Colony Scheme Failed – 1900
The article below appeared in the Edwards Fruit Grower and Farmer.
Fruit Grower 10/12/1900 pg. 6
Colony Scheme Failed.
Didn’t Know a Good Thing When They Had It – Seven Men Brought from Butte
From Thursday’s Missoulian
Facts that came to light yesterday make it quite apparent that efforts for colonization schemes that are being made in other cities of the state to effect a democratic election are being attempted in Missoula. The proprietor of a prominent hotel in the city yesterday stated to a Missoulian reporter that men are daily coming to his house asking credit for board until after election, when they are assured of funds sufficient to warrant their remaining idle until then and enough to pay all expenses in the meantime.
The requests are being refused by the hotel and the efforts of boodlers to swing the election by such methods will be carefully watched, and in every case detected the persons interested will be made to face the law.
Other hotel and lodging house keepers were seen and all told the story of men trying to stand them off until after election. Descriptions of some of the men were given and they were traced. While it may be true that as many as fifteen or twenty, or even fifty men have been trying to secure board and lodging on election promises as some affirm, the Missoulian could trace but seven and they went back to Butte last night.
Sam Holden, or at least a man who gives his name as Sam Holden, a tall, brown whiskered fellow, shabby clothes, his trousers seemingly desirous of dropping over his feet, was in the Missoulian office yesterday and talked freely to a reporter.
“I guess I’m up against it,” he said, “for making a fool of myself. Two weeks ago in Butte, where I had come from Colorado, I was asked by a man if I had ever worked in a lumber camp and I told him that was my strong hold and it is, for I have worked in Maine, Wisconsin, and Minnesota lumber camps. He told me he wanted to hire fifty men to work in Missoula county. I told him I could get a dozen. He told me to get them. I got six – fellows I had met around at saloons. He said he could pick up the others and for seven to go to Missoula. He bought tickets for us and gave us $1 apiece. I was given a letter to a Missoula man. He picked me out as a foreman and I took charge of the other men. When we reached Missoula, I hunted up the man I had the letter for and he asked me how many men I had. I told him six. He said he expected fifty. He said he couldn’t put us to work right away, but would hold us up until he was ready for us if we were all right.
“I asked him, what he meant by being all right and he said that all workingmen should stand together at the polls. I told him that suited me. He told me to get my men and I did so. He gave us $10 a piece and told us to pay a week’s board each and we did so. When the week was up I tapped him again and he loosened up, but we didn’t pay our board and of course fellows like we are can’t get trusted. After one night’s spreeing, all our money was gone. I went around to several boarding houses and tried to get a stand off but couldn’t. Then the man came to me and told me I had made a d – n fool of myself and I guess I had. He said if we had kept our board paid we could have come to him any time and got spending money. I asked him what it all meant but he couldn’t tell me. He bought us tickets back to Butte and back we go this evening.”
“Though he said nothing to you about voting what did you understand?”
“Why, that we should register and vote as directed.”
“Are you entitled to a vote?”
“Not in Montana.”
“Are any of the men with you entitled to vote?”
“Only one. The others came to Montana from Colorado. They told me they did.”