The people's voice., 1957-01-25

I 4
TO COMPEL ATTENDANCE OF WIT.
NESSES AND THE PRODUCTION
OF DOCUMENTS AND RECORDS
DISOBEDIENCE TO WHICH NAV
RE DECLARED BY THE LEGIST,A.
TIVE ASSEMBLY TO BE A CRIME
PUNISHABLE IN THE COURTS OF
THIS STATE AS THE LEGISLATIVE
ASSEMBLY MAY PRESCRIBE :"
This bill would give the legislature
interim power secondary to none
the state supreme court {. the ex.
ecutive S. would nullify the consti.
tutionally provided separation of DOW.
ers of the three governmental
branches.
Section 3 of the state constitution
which sets up the bill of rights would
be useless to anyone called before this
committee-it would mean Legislative
despotism.
The above bill is Senate Bill Z. It
was introduced by Senator William r.
Mackay (R) Carbon, and signed by
Senators Donovan Worden (R) Mis-
soula. Webster Keller CD Saltwater
David James CD Liberty, Earl Moritz
CR) Fergus, and George Wilson CR)
Toole.
| am against these interim commit.
tees anyhow matter how they are
set-up.
Because a given number Of legisla.
tors come to Helena a number of times
between sessions and listen to what
an executive secrecary-and a few wit
nesses tell them-the rest Of the legis-
lators are no more informed than they
were before the committees met Then
when the legislature convenes what
ever has come out of these interim
committee meetings is privileged ma
terial The rest of the Legislators go
along with the interim committee re-
ports and bils-and no amount of work
IAN get them to change-even an iota-
the interim committee conclusions.
There is nothing democratic about
them and in the final analysis we could
just as well give up this whole busi-
ness of holding biennial sessions, be-
cause the other 100 or so fellows that
come in every other year haven't
learned a blessed thing more than they
knew before. and they take the word
)f, say Y men, against all others.
The oil issue flares again across the
political face of Montana as the 35th
legislature ponders in Helena.
With the introduction of lib 81 by
Tonner ID Flathead, and Helding Cd
Nissoula, to remove the 12Il9o ceiling
IN the amount of oil royalty the state
an ask for school lands, oil spokesmen
lrag out their dilapidated old straw
nan, trailing its stuffing and tell us
hat by putting the state Of Montana in
legislative chains the schools will bene-
it.
The series OF laws they have man
.ged to get through the legislature,
esult in school trust lands being com
letely at the mercy Of the oil com
anies. They say school kids will bene-
it because the oil companies have us
led, hand and foot. Removing all and
ny possibility of the schools getting
nything except what the oil compa-
les want to bid as a cash bonus
which merely allows them the chance
, go on the land and try for OLD is
ood enough for the schools, the oil
say
| don't think anyone in their right
lind can really believe the state OF
Iontana and the school kids have any
ling to gain by the legislature taking
very bit of bargaining power the Land
oard has away from them.
1t simply doesn't make sense.
AT this point it looks as if the oil
'bby may elect not to make a strong
ght in the House-tlfeir strength is
the senate-where, unless the people
q interested enough in Montana
'hools getting a fair share of oil on
'hool lands to put up a fight the key
the chains will remain in the oil
'mpanys' pocket.