The producers news. [volume], June 28, 1935, Image 1

About The producers news. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1918-1937

Image provided by: Montana Historical Society; Helena, MT

                
THE PRODUCERS NEWS
Neighbor to
Y®ur Paper
Get YoaT
5ub*«ribe
Become a foarnitiileu
to the Prochwon Newt
to
The Pape r of the Opposed and Exploited
LENTYWOQP, SHERIDAN COUNTY,
XVIII- No. H*
FRIDAY, JUNE 28, 1935
MONTANA,
VoL
^ —: - _ _ _PUBLISHED WEEKLY
Mass Actio n Sa ves Machinery
Relief Commission
Sabotages fork of
Grievance Committee
Relief Director Refuses to Give Information
Needed by Local Committee; Passes the
Buck, Correspondence Reveals
State
T%e following correspondence between Gonius Laursen,
fanners' and workers' representative on the local grievance
committee and the State Relief Commission clearly proves
that the state administration has no intention to have the
committee operate in the interest and for the benefit of the
people on relief. It is apparently regarding these committees
ik a joke and is trying to use them to keep down all dissat
jfaction among the people that arises from arbitrary and
corrupt practices of the administration.
The Montana Relief Commission
j
refuses to give the most necess
information for thé carrying
«ut of the duties of a grievance
cwiunitee. It ignores requests for
the sending of rules and regula
tions governing the local admini
itration of relief. Other questions
rf importance are cleverly evaded.
And when a man like Laursen in
«sts on having his questios aswer
ed ha is politely told: go and sec
Prendergast, which amounts to the
■me as, You go to hell.
Ike tforrespordence follows.
I Questions Asked
V;
"Reserve, Mont.
"May 8, 1935
"Montana Relief Commission
"Helera. Mont.
"Dear Sirs:
"kpfeired your letter of May 4
with rules guiding the local griev
ance committee,
"1. As I interpret these rules
then any decision that has boeMi
manimoussly decided upon by the
committee, is final afd binding. Is
that correct?
The relief administrator for
Shendan
county, Prendergast,
say? that he can overrule any and
derisions, so arrived at.
When the committee is in
»estiçating a case, I take it that
I* has a right to see any and all
files pértainrg to the case, is that
■correct?
«Ä'Sr.VÄ
! , y necessary for the committee
to Imow the budget or amount al
l<wed different sized families both
nr direct relief and work budget.
anln this ! A,Sî> the
ces the rn °ducted for
H me case may have?
e ^° ple on re,ief the
t to see the files at the relief
Tn LrT rn v fr their own case?
ni-TT k ebmmate friction ad
"T* they
•«iÄääts
wStafa 1 "X a "i n0W t , he . re '
Sin tl, Ce ,S ^ tbem °f that,
T . ey are r<> t allowed to see
u ^tten about them an**
no chance to disprove false
I ood *' M any claim that the files
I ^ncerning their case contain
foments that they can prove as
I &iSe -
1 n a court the defendant has
Z nrflt to Posent his case but
^Persons on relief are denied
I 4ei r * )nT ^ ege ' rpbe depression took
I office and now the relief
I Hi, j their good reputation,
»rri tk - What P^ple 1 on relief say
tntii go T d will cannot be
,s mjnstice is corrected.
an?wr U fk leaSe 1)6 kind enou K h
J* tbese . Questions. I can
it« ^ you cooper
then L ^ ^reivance committee
be c the past friction will
f owty C away Wlt h in Sheridan
won
Will
t*
'^ours truly,
"Gonius laursen
I State pZ - ^ '^ored by th©
C? 08 ' po dis -
^ another or©.
Reserve, Mont.
''May 22, 1935
"Nef
"n . ^° mni issioTi
V e1 ?** Mont.
•?' SiI *. ;
ü* 'ette^r Wîdtlnp ^ QT x reply to
Z,, 1 " rete yon on May 8.
••m*" *i»e me an an
5 in
Ç y ™ anZThe
* rw <ÜüJl° Cal ? ffice is unable
5* out * ork f0r a to
* T* büdget ' is
I 0 ,* in he balance of hi»
7 ** a? ' n or does he
bu<W as bis straight
to? H the
—o, S)
to
folldw
FIGHTS
'<;'v -
;
■ ■
. ■>;
.
■4.
J, ;
K
V
I '
•<
i
•«
Gonius Laursen, member of
the Relief Grievance Com
mittee, has kept up a vigorous
fight in the interest of farm
ers and workers on relief.
STRIKE OF 400,000
MINERS CALLED (IFF
n , T _ - ___ _ _ t ^
ßV p AKF ï F Â DPR
^ Mi Mi il Mr Mi Mm
WASHINGTON, D. C., June 14.
resour-;—John L. Lewis ordered the coal
j strike of 400,000 bituminous coal
: miners, scheduled to begin Sunday
called off today, following a con
fe renc e with President Roosevelt
and the coal operators.
»«H. agreed to extension of the
h ™ 3
two weeks more Io ^re^re rart
reserves H F
,, , , . , . , ,
., an ylocal unions had voted that
" e strike demands should be for
, slx ' dollar da Y sca l e » the six
hour day ' five - da Y week and full
r ^ co ^ nitio n- Bu t Lewis has put all
his efforts into trying to get the
Guffey biU instead of pre
panng the strike -
Wages Lqw at Present
The present agreement, now ex
tended for two more weeks, has
maintained the wage scale of five
dollars for over a year and a half,
I
while in that period the cost of
living of the miners has risen
twenty-five per cent.
Lewis, in calling off the strike,
stated, "The president suggested
that in the public interest he would
request operators and miners to
extend the status quo of the pres
ent Vage agreement until June 30
and save the country the inconven
ience of a suspension in the min
ing industry. The extension was
based on the hope that congress
will enact the Guffey measure.
Mr. Roosevelt is for that meas
ure.
Guffey Bill No Aid to Miners
The Guffey bill, backed by the
coal operators and Roosevelt as
well as by Lewis^ would set up a
bituminous coal labor board which
would have the power to decide on
union representation through elec
tions supervised by the board.
Since the board Would b© appoint
ed by Roosevelt, it would enable
the coal operators to increase their
domination over unions.
Lewis thus backs a bill which
would not giv e the coal miners
anything, and which will aid the
coal owners to increase their pro
fits. Meanwhile LeVis refuses to
prepare the miners for strike for
their demands.
PRICES ON RELIEF
HAY REDUCED
Relief hay prices have
down!
Nice wet hay with only a few
dry spots in it, for sale at the
local relief office at $12 per ton
for alfalfa and $14 for mixed hay.
Just wait till the farmers get
this news. There is surely going to
be a wild scramble to get it with
the grass on the prairies six inches
high and two feet tall in the mead
ows.
come
HOPKDNSFORCED
TO INVESTIGATE
ALASKA COLONY
Colonists Send Protests
To Michigan State
Capital
DETROIT, June 23.— Increased
protests and reports of disease and
misery from Matanuska Valley,
Alaka, which was pictured to 2,000
impoverished farmers and unem
ployed workers there as a "prom
ised land," finally forced an an
nouncement from the office of
Harry L. Hopkins that an inves
tigation will be made, it was re
ported from Washington yester
day.
Letters from Michigan families,
among those who consented to go
off relief rolls to search for the
New Deal in Alaska, and fell for
the glittering promise of 40 acres
of farm land who have just reach
ed their destination, describe an
almost untolerable situation. The
Michigan families which include
153 children, write that disease
has broken out and now affects
most of the 2,00 persons that have
gone there, With only one doctor
and one nurse and an epidemic is
feared as medical supplies are in
adequate. None of the promised
houses or raods have been built
I and the settlers must live in tents;
j the necesary tools and food prom
I ised by the government have not
! been delivered; food prices are ex
orbitant and in place of the prom
ised free groceries until they are
self-supporting, purchases
charged against the settlers to be
paid in the future; milk is very
scarce and is not available to older
are
children and a struggle has devel
oped in the camps as a result of
the favoritism and mismanage
ment on the part of officials.
Protests of the Michigan famil
ies have reached the Michigan
state capital, but officials of the
rural rehabilitation division have
j
but wa ^ es for laboring m clearing
land and building houses will ap
' P ly on the $ 3 - 200 deb t to the gov
| ernraent for thö 40 acres - The P° s_
sibihty of farming the valley pro
I fitob ! y md6c pre . sent *— i — »
s»« 'on rLÄ^a"
" year when Uw tempmatore is 32
dgrees, the freezing point, or low
er. Freezing weather continues as
i a te as June 1, and starts as early
as August 26.
discounted theim as merely "grum
bling" and that "these people were
told it will not be a picnic."
The settlers are not paid in cash
The Controversy About the
Community Hall of McElroy
By Anna U. Lahnes
McElroy has a community hall
that has received a great deal of
attention recently which culminat
ed in a meeting at the hall the fif
teenth of this month.
The hall has housed community
gatherings and has also served as
a school house from the time it
was built in 1916. The original
building was put up by private
contributions. The upkeep and im
provements being furnished by
funds accumulated from rent
mostly paid by the school district
for use of the building for school
purposes. The contributors to the
original organization formed
an organization know as the Mc
Elroy Building Association and se
lected a committee to care for the
building. This committee has ser
ved to the present time.
Most contributors thought that
they were helping to build a com
munity hall and that the school
district would not always want to
use the hall for school purposes
but would, when it became able or
desirable, build a school house.
Some few however seemed to
think that because the district
paid rent for the building it should
AMERICAN YOUTH
CONGRESSSCORES
A COURT VICTORY
TW'Tpm'r V,. , T
ut, 1ROIT, Mich., June 20.— After
aptlrvn s trugg le and protest;
man £ or « aniza '
Uons, the American Youth Cor
gress scored a great victory here
yesterday, when Judge Robert M.
Toms, ordered the Detroit board of
education to permit the use of
Cass Technical High School for the
Second American Youth Congress
on July 4 to 7. The arrangements
committee of 76 had to resort to
court action after several v^ at-!
tempts to obtain the school, where
conventions of political parties and
associations are often held.
The board denies the school on
the grounds that Communists will
be among the speakers, that the
State American Youth Congress
which took place in Ann Arbor
"was under the question" and that
"certain technical requirements.
were not met.
Judge Toms' ruling wert into
details and clearly dispelled the
reasons given by the Board of Er
ucation. He quoted the late Justice;
Holmes, who in a case involving
the principles of Communism, do
dared that "people have a right
to a Proletarian Dictatorship and
free speech must be preserved to
give them their chance." He con
sidered that from all that has been
soring the congress as "immoral
j lar assistance given to many edu
or irresponsive."
All youth organizations are ask
ed to send delegates to this Second
American Youth Congress.
Unemployed Workers
Receives
Education
COPENHAGEN, Denmark —(FP)
rk 1 » 1 j V
Denmark s unemployed workers
have had an opportunity to attend
workers' schoo s th.s season on
un emp loyment insurance funds
Some 200 unemployed industrial
workers have attended labor
schools at Esberg and Roskilde.
Ihe state makes grants to these
schools, and the local outhorities
also lend assistance through sub
: sidies. Supplementing such regu
cational institutions, the unem
ployed worker may apply to the
government for scholarships to
attend 'workers' school.
To Study Social Problems
Thus workers may undertake
the study of trade unionism, po
litical problems, and the co-opera
tive movement—all important ev
eryday questions—without concern
over their economic difficulty,
knowing that their scholarships
have been paid, that they have
sème extra spending money, and
that the period of unemployment
insurance will be extended an ex
tra five months to cover attend
ance at school.
Recently workers at these
schools celebrated the coming into
power of a workers' party in the
third Scandinavian country, Nor
Way. With the Social Democratic
Party in power in Denmark, Swe
den and Norway, education of
workers is a major concern of the
governments.
Building Site Deeded to
School District
Illegally
own the building. This idea was a
vocated loudly by Peter Degan.
In fact it became a perfect mania
with him which has become more
pronounced with the passing of
time. Another idea somewhat con
nected with this one which has
also held sway in Mr, Degan's
mind is that he himself should
manage McElroy school affairs,
and by hook or crook he has been
able to play a big part in school
management most of the time.
A Would-Be Dictator
Our little community also has
another would be dictator even
more of a would be than Mr. De
gan, in th© person of J. G. Noon,
our storekeeper and postmaster.
Mr. Noon not only wants to
manage the school, he also wants
to manage everything in every
wey, shape and manner that he
can lay his hands on >n McElroy
or anywhere within reach of it.
His only lasting friends are those
who bow ti his "superior wisdom."
Anyone with independent ideas
j
FORTY COUNTY BOYSi
F EAVE FOR CCC CAMP
I
About forty Sheridan County
I boys left for the CCC camps Mon
day. Only boys whose parents are
on relief are wanted. A boy came
' t0 th e relief office and applied for
leave to a CCC camp.
"Are your parents on relief,"
I asked Miss Rardall? The boy an
;
|
. . ,
T ^ y °"'
Randal1 saj<i -
The 80118 of the P° or are 10 1)0
traired for cannonfodder and at
1 tbe same time forc ed to care for
tlteir parents out of their meager
al ^wance.
;
|
|
■
i
i.. .
! tlv £ from Sh fndan county,
" e c f me *° ^ <*mtonty in
1 1 ? 12 . wh f n u h ® f , lled for a hßme "
i f tead and has taken an actlve part
; m, " ommumty ^ fair f-.
! He « , survived by his widow nnd
i * v ' ,, . ,
I Dr Y ° rks body was * nt to
Emery ' WlSconsin for bunaL
STRIKE FNDFD IN
Hi
OMAHA AS MEN
ACCEPT MEDIATION
swered no.
Well, I'm afraid then there is
Miss
DR. E. E. YORK DIES
SUDDENLY AT HOME
Dp Edward E. York, well known
chiropractor in this community,
passed away Thursday, a victim of
complications following influenza.
Dr. York was state representa
j OMAHA, Nebraska June 21.—The
j . strike . bas , be f n
! ended, with all the strikers de
; mands )eft t0 arbitrati<m of "
g 0vem0r » 8 ^ of three . Two
hundred Md ü , . k
are lnvolved , Th \ 0 ^ t0 ^
0 _„• _ -f '
d f" S ™" n ' aJOnty after a storray
Before the strike was called off
Governor Cochran, who called out
the 1,800 National Guard troops,
had scabs take oars out of the
barns under troop protection. At
the same time the privately owned
jitneys were driven off the streets
by means of requirement af a pro
hibitive bond.
The strikers demanded seniority
rights, recognition, shorter hours
and higher wages. The union lead
ers, by accepting compulsory arbi
tration, went counter to the mili
tancy displayed by the striker?
and the sympathetic workers who
by their mass picketing in the face
of terror showed that they wanted
to fight. The union leaders are not
pressing their wage demands, and
made no protest against Governor
Cochran's strikebreaking actions
in protecting scabs and ordering
the outlawing of the strike
through compulsory arbitration.
Five workers were arrested
yesterday and held incommunicado
without charges being placed a
gainst them. This is apparently an
attempt to frame up workers for
the fatal shooting by police of two
strikers last Friday.
and a will of their dwn, sooner or
later must clash with Mr. Noon.
The store and postoffice don't
take up his time. He has farmed,
kept milk cows and chickens, he
has drivpn a school bus. He has
hauled coal for the school. At
times he has taken care of eleva
tors and the depot. During all the
years he has been here he has
grabbed every job, carpenter work
roason work plumbing or anything
else that he could possibly get for
himself perhaps so that his cus
tomers would not have a chance to
earn that money to spend at his
store.
Two years ago he was appointed
read boss. He was not content to
call on people near by but one day
took a trip into territory ten miles
N. W. and politely told people
there to report for road work the
next day near McElroy. Two men
refused, saying they had no feed
for their horses and could not go
so far. Mr. Noon reported them to
the relief office and they were
taken off relief. Do they love him ?
guess.
Perhaps his greatest triumph
(Continued on pace 3)
You
attempt of Sheriff
TO SIEZE PROPERTY
FOILED BY FARMERS
50,000 DEMAND
SALES TAX REPEAL
w NORTH DAKOTA
Gov. Forced to Set July 15
For Referendum
Vote
Bismarck, N. D.-July 15 has
been designated by Governor Wel
ford for the refeendum vote
the sales tax. The great popular
resentment against this ar.ti-work
ing class legislation forced the
calling of the special election
the result of a petition campaign.
Bismarck, North Dakota.—The
people of North Dakota are hard
on the job getting the sales tax
law repealed. Already there
more than 50,000 names attached
to signatures to force a special
election. It is likely that
time in July or August the elec
tion will be held.
The working people do not want
a sales tax. They have spoken
against it time after time. The
state Holiday and the Farmers
Union have voted it down in their
conventions.
Under the excuse of a lack of j
funds it was passed. The Gover-1
ror, a Non Partisan League mem-1
her, signed the measure after a
Non-Partisan Legislature had pas
sed it.
Right now Governor Welford is
busy in the state with a campaign
in favor of the sales tax.
There is a rotten smell about
the sales tax and that smell hangs
to everybody Who had anything to
do with it.
In North Dakota the tax must
be repealed. Whether this means
breaking old ties or lines makes
no difference. Its a Wall Street
tax because they can keep their
money in their pockets while they
rob us and then make us pay all
the other expenses besides.
on
as
are
some
ETHIOPIA APPEALS TO
LEAGUE FOR HELP
GENEVA, June 20.
appealed to the League of Nations
Council today to send neutral ob
servers to inspect its frontier dis
tricts, declaring, "aggression upon
the independence and integrity of
Ethiopia is imminent."
Exposing the fact that Mus
solini's "negotiations" camoflaged
actual "war preparations, the note
of the Ethiopian government stat
Ethiopia
ed:
Ethiopian Appeal
T1h!e Ethiopian government ob
serves regretfully that the Roy
al Italian government has not
ceapgd and is not ceasing to
send to East Africa trooos and
munitions of war in large quan
tities, and accompanies these
dispatches with inflammatory
harangues! and speeches, full of
threats against Ethiopia's inde
pendence and integrity.
"The Ethiopian government
solemnly protests against theeje
assertions and denounces them
as issued with the object of jus
tifying active preparation for
the impending aggression and
making it inevitable."
FOUR ST. PAUL COPS
OUSTED FOR GRAFT
ST. PAUL, Minn., June 24 (UP)
Thq St. Paul Public Safety Com
mission today suspended Police
Chief Mike Oulligan and four
others and definitely ousted ano
ther quartet with a dramatic pre
sentation of evidence collected
through wire tapping and dicta
phones in the police offices.
H. E. Warren, Safety Commis
sioner, wrote Mayor Mark Gehan
that a year-long investigation of
his department had revealed police
collusion in almost every sort of
crime but particularly gambling
and a nation-wide horse syndicate.
His letter said:
"The investigation revealed sur
prising evidence of police owner
ship of slot machines, police con
nection with prostitution, police
political activities, police efforts to
block effective management of the
department, and a sensational
connection between police and
criminal lawyers.
»»
Short Grapevine Notice Brings Close to 100 farmers to
Heiberg Farm Saturday to Protect Property
Of Man Who Is Absent
Madsen's Revenge Spoiled
Brings More Than 20 Deputies to "Gel Even" With
'These Farmers"; Temporary Settlement With Machine
Company Deprives Him of Oppodtunity to 'Fight it Out'
DAGMAR, June 22.
The solidarity of the» U. F. L. and
Holiday farmers here today foiled a vicious and sneaking
attempt on the part of Sheriff Madsen to grab a full set of
machinery from Chris Heiberg, a farmer of the Dagmar
country. More than 20 armed deputies, brought into action
by Madsen, had to return without their 'job' being accom
plished when they met a large group of farmers on the
Heiberg farm who insisted that the machinery remain on
the farm.
DISGUISED POUCE
AMBUSH ORGANIZER
COLUMBUS, Ohio, June 23. —
Three policemen disguised in over
alls ambushed the International
Labor Defense organized Sandberg
here Friday, dragged him to a
nearby police station shooting
range, terrorized him for two
hours, took him nineteen miles out
of the city anr ordered him not to
return.
Sandberg was just coming from
the police station where he had
secured the unconditional release
of George Harris and Robert Pet
ers, representatives of the Garri
son film corporation who were ar
rested while coming here to show
the film "Thé Road to Life," and
the five students of Ohio Univer
sity who were arrested for protes
ting the action against the film
men.
The film men and students were
arrested and the film confiscated
on orders from Safety Director
Pöaler, Who would give no reason
for his action exeept to say that
one of the men was a "Commu
nistic agitator" who has been ac
tive in the Columbus Packing
Housé strike.
COPS RIP AMERICAN
FLAG IN ATTACK ON
COLLEGE PICKETS
Allentown, Pa., — (FP) — The
American flag was tom to shreds
and thrown into bushes by Allen
town cops, when city police, county
deputies and state troopers attack
ed pickets protesting the recent
dismissal of Prof. Winslow N.
Hallett from Cedar Crest College,
girls' school near here.
Members of the Unemployed
League) and Allentown trade un
ions were the pickets. Hallett has
been fired for his activity in the
league and in the American Fed
eration of Teachers.
Following public indignation at
the police attack, Gen. F. D, Beany
police commissioner, later permit
ted pickets to march peacefully
the streets near the college. Pick
ets were joined by Prof. Hallett
and Rev. Paul Cotton, recently
ousted fronv the pastorate of the
Bethlehem Presbyterian Church
for his activities In the Unem
ployment League.
on
POL1CE VIOLENCE IS
PROBED BY A.C.L.U.
OMAHA, Neb., June 24.— Reck
less police conduct in this city dur
ing the street car strike is being
investigated by local American
Civil Liberties Union attorneys,
with a view of pressing charges a
gainst guilty officers. Correspond
ents for the union hav© also been
asked to report on the establish
ment of martial law and the gov
amor's order that "outside" or
ganizers of labor leave town.
Send in protests to th© govern
ment demanding removal of Rear
Admiral Yates Stirling, Jr.
The sheriff acted solely
the wishes of the Machine
pany, J.I. Case Co., of Racine Wis.
There was no court order and ha
he was not forced to act. But
parently he had information that
Heiberg was out of the
for several days; he found the
time opportune and thought he
could give Heiberg
when he returned. He forgot to
take into consideration thq mili
tancy and solidarity of the farm
ers.
upon
com
ap
county
a surprise
He Got there Early
Accompanied by two big trucks
and several
men, including the
Case Co. agent H. E. Nustad from
Scobey, Madsen appeared bright
and early at the Heiberg farm.
His object was to repossess a com
bine, a tractor, a plow and a Hiaç
on which the farmer owed
Pete Fredricksen, who
care of the farm while Heiberg is
away, was ordered by the sheriff
not to leave the place. But Pete
figured that Madsen had no busi
ness ordering him around and
while the sheriff's men started
loading things he hurried to in
form Gonius Laursen and other
farmers of what Was happening.
money.
takes
Farmers Respond
By means of telephone and
grapevine a relatively large group
of farmers was notified in the
shortest time possible and before
the loading wa completed they had
gathered at the farm, immediate
neighbors and even Holiday farm
ers from McCabe were present.
In the meantime, however, the
sheriff also had been busy. He had
realized that he could not get
away with things as Well as he
thought he could. He had tele
phoned his boss, undersheriff Mur
ray, and had asked him to bring as
many deputies as he could get a.
hold of, and to hurry.
Filler Dep't. Refuses
Murray did. Among those who
followed his call were Bob Ferris,
Albert Void, John Stahlberg,
Kemp Hughes, of course, and Pud
Marsh, all of Plentywood. They
were properly armed with black
jacks and what not and
promised $6 each for their"work".
The undersheriff had also tried to
enlist the services of the Plenty
wood Fire Department in his noble
cause. He was refused, however,
by Martini Nelson, the fire chief,
who either had a change of mind
or else remembered the busted fire
hose of a year ago.
When Gonius Laursen asked the
sheriff what he was up to now,
Madsen tried to tell him how sorry
he was. He was nearly moved to
tears when he explained that this
affair "hurt him badly" but that
he just had to do it. Later, When
a settlement had been reached he
repudiated his sob story and stated
that he would have rather fought
it out with the farmers.
During the argument with the
agent of the company somebody
asked: "How much would it take
(Continued on page three)
were