The people's voice. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1939-1969, 1962-09-21

press conference TUESDAY morning.
He did boost the stock of Jack Toole
in the eyes of many people by his
incorporate attack in words such as
cutter contempt" for anyone who
would make a public issue out of
conditions at the institution. There
are few Montana people who do not
know that Jack Toole has been active
in behalf of the mentally retarded
for a long, long time that he
has done thankless, dedicated work
in behalf of these people and the
mental institutions in the state g.
it has been day after day, year
after year interest with Jack Toole
so to be condemned in such a
disgusting manner by johnny-come-
lately political wonder, it becomes
a question of just where the con-
tempt should be directed.
An interesting by-the-way was
when the Governor said something
about Toole "furthering his own poll
ticap' interests and "perpetuating
himself in office. We haven't been
able to figure out just what office
Toole wants to "perpetuate"; vituper-
ative enthusiasm got the best of the
Governor, | suppose.
What about the politics" of this
thing? These institutions were con-
ceived in politics their problems
can be resolved in no other place ex-
cept the political arena. Unless this
is true the democratic process is
Back in the campaign of 1860, the
Nutter-Babcock TEAM promised, in
return for votes, that they would
economy; they would |
take the fat out of government;
they would do this by a program of
'retrenchment"
Then at the beginning of the
ireary days in January and Febru-
lry 1861 it was revealed that the
fat" was going to come off insti-
budgets. The squeeze was
going to be put on the families of
hose people in our society who have
,een dealt the cruel blow of having
mentally retarded or mentally i'll
MEMBERS of their families. Any hope
f continuing program of capital
Investments to improve the physical
lants was abandoned.
During the session administrators
f institutions were talked to by
and' and they all came out of these /,
roodshed sessions with the same
They could live within .
he restrictions put on them by the
overnor in his budget requests.
Taxpayers were resting comfort
bly, following the election of an ad-
Illustration that was going to 're-
'ench' and save them tax dollars,
bout that time. We had elected this
Fam. They were self proclaimed CO.
rchitects of the "retrenchment"
rogram that would cut the fat out
government and save the taxpay-
s money.
Of course, after election we were a
Id "retrenchment" was "going to a
, painful. But it mattered little 4
Ist where the pain would be in o
icted just as long as we didn't have
ly increased taxes. r
f,
Now the source of the "pain" has II
zen localized. q
The cruel hoax is beginning to un- RI
Id. N
And with the truth and exposure .,
the hoax come accusations of "pol- i
cs" from the architects of the -
uelty
We are going to have to ask our til
Ives if there are worse things to fc
moralize US and make it difficult tr
look in the mirror than paying lie
Ses to support our institutions. tie
Because our mentally i'll and men
ly retarded are safely tucked away -
an institution it alleviates the III
of having to see much re
the suffering and anguish of the III
miles of these people we III
ut have the opportunity to remind
rselves that "there but for the a rii
ice of God go ~ ~
Why did the State take on the re- pc
visibility of setting I'M mental in of