‘Boodle’ and Missoula’s 1892 election
Missoula’s Boodle – 1892
The Morning Missoulian (avowedly Republican) had fun while chastising Missoula’s Democrats in the days leading up to the election in November, 1892. The Montana capital question provided the liveliest topic. Missoula’s leading Democrat, mayor Frank Higgins, no doubt found the election and its attendant permutations to be of less importance when the murderer of his little brother, Maurice, was tried, convicted, and sentenced to hang only a few days before.
A few entertaining Morning Missoulian items are presented below:
Anaconda Capital Club
An Organization Effected in This City Last Evening
At a meeting of gentlemen held at the Missoula hotel last evening an Anaconda capital club was formed and a temporary organization effected. The gentlemen present were Col. T. C. Marshall, W. C. Murphy, George Scully, J. H. T. Ryman, George A. Wolf, Hon. C. M. Crutchfield, Frank Thomas, W. H. H. Dickenson, J. M. Evans, J. K. Wood, Marcus Daly and his secretary, Thos. Kerrigan, were also present. Mr. Daly addressed the meeting in a short speech, in which he advanced the claims of Anaconda, saying that the Butte, Anaconda & Pacific railroad would assuredly be built and would throw at least a million and a half of dollars into this county.
For temporary officers of the club Mr. Ryman was chosen as president and Mr. Crutchfield as secretary, and a meeting was called for 11 o’clock this morning, at which time the permanent organization will be effected and a plan of campaign decided upon.
The above article appeared in the Morning Missoulian on October 19, 1892
Anaconda Capital Club
Permanent Officers Elected and an Executive Committee Chosen
The Anaconda Capital club of this city met yesterday morning to complete and perfect its organization, with about thirty members present.
J. H. T. Ryman, chosen as temporary chairman on Tuesday evening was elected as permanent president. For vice president T. C. Marshall was chosen, for treasurer, A. J. Urlin and for assistant secretary Fred C. Stoddard. The office of secretary is to be a salaried office and will be filled subsequently by appointment by the president.
An executive committee was chosen as follows: T. C. Marshall, Frank Thomas, M. E. Rutherford, Peter Whaley, E. A. Winstanley, W. H. H. Dickenson, T. J. McNamara, W. C. Murphy, F. C. Stoddard. The officers of the club were also made ex-officio members of the committee.
In the afternoon a meeting of the committee was held and J. H. T. Ryman was chosen chairman of it and F. C. Stoddard secretary. It was decided to appoint four persons to canvass the town to secure members and to find out what work is to be done to further the object in hand.
The above article appeared in the Morning Missoulian on October 20, 1892.
Another large chunk of democratic boodle arrived yesterday to be used, it is understood, the day before the election. The story may go down with the fellows never in a campaign before, but the truth is the democratic workers are being fooled by sooners – sooner hold on to a thing than let it go – who do not propose to whack up. It is a notorious fact that – counting in the last assignment – upwards of $50,000 of a corruption fund has been placed in Missoula county, and that money, the most of it, is and will remain in the hands of four men. It is a downright shame the boys don’t get their whack.
It is understood that the chief boodle distributor of the democratic party called Ignatius Gerrymander Denny into his office and gave him $5 to pay his campaign expenses. Mr. Denny didn’t say anything, but went off so disgusted that if the election had occurred yesterday he would have voted against himself for belonging to such a party.
The above paragraphs appeared in the Morning Missoulian [Republican Newspaper] on October 22, 1892
Marcus Daly and John R. Toole came in from Anaconda yesterday, and there is reported to be blood upon the moon. Daly is said to have his pistol pockets filled with 20’s and Toole is around looking for space sufficiently large whereon to post his sign “Anaconda Headquarters.”
The above paragraph appeared in the Morning Missoulian on November 1, 1892.
Principally Boodle
A High Pressure Split in the Already Disintegrating Democratic Ranks.
To say that the democrats of hereabouts are jumping cross-legged would be to convey a grossly exaggerated impression of the energy and animation which still permeates them. Frank Higgins has come out for Butte for the capital and John M. Evans has resigned the chairmanship of the county democratic committee and the gloom which overhangs and envelops the local organization is only equaled by that in which the creditors of the organization are plunged. There is an uncertainty about the future too, which is on a par with the uncertainty concerning the present and prospective whereabouts of the sack and which is more than agonizing to the faithful.
Suspense being worse than uncertainty the Missoulian hastens to the easement of its democratic readers with the announcement that the very worst is feared. There is no boodle available which does not involve the capital question. Judge Evans declines to say more than that his resignation is a fact but it is well understood that while the democratic candidates have each been called on for an assessment and have since then scrambled for themselves, going into debt and pawning their gold filled teeth, the county committee is $700 behind the play, and as Judge Evans feels that he might be held personally responsible for this sum he steps down and out. It is also understood that the judge is for Anaconda for the capital, and indeed a Daly democrat right straight through, and that his resignation is owing partly to the fact that, the boodle market being as it is, the Higgins democrats have the whip hand.
In this predicament, with as good a grace as possible, but with many a muttered imprecation at their hard luck, the sub-manages have appealed to Frank Higgins for assistance, while the few old line democrats, who are neither Daly democrats nor Higgins democrats, and who were at first blush delighted to be jarred loose from Daly, are now sweating and swearing and fearing that this last state is going to be worse than the first.
When Mr. Higgins was first approached and asked to stretch forth a saving hand he naturally hemmed and hawed but finally “Saying he would ne’er consent, consented,” but it is hardly probable that his assumption of the chairmanship, if more than temporary means any great amount of boodle. Colonel Ramsay, for instance, hopes that it does not, for it would not be boodle thrown his way while the thoroughly discouraged ex-manager Frank McConnell is jumping two ways between hope and fear as to what Higgins may or may not do for him.
The above paragraphs appeared in the Morning Missoulian on November 1, 1892.
November 11, 1892 – Morning Missoulian
Missoula County’s Capital Vote
The city of Missoula’s vote on the capital question is: Anaconda, 769;
Boulder 3; Bozeman, 122; Butte, 111; Deer Lodge, 35; Great Falls, 26; Helena, 237. In 5191 votes so far heard from in the county, the footings are; Anaconda, 3021; Boulder, 8; Bozeman, 231; Butte, 403; Deer Lodge, 68; Great Falls, 191; Helena, 1256. These figures include Missoula city and the Bitter Root complete, the Flathead with the exception of Pleasant Valley, which has 22 votes; all precincts west of the main line of the Northern Pacific except Trout Creek and Heron and the Coeur d’Alene branch except Forest City, Pardee, Superior, and Saltese. From these last incomplete returns have been received, on which J. H. T. Ryman, chairman of the Anaconda capital committee of this city, make the following estimates of the total vote; Anaconda, 3160; Boulder, 10; Bozeman, 230; Butte, 420; Deer Lodge, 70; Great Falls, 200; Helena, 1350.