The people's voice. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1939-1969, 1946-10-18
THE ELEPHANTS WANT In
By CAROLINE BRAMMER

By CAROLINE BRAMMER
Next to the ghost of FDR, the re
publicans fear political action commit
tees. Mr.. Reese, chairman of the Re
publican National Committee, solemn
ly warned Montana republicans of the
real danger to them which lies in poll
teal action committees He went or
to give them the same old baloney
about political action committees
being inspired by the devil, or in
words of two syllables, Marshal Stain
Maybe his audience believed him, al
though for some it must have been a
bit of a bore to go through with the
ritual AS for Mr. Reese, he could
hardly come all the way to Montana
to turn the State Convention into a
sequently we must call this canard, a
polite social lie demanded by the
occasion. Mr.. Reese lacked any plat
form to stand on and clutched at a
strawman. He certainly knows very
well that the reason for political ac-
ton committees is that large segment
of the republican party which suffers
from Coolidgeitis plus the segment
of the democratic party from below
the Mason and Dixon line which has
joined hands with them. Together they
have blocked progressive legislation
which would have prevented the mess
domestic affairs have become since
the end of hostilities, and they have
declared war on democracy in this
country Naturally they didn't say
that they were out to get democracy
in their very pious pretense at plat
form, but that is what it amounts to.
They are out to do the people in the
eye at every turn, once they have
them sufficiently groggy.
Share Same Purpose
Political action committees have
been organized by various groups but |
they share the same purpose and that
is to see that the people keep their
dukes up Their method, political edu-
cation. doubt if any thoughtful per-
son can be convinced easily that poll
teal education is bad thing or that
it is a communistic idea I think that
almost anyone, republican or demo
crat, would rather know whom he is
voting for and all about that candi-
dates record and qualifications and af-
filiations than he would to buy pig
in poke. That is what the political
action committees are against, pigs in
pokes.
So it is easy to see why the repub-
Leans and the reactionary democrats
yell bloody murder at political action
committees. They either haven't any
for the office they !
seek or they have such black record
n office that they want no spotlights I
n their vicinity. They hope that they j
political uneducation of the electorate. =
Political action committees might be :,
described as truant officers. The OPP !,
position also has truant officers such
IS the Union League Club, the Ma
ional Association of Manufacturers,
he Liberty League, the National
Chamber of Commerce and lately
ONE national radio networks, whose
urpose it is to bamboozle the masses m
or the protection of special privilege N
Which they like to call free enter W
rise Coming to closer quarters in CT
1ontana, we have the Companies
he company papers and the company al
ontrolled radio whose purpose it is to p'
ee that no information about real is &C
les reaches the people. N
Truant Officers For Liberals III
The National Citizens Political -
ction Committee, the Political Ac- -
on Committee CLIO, the Independent -.
itizens Committee of Arts, Sciences -
nd Professions, the Friends of Democ- "
ICY, the League of Women Voters Q,
nd other similar organizations are 81
le truant officers for the liberal and %
forces in this country. -
hey direct their efforts toward in Ca
rming the people, despite the power "
press and radio, of the real III
sues at stake in elections. The first
ur of these committees also provide
nds collected from their membership fro