The people's voice. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1939-1969, 1946-06-28
SNEAKERS AND THE SMEARED

= - NV - Il - 49, -
foul blot ON the states eseutcheor
and Wheeler must bear the blame 70
1t. Left Erickson, who was duly non
mated by the Democrats in the pr
mary, was certainly entitled to tn
support of the members of that party
AS it was, he was backed by the sam
liberals who had made Wheeler's ele
walton TO the senate % years Garlic
possible, so far as ! know withou
exception, and by all the liberals witt
had grown to voting age since then
Yet Wheeler and the political lick
spittles with whom he has surrounded
himself, labeled Erickson's support
ers as reds, communists and fellow
travellers. A frame-up as ugly as the
one the "Ohio gang" tried to put ovel
on Wheeler in the early twenties was
engineered by Wheeler's unscrupulous
political henchmen, without doubt by
his direction, and for the sole pur
pose of putting Erickson in false
light before the people in order to
make sure of his defeat So well
planned was this contemplate frame
up that, coupled with other ugly but
less important smears, it had the eff
| feet intended by its plotters
Wheelers hatred of Franklin D.
Roosevelt has pursued the dead presi.
dent to the grave. So bitter is his ven
ON in that matter that Wheeler cir
culated the venomous lies of John T.
Flynn and John O'Donnell, both pub.
lished in the contemplate Mccormick
Patterson newspapers If the dead,
who can no longer defend themselves
against calumny, are not safe from
| Wheeler's smears, what can you ex-
pect for living political opponents?
Who is Financing BK's Campaign
He is already telling his listeners
that 'If they, wanted rubber stamp
who would vote at the dictation of
Sidney Hillman and the PAC in New
York, they should vote for his oppon-
ent," meaning of course, to leave the
impression that Judge Erickson would
take his orders from that source. On
occasion, as at Westby last Sunday
in statewide radio address, he re.
ferred to the communists, saying:
These New York pinks and the PAC
are not financing my campaign" OF
course they're not financing his cam
paign. However, l cannot help won
dering who the hell is financing it.
Wheeler victim of smear cam
paign? BAH No smears are needed
to damn him in the minds of patriotic
Americans His record for the last
nine or 10 years, if truthfully told, is
enough to do that.
He boasts of his great achievements
and | grant that for the first two
terms he served in the senate he was
one of that body's very useful men,
bers. One of the first and most meri-
torious achievements accomplished by
Wheeler was the discovery of the
little green house on K street and
the breaking up of the "Ohio gang"
He went along nicely with the New
Deal administration and worked effec-
lively for progressive legislation dur
ing Roosevelt's first term. However,
during the last 10 years, no important
legislation has borne his name, nor
has he been a conspicuous advocate
of any progressive, forward5looking
legislation. On the contrary. he did
everything in his power to prevent
preparation of the defense of our coun-
try against dictators who had set out
to conquer the world. He used every
to create ill-feeling be-
tween the nations of the world. AS a
sample of his general attitude l quote
the following from the New Republic
of Feb. II, 1916: Senator Wheeler
ID Mont.) only aggressors today are
our beloved and peace-loving allies.
If the UNO had definition of aggres-
sion today and you were going to stop
aggression, you would be compelled to
go to war with Russia, end of quote.
Communism, aggressive Russia
Poofl Russia is today half ruined, ex-
hausted, impoverished, decimated and
faced with a staggering recovery prob
lem.
Spotted AS Leopard skin"
Russia neither wants war, nor is
she in condition to wage war; fact
as well known to Wheeler as to any
one else. Like Max Eastman, Louis
Budenz and other former advocates
of the Russian revolution, Wheeler
has become an apostate, and like
them. he is now bitter toward his
former friends, the bolshevists Wheel
er, a vociferous advocate of Russian
recognition has reversed his stand in
that matter, just as he has deserted
those who formerly supported him be-
cause of his supposed liberalism With
a record of superlative inconsistency,
spotted as leopard's skin, Wheeler
no longer appeals to the liberal, pro-
gressive element in politics, but de-
ponds for his support upon the same
groups who at one time labeled him
red, bolshevick" and other ugly
names. This one time progressive
giant who was either given the "cold
or if mentioned at all by
the corporation papers, was smeared
as a dangerous radical, is now favor
ably quoted by them every time he
opens his mouth. The question among