The Sidney herald., 1959-10-14
Mcdonald


CONTINUED from page II
ernor and his Party would do wei
if they would spend more time il
cleaning their own house .insteac
of galavanting around the country
making speeches criticising the
Legislative delegates for setting
into motion machinery for carry
ing out their civic responsibilitie.
in Government.
1.-THE Republican Administration
when they took office in 1858 Of
fered no program for Montana's
future. Again in 1857, four years
later, the Legislature in session
awaiting anxiously for the Gov
ernor's message, a message we haC
hoped would contain a forward
looking program for Montana was
empty except for some time worn
political platitudes.
"The Governor, in a speech in
Billings Sunday, October 4, made
a statement listing several points
which he claimed were failures of
the Legislature. Such an accusation
is merely an attempt to cover up
the failures of his own Republican
Administration, Let us examine
the record. The Republican Adj
minfstrative budget was the high
est ever received by a Montana
Legislature in History, = a whop-
ping 105 million dollars from the
General Fund
"Why do you suppose we receiv-
ed such an over-inflated budget.
Upon examining the record we find
when the Republicans won con-
troll of the Governors chair there
were some 400 State employees.
During the first six years of the
Republican administration this
number increased to over 5000
Only 129 of these were placed in
Elective Offices.
SIS that a business like admins
tration. The last time a democrat
was in the Governors chair, form
er Gov. Bonnor, the cost for oper-
ating the office for the two year
period was S53,500.00 The cost to
the taxpayers today under the
Republican administration for
operating the Governors office
for the two year period is $4,000.
An increase of nearly 500. Again l
ask, Is that a business like admin
istration.
"By hard work and the burning
of midnight oil. the Democrats
were successful in reducing this
los million dollar Republican
business like administrative bud
get down to approximately IA
million, a saving to Jul Montana
people of 81 million dollars. Now
1 ask who are the spenders and
who r the keepers of the public
purse?
"The Governor attack the Legis-
lature and Democratic Party for
not adequately financing our road
program. Legislation provided by
the Democratic majority of the
House and Senate to adequately
finance Montanas road program
was drafted in view 66 and upon
recommendation of the Governors
own appointed Highway interim
committee known as the "Fact
Finding Committee on Highways,
Streets and Bridges"
"This legislation drafted from
the fact finding committee report
provided for equalizing the tax
burden on commercial users of our
highways. In separate Legislation
was a provision for a / cent in
crease in gasoline tax. The two
measures would have provided
revenue sufficient to allow Mon
tanas road program to proceed
without interruption. We held a
conference with the Governor in
forming him the two measures
must, by necessity, go together in
order to have equality in road
taxation. The Governor was also
the loss of the highway
users tax would defeat passage of
the l cent gasoline tax increase.
Exhibiting no cooperation and
showing a belligerent attitude, the
vetoed the users tax
provision thus scuttling the Leg
program for adequate
Highway financing. We wer I'M
able to muster enough votes to
override the veto, the Republicans
solid except one man to
Uphold the veto. The Governor and
lis followers are solely responsible
or Montanas Highway Fiasco.
"Still another cry and you will
lear it echo long into the coming
campaign. That is the failure of the
legislature to enact a IS mile an
lour speed limit. This my friends
s pure politics. Politics to the
owest degree. Politics to play on
he sympathy of those unfortunate
who may have been subject
d to automobile accidents. The
his appointed Hiway
PATROL Chief, his appointed Hiway
Commission Chairman and the Re-
publican Party know as I do that
egislation was proposed and pass
d thru the House setting a State
vide speed limit. IT was killed in
he Senate by a coalition Of Repub-
lean and Democratic voice votes.
The Republican leader of the Sen
tie made no effort to save the leg