month ago he spoke three hours against
the Allies demand for unconditional sur
render, public opinion divided-some
thought him a buffoon, Cthis may have
been caused by a press photograph Of
him while talking)-some thought him
crazy, others just thought he was paid
for making a pro-German talk.
He voted recently against the st. Law
renee Waterway development. In one
campaign he advocated that inland
waterway ~eloquently to Montana voters.
He got some data on it from me to
prepare his speech. The St. Lawrence
waterway would generate electric power
and compete with railroads. Wheeler is
quite adroit-if the MVA comes up, and
Wheeler sees it cannot carry, (he will,
with consent Of Montana Power Com
pany) VOTE FOR IT, but if it looks
close he will fight it hard.
That old stunt is a ~favorite political
gesture of Supreme Court judges about
election time. They file long dissenting
opinions which they know in advance
cannot change the result.
But Wheeler is strongly ~entrenched
He helped elect Ford. Turn about is
fair play. If the company was willing
to collect for Ford $4,000, and give him
100000 more in advertising, they will
spend twice that to prevent a pro-ally
man from succeeding to Wheeler's place
in the Senate. And knowledge Of this is
another reason why our young folks once
gone do not willingly return to live in
this state.
All these evils are but symptoms Of a
false economic system here. That sys-
TEN must be changed. To elsewise
change the symptoms is hopeless. The
farmers at Townsend were powerless to
refute the claims Of the Power Company
to the Missouri river, and its branches,
until the Federal Power Commission
helped before the Circuit Court Of APP
peals.
If the federal government installs the
Missouri Valley Authority. changes our
economic system, the little company bar
room in the Placer hotel that directs
our legislature will close up for good
the liaison ministers from the Hennessy
building to other branches of our state
government will find other work.
Even the rustling card office organ
lied 80 years ago to prevent employ
ment Of any miners that might furnish
bad communication wire to our soldiers
at Two Jima may close, and this part
cause Of the present boycott OF miners