The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1895-04-07
NOT ANCIENT HISTORY
Modern "reminiscences Of Nj. Thomp-
sons CleYar Schemes.
SONS OF ST: GEORGE DEAL
How twas Planned. to Place That
ExcsIient Society In An On
ri ,asant Posltion-They
VIII Get Even.

BUTTE, April Elm his extravagant and
exultant boasts 70 the effect that his cleo
ton to the mayoralty is already as good
as a settled fact. William Thompson is
counting his chickens before they are
Matched and the folly OF this antiquated
proceeding will be again proved on Mon
day. Mr.. Thompson has all along been
counting on securing the solid support of
the Englsh-Amercans of Butte, but there
are strong indications that he will be as
badly fooled In this respect as he probably
will in one or two others. 1t is not so very
many months ago that the Sons of St.
George were ''cussing" Thompson up one
side and down the other and hoping and,
in some instances praying for chance
to get eseu with him for a mean trick that
he played their organization.
The OPT ortunity for getting even has
arrived and there are unmistakable indi-
cations that it will be taken advantage of
to an extent that will GO a long way to-
wards the Decentralization of Mr.. Thomp-
sons forces. ALI fair-minded men will
agree with the sons of St. George in the
proposition that they have good grounds
for feeling sore and that now is a good
time to get even. Mr.. Thompson fur
nished nearly all the material for the new
Sons OF St. George building which was
erected in Centeryille something over a
year ago, and then quietly filed a lien on
the building. As Is the general rule in
such cases, the cost of tho handsome
building exceeded the estimates. and
when il was nearly completed the funds
at the immediate disposal of tho building
committee gave out Prompt steps were
taken to replenish the fund, the required
amount was raised in a comparative
short time. When the money ran out,
however, Mr. Thompson became fearful
that he was not going TO get his money, and
without waiting to see what arrangements
would be made, he Immediately foreclosed
his lien and secured Judgment for the
amount of his account 1t was only few
days until the amount OF the money neces-
sary to complete the building was raised
and Mr.. Thompson's account was paid.
When the committee wentsto pay it, how
ever, they discovered that Thompson had
charged them interest at the rate of per
cent. per mouth from the day the lien
was filed. They protested against this
extortion, but there was no way out of IL,
and il had to be paid. The petty littleness
of Mr.. Thompson's action in this matter
aroused the greatest Indignation among
the Sons of St. George and they promised
then to cherish up their votes against Mr..
Thompson in the event of his ever rum
ming for Office.
At the last session of the legislature Ed
this county introduced "material lien
law" the direct object of which was to
prevent Mr.. Thompson from accomplish
ing any moro tricks like the one just de-
scrihef. The bill was known as house
bill No. 154, and was introduced at the
direct request of the Sons of St. George of
Silver Bow county. The introduction of
the bill threw Mr.. Thompson into several
different kinds of fits. He rushed over to
Helena and then rushed back to Butte for
assistance and then hurried back to Hell
ena again. He fought the bill with the most
earnest determination, and finally sue
ceeded in getting it killed in committee.
In a card published this evening
Thompson claims to have introduced a
wage workers lien law in the Sixteenth
territorial legislature, requiring that all
labor accounts should be paid and take
precedence over all other attachments.
The bill which was introduced at
the last session by Mr.. Bray
contained exactly the same pro-
vision, and this fact makes Thompson APP
pear in a very inconsistent light. Thomp-
son probably knew, however, that his bill
had no prospects of adoption when he in
trcduced it in the territorial days.