The people's voice. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1939-1969, 1954-09-10
The Republican State Platform
a STUDY IN CONTRADICTIONS


Although there good panks the 1854 state plat
form of the Republican party these almost lost sight OF as
considers the contradictions between Repub
words and deeds or text of platform page 81
plank agriculture good points, though
commencing the Eisenhower Administration its farm pro
the party SHES from mention of the flexible
price support rammed through the Congress by the Repub
administration The facets of the
tona agricultural which the state COP points with
pride all carry overs from twenty of Democratic
agricultural policies.
The plank on Indian affairs is but in direct
contradiction Republican actions the Congress
sponsored DEwar and others to expedite the
pundering of the remaining wealth of our Indians
Another plank which, in wording we'll stated pertains
to Affairs Here again, need only look at the
record of the national administration sashng
fits the obvious contradiction between words
and deeds.
For yet major contradiction has only to read
the final paragraph Natural Resources and compare that
statement principles with the efforts made by the COPS
standard bearer Cong DEwar to passage
of legislation turning for all practical purposes the pup
lie lands to major stock-grOWing interests.
And another statement which does jbe with past Re
nuban actions concerns the platform assertion
maintain benefits for the unemployed and the
disabled the front rank of all states In the first place the
Republican legislature crippled the states unemployment
compensation act seriously by putting numerous oadbocks into
the law to restrict eligibility for compensation AS for bene-
the disabled being he front rank of all states This
simply The fact of the matter is that the
Republican majority in the state legislature connvance with
the company lobby has kept wOrkmens compensation bene
fits of the lowest levels of all the states This same
alliance has that the general public rather than the
Gripping industry the bills for occupaonal diseases such
Scos although As the AT other states place this fnan
cial responsibility where it beongs-on industry
The final paragraph of the plank Labor constitutes
slap the face practically all Organized Labor in Montana
when the inference made that Montana labor dictated to-
the regional and national levels AS thousands of
ber of labor Montana will attest the referendum vote by the
ankande determines national labor policy not the other
way around. II
The COP plank taxes, commencing the Eisenhower Ad
nistraton plain enough spoken and indeed must represent
thinking of the pars majority However, is in order to
again Just what benefits will Mr. Ordinary Taxpayer
from the Republicans highly praised tax revision bill
which S the law of the land? "
The COPS plank Educaton is we'll stated, and, given
active support by future Republican members of the leg
satre strengthen public education in Montana
Republicans like their Democratic opposites do
credab job of duckng the making of recommendations
highway financing despite the fact that Republican
Governor Aronson has repeatedly labeled highway financing
the o pressing problem facing the 1855 Legislature.