MONTANA
An act defining criminal syndicalism, and the word sabotage; prohibiting the advocacy, teaching or suggestion thereof; and prohibiting the advocacy, teaching or suggestion of crime, violence, or the commission of any unlawful act or thing as a means to accomplish industrial or political ends, change or revolution; and prohibiting assemblages for the purpose of such advocacy, teachings or suggestions: declaring it unlawful to permit the use of any place, building, rooms or premises for such assemblages in certain cases; and providing penalties for the violation thereof.[745]
Be it enacted by the Legislative Assembly of the State of Montana:
Section 1. Criminal syndicalism is hereby defined to be the doctrine which advocates crime, violence, force, arson, destruction of property, sabotage, or other unlawful acts or methods, or any such acts, as a means of accomplishing or effecting industrial or political ends, or as a means of effecting industrial or political revolution.
Section 2. Sabotage is hereby defined to be malicious, felonious, intentional or unlawful damage, injury or destruction of real or personal property, of any form whatsoever, of any employer, or owner, by his or her employee or employees, or any employer or employers or by any person or persons, at their own instance, or at the instance, request or instigation of such employees, employers, or any other person.
Section 3. Any person who, by word of mouth or writing, advocates, suggests or teaches the duty, necessity, propriety or expediency of crime, criminal syndicalism, or sabotage, or who shall advocate, suggest or teach the duty, necessity, propriety or expediency of doing any act of violence, the destruction of or damage to any property, the bodily injury to any person or persons, or the commission of any crime or unlawful act as a means of accomplishing or effecting any industrial or political ends, change or revolution, or who prints, publishes, edits, issues or knowingly circulates, sells, distributes, or publicly displays any books, pamphlets, paper, hand-bill, poster, document, or written or printed matter in any form whatsoever, containing, advocating, advising, suggesting or teaching crime, criminal syndicalism, sabotage, the doing of any act of violence, the destruction of or damage to any property, the injury to any person, or the commission of any crime or unlawful act as a means of accomplishing, effecting or bringing about any industrial or political ends, or change, or as a means of accomplishing, effecting or bringing about any industrial or political revolution, or who shall openly, or at all attempt to justify, by word of mouth or writing, the commission or the attempt to commit sabotage, any act of violence, the destruction of or damage to any property, the injury of any person or the commission of any crime or unlawful act, with the intent to exemplify, spread, or teach or suggest criminal syndicalism, or organizes, or helps to organize or becomes a member of, or voluntarily assembles with any society or assemblage or persons formed to teach or advocate, or which teaches, advocates, or suggests the doctrine of criminal syndicalism, sabotage, or the necessity, propriety or expediency of doing any act of violence or the commission of any crime or unlawful act as a means of accomplishing or effecting any industrial or political ends, change or revolution is guilty of a felony, and upon conviction thereof shall be punished by imprisonment in the State Penitentiary for a term of not less than one year or more than five years, or by a fine of not less than $200.00 or not more than one thousand dollars, or by both such fine and imprisonment.
Section 4. Wherever two or more persons assemble or consort for the purpose of advocating, teaching or suggesting the doctrine of criminal syndicalism, as defined in this act, or to advocate, teach, suggest or encourage sabotage, as defined in this act, or the duty, necessity, propriety, or expediency of doing any act of violence, the destruction of or damage to any property, the bodily injury to any person or persons, or the commission of any crime or unlawful act as a means of accomplishing or effecting any industrial or political ends, change or revolution, it is hereby declared unlawful and every person voluntarily participating therein, by his presence aids or instigates, is guilty of a felony, and upon conviction thereof shall be punished by imprisonment in the State prison for not less than one year or more than five years, or by a fine of not less than two hundred dollars, or more than one thousand dollars, or by both such imprisonment and fine.
Section 5. The owner, lessee, agent, superintendent, or person in charge or occupation of any place, building, room or rooms, or structure, who knowingly permits therein any assembly or consort of persons prohibited by the provisions of Section 4 of this act, or who after notification that the place or premises, or any part thereof, is or are so used, permits such use to be continued, is guilty of a misdemeanor and punishable upon conviction thereof by imprisonment in the county jail for not less than sixty days or for not more than one year, or by a fine of not less than one hundred dollars, or more than five hundred dollars, or by both such imprisonment and fine.
Section 6. This act shall take effect and be in full force from and after its passage and approval.
Approved February 21, 1918.