The people's voice. [volume], February 16, 1962, Page Page Two, Image 2

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

Image provided by: Montana Historical Society; Helena, MT

                
Editorial .
The function of a newspaper is "to afflict the comfort
able and comfort the afflicted . . —SIR WILLMOTT
LEWIS, London TIMES Washington correspondent during
the 1940s.
Do Cascade Republicans Approve
Public Distribution of Power?
What J. Bracken Lee had to say in condemning the income
tax, the United States Government and the United Nations, in
speaking to Cascade County Republicans Monday night, was
not half so newsworthy as a press release put out about his
forthcoming appearance by the county central committee a
couple of days earlier.
The central committee, in publicising Lee's forthcoming ap
pearance via the GREAT FALLS TRIBUNE, gave as one of the
former Utah Governor's major claims to fame, the fact that at
an earlier date when he was Mayor of Price, Utah, he "abol
ished property taxes and yet introduced many civic improve
ments".
How did J. Bracken accomplish such an incredible feat?
Another paragraph in the county GOP's press release unlocks
the secret:
He accomplished this," the release said approvingly,
through an agreement whereby Price bought electricity
wholesale from the Utah Power & Light Company, and sold
it retail to customers. Although property taxes were elimi
nated, a civic auditorium was built, parks were improved
and the water system and hospital modernized.
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There's the story how one political Horatio Alger did the
impossible, and apparently, his feat was in no wise "socialistic
in the eyes of the high command of the Republican party over
99
Great Falls way.
In view of this obviously enlightened position the Republi
can party in the Electric City is apparently now espousing, it
may not be too impudent to suggest that Grand Old Partyites
in Cascade join with the VOICE in putting the "proof of Price
to a much grander application here in Montana. We would most
heartily welcome their active support in urging the 1963 Legis
lative Assembly enact legislation to enable the State of Montana
to assume ownership of Montana Power Company's 40-county
electric and gas network.
We would remind that conversion of the private utility into
a State enterprise would make it possible to almost immediately
realize an annual increase of $20 million in purchasing power
which each year now leaves Montana for out-of-state points,
mostly East. Such released purchasing power, amounting to the
same thing as 4,000 new paychecks, would cause a most satis
fying jingle along Main Street. Welcome aboard a Better Living
Climate in Montana, Cascade Republicans!—HLB
• ■
Report and Clarification
Since last week's VOICE published a cross-section of right-wing leader
ship on the state and national level, we've had a number of comments , . .
almost all of which have been favorable.
We did have one misleading statement in that roundup concerning Rev.
Billy James Harges being a peddler of NUTRI-BIO. Representatives of
that company inform me that such is not the case; that this widely-reported
misapprehension developed as a result of some overzealous distributors of
the product advertising in Harges' publication, and advising Harges follow
ers that they would make a percentage contribution to his CHRISTIAN
CRUSADE on all sales resulting from the advertising. When the manufac
turers caught up with this sales gimmick they immediately ordered the
practice stopped.—HLB
Business Takes Care of Ezra Benson
Apparently Ezra Taft Benson's conduct as Secretary of Agriculture
during the Eisenhower Administration is paying off. We had almost written
him off as bad memory until a news story cropped up recently reporting a
talk he had made in St. Louis. He charged that present farm programs are
based on "unsound economics" in a talk to a group of businessmen there.
We wonder how "sound" Benson thought his own program was during
his eight years in office. Facts are that his administration lowered farm
prices 26 per cent, spent more in his eight years as Secretary than any other
Secretary in the entire 90 years of the department and in addition drove
millions of farmers off the farm and into industry to compete with an
already vrowded labor force.
Now that he is out of office, he apparently is being paid off by big
business he so effectively served as Secretary of Agriculture. He now is a
director of the Corn Products Company, one of the world's largest food
processing organizations, and was recently named director of a bank in Salt
Lake City. This certainly is a big jump from where he came only a few
short years ago.—DUBUQUE (Iowa) LEADER.
Montana's "exscreamists" would do well to note an item in this
week's U. S. NEWS & WORLD REPORT telling of Yugoslavia having
offered to train Asiatic refugees from Communist Chinese rule in the
fine art of guerrilla warfare. Possibly it might help subside just a wee
bit their INDIGNATION over Uncle Sam's several years' long program
of selling the Yugoslavs over-aged American aircraft.
AMERICAN IDEAL —The American ideal holds that governments can
not afford to shackle freedom to think and freedom to speak since these
are the mainsprings of mankind's achievements. History teaches that the
costs and dangers of suppressing ideas will always be greater than the real
fancied risks of permitting their expression.—JUSTICE WILLIAM O.
DOUGLAS in "A Living Bill of Rights".
or
READERS' FORUM
Wasn't Hard At All, Son!
Editor, The People's Voice:
Thank you for including- me in your
list of "prominent right-wing- leaders
in Montana". Would you please send
me about twenty copies of the Feb
ruary 9 issue.
How you managed to work from your
main headline, "Manion, Braden and
Ginder Are Among Top Birch Society
Leaders" down through "some other
notorious right-wing extremists" to the
Montana level of those "extremists"
and come up with me, I do not know.
But if William Buckley, Jr., Dr. Fred
Schwarz, W. Cleon Skousen, Rep. James
Battin and J. E. Corette are "notorious
right-wing extremists" then I am
proud to be among them. Sincerely
yours—JAMES DULLENTY, President,
Young Americans for Freedom, MSU,
Missoula.
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The Cause of War
Since your Letters to the Editor col
umn has become the subject of radio
and television editorials castigating
honest thinking, and as one writer
said—He'd like to see comethinig in
print worth reading, and in answer to
the Birch Society Bobsh.eviks I have
decided to answer these people by lay
ing it on the line straight out.
Does your reader realize that the
American people have been put to sleep
by a snow job of propaganda and war
c nditioning and if anyone speaks up
he is immediately put on a blacklist of
censorship by the American Press?
When Albert Einstein wrote President
Roosevelt that the Atomic Bomb was
a scientific capability he was number
one news, but when he asked Truman
not to let the military have absolute
control of it he was shut off from
press coverage and labeled a Commu
nist or worse.
Does the reader know how the mili
tary hysteria that offense is the best
defense has reduced the American
people to automatic unthinking re
sponse in. a mind set for preventive
war?
war? (Congress responds to hindsight
and seldom to foresight unless it is
colored with the most extreme of all
possible dangers and more hoax than
fact . . .
One of the first tenets of diplomacy
is to know oneself and the intended
policy. When the United States enters
into diplomatic discussions with the
Soviet Union everyone recognizes the
dffferences, but what of the simulari
ties? Everyone points their finger at
Communism and then fails to identify
it. It is just a bad word to be hollered
as invective. A stampede word. In the
Soviet Union they have what is com
monly termed "Communism of the
Proletariat", or common people. This
is a psychology all of itself and is an
identifiable pattern upon careful ex
amination. There is no mistaking the
picture to the trained political science
researcher. Likewise an examination
of the American Configuration of
Democracy brings forth the unmistak
able pattern of Communism. But this
time a different kind—Communism of
the Bourgeois, or propertied middle
class and owners of business. When
one condemns the Kremlift for secrecy
or dictatorial policy one does not score
private business for like actions, nor
do we throw out the unicameral legis
lature of Nebraska because it is a one
party politbureau. The comfortable
American names of the American Bar
Association, American Medical Associa
tion, APL-CIO, American Legion, Vet
erans of Foreign Wars and others too
numerous to 'mention that fit the pat
tern of corporate law evoke no terror
in our hearts.
We've been living with it for two
hundred years. Yours very truly—RAY
E. GULICK, Joplin.
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Rebuttal to KOJM Editorial
On the Subject of Freedom
A KOJM editorial of January 29th
concerning criticism of the annual
"Voice of Democracy" contest and the
student essays on "What Freedom
Means to Me" presumed to declare
". . . what Mr. McKean believes." The
editorial is filled with accurate asser
tions and astonishing assumptions,
often both in the same sentence. Eg.
quote: "From listening to the program
and the students who spoke, (wholly
false assumption) Americans are un
realistic and living in the past when
it comes to freedom." Mr. McKean
does believe "Americans are unreal
istic" therefore try to re-live the Past,
an obvious impossibility obscured by
the unreality. Let's not blame the vic
timized students nor make my criticism
that shallow and ineffective.
The veritable Goliath of an assump
tion that we Americans have free
dom, or democracy, or Christianity
Is the great He this little David Is
sling-shotting for.
To assume that we have Freedom,
Democracy or Christianity attributes
to these completely relative philoso
phies an absolutism and concrete char
acter contrary to truth, or reality. To
grudgingly admit isome degree of rela
tivity by vaguely admitting, quote:
"American freedom is not the only
freedom," or specifically stating, quote;
"There are (many other nations, Canada
and Great Britain to be sure, whose
freedom is equal to ours"—these ad
missions are of degree only and still
deny the complete and indivisible qual
ity of freedom, democracy and (Chris
tianity. These wholly relative philoso
phies are valuable and necessary as
Ideals or Goals, but their value and
most intrinsic function to lead to con
stant creation toward perfection of
humanity depends upon their very un
attainability . . .
The editorial Inference is that Mr.
McKean might just say "Freedom . . .
we got it for nothing." Well, Mr. Me*
WHA T DO YOU THINK?
By GRETCHEN G. BILLINGS
In the hands of the Montana State
Supreme Court rests a case relative
to unemployment compensation that
could really make or break a guy's
faith in the virtue of putting forth
his best efforts to work and support
a family.
The case deals with some 25 men
who filed claims for unemployment
compensation. These men were in
volved in a strike with the Anaconda
Company. When they went out on
strike they immediately looked for
other work so they could take care
of their families. To get jobs some
of them had to leave the area in
which they lived. One even rented his
home. Many of these men had a choice
of whether they found another job
or applied for welfare. There were
those who looked for work and could
not get it . . . this limited their
choice.
But for those who were more for
tunate (?) there were some jobs
around.
While the strike was on the Ana
conda Company, through the press
and correspondence with men who
had been on their payrolls, let two
things be known: 1. part of their
mining operation would be closed
down completely, 2, there was no
certainty how many men would be
rehired.
There was no seniority in the Butte
mines and no certainty seniority
would be renegotiated in the other
plants, so it could have been every
man for himself, "rustling" a job
when the strike ended.
This is a tactic characteristic of
the mining operation that tends to
clear out some of the potential un
employment that would be caused
by automation or cut backs. By put
ting out the word that fewer men
Kean would hardly say that when he
knows we do not have it in the first
place. That is why "Mr. Hobart Mc
Kean is pretty well fed up with Amer
ican heritage." The ideal leaders of
the past become idols, not through
any * fault of their own, but through
our error in idolizing them. Humanity's
ideals and goals must be in and of
the Future . . .
America's crisis is spiritual. We
worship and would defend Idols. There
is no creative urge since we have no
true goals. We are all dressed up and
no place to go. The nearest thing to
a goal we have is "Beat the Russians."
The nearest thing to single-minded
ness so necessary for progress toward
a goal is our anti-Communism. This
based lie that
on we
Americans have Freedom, Democracy
and Christianity, and Russia and a
constantly increasing number of other
hliman beings do not have these things.
The unequal and unbalanced love for
American Idols destroys the creative
power that could give us truth by the
need to justify the hatred for oppo
sites. We have lost the power to com
pare America of Today's reality with
the Vision and Goal of the Future.
We have no Goal for the Future. We
can only compare our cock-eyed im
pression of Today with an equally
cock-eyed impression of the Past . . .
As to that last crack where the edi
torial paged Mr. Khrushchev, Mr. Mc
Kean was referring to that great Law
of Cause and Effect when he said what
he did about "free choice." It is this
Law "we are only free when we obey
and serve."—HOBART McKEAN, Circle.
Just Suppose
Just suppose for a moment that the
Welchites Inc. should gain a full vic
tory in their efforts to eliminate
among other taxes the fifty-two per
cent corporate income tax. What would
be some of the effects felt? Wouldn't
the streams of money that "Uncle" has
been pumping down through th econ
omy begin damming up in ithe hands
of industrial financiers in enormous
volume? And where would they seek
outlets for their products? If you were
confronted with a bumper crop of
"long green lettuce" you would prob
ably start shopping around for a good
"hard" investment; something that
could be counted on to be recovered
at least at par sooner or later; some
thing that not only would produce in
the meantime but could not depreciate,
not become obsolete; something that
will always be necessary in good times
or bad and could be turned at a hand
some profit in event of an investment
inflation as in the twenties. land—
that's it!—Not resort lots but real land,
agricultural land—farms, ranches, lit
tle spreads, big spreads: swap around
and consolidate; name your price; yor.r
neighbors are selling. Anything to get
that money safely tied tip.
Hired management, hired labor—
agriculture full-grown, the end of fam
ily agriculture would be in sight with
in a few years.
Wholesale buying, farm towns ghost
towns, all entirely possible. See article
entitled "Politics Is Changing" in May
1960 issue of NATION'S BUSINESS
magazine at most public libraries.
Makes you wonder just how vigilant
some of these vigilant citizens are,
especially the ones engaged in Mon
tana agriculture. — CALVIN RICE,
Epsie, Montana.
will be put back to work a percentage
find something else to do, and this
time was no exception. A number of
men started looking for other work.
If they are lucky enough to find
other jobs, the cut back is less pain
ful all the way around.
*
*
The snag that brings the matter
before the courts is that these enter
prising fellows who went out and
found other work and later were laid
off because of conclusion of job (con
struction) or weather (construction)
or financial considerations of the em
ployer . . . for a variety of reasons
unrelated to the readiness and will
ingness of the employee to perform
the job, are being denied unemploy
ment compensation.
If they had not been able to find
work, if they had not looked quite
so hard, if they had not looked at
all . , . if they had been on welfare
they would have at least received a
continuity of income.
In some cases men uprooted their
families, or left them at home and
went to another area to get work.
Yet, because they had been among
those who were affected by the strike
they have been denied compensation
resulting from unemployment com
pletely unrelated to the strike.
Never has an unemployment com
pensation commission worked so hard
to keep from giving benefits to those
who are supposed to be protected by
the law.
To get a measly check, barely
enough to keep body and soul to
gether at best, many unemployed
worked in Montana have to resort to
paying attorney's fees, waiting un
ending lengths of time and then face
the possibility of not getting the pro
tection they have a right to expect
under the law.
*
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The result of the myopic view
point and selfish and even inhuman
attitudes of employers who wield
their influence in the field of un
employment compensation today is
the appeal to the federal government
to set certain minimum standards.
When there are plenty of jobs the
unemployment compensation law
should be administered as strictly as
possible and in times when jobs are
next to impossible to find it is less
than human, it seems, to test every
conceivable technicality to keep from
paying benefits.
Coming, A Merger of
CARE and MEDICO
NEW YORK—To cut costs of their
international relief work, CARE and
MEDICO are merging.
MEDICO
Medical International
Co-operative Organization—will be
come a service of CARE—Co-opera
tive for American Relief Everywhere.
CARE sends food, farm implements
and other necessities to needy persons
in 30 countries. MEDICO sends teams
of doctors, nurses and technicians to
12 countries.
As It Is In Italy
A recently enacted law requires all
Italian motorists to carry a foot high,
triangular reflector in case of break
down on highways.
Correction
Last week we listed G. L. Ma
berry of the local executive
mittee of Northern Montana Col
lege, Havre, as a past president of
the Montana Farm Bureau, Actu
ally, it is Max Maberry of the
Great Falls area who served
head of the MFB.—EDITOR.
com
as
THE PEOPLE'S VOICE
Published weekly by The People's
Voice Publishing Co., at 1205 Lockey
Street, Helena, Montana.
HARRY L. BILLINGS, Editor
GRETCHEN G. BILLINGS,
Associate Editor
Entered as Second Class Matter De
cember 7. 1939, at the Post Office at
Helena, Montana, under the Act of
March 3, 1879.
Subscription Price: $3.00 a Year
No Commercial Advertising except
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tions accepted. Rates on application