The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1895-04-06
A SMART BIT OF HISTORY
William Thompson Not Friend Of
Labor or the Labofer.
WHILE "A REPRESENTATIVE
Interest of. tina Lumbar Company
Uppermost I'm His Mind While
Acting In the Capacity
OF Legislator.

BUTTE, April 5.-wlliam Thompson,
mayor, has . record in connection with
labor that will lose him q good many votes
on Monday. sHe has shown the most
rabid antagonism towards union labor on
every possible occasion, with the very nat
ural result that the labor element is sol
idly arrayed against him in his present
fight. Organized labor has been at work
in opposition to Mr.. Thompson from the
day of his nomination, aud the labor
unions will be largely instrumental in ac-
compiishing his defeat.
Mr.. Thompson was member of the
first state legislature in 1889. and his rec
ord on, tho Seight-hour' bin which was
brought up at that session is fstill we'll re-
membered. He fought the bill from thu
day it was introduced, and his opposition
TO it was of the most btter,persistent an d
uncompromising nature. Organized
labor devoted all of its energies to the
vigorous support Of the bill, but it was
finally beaten after a long and hard fight
and to Mr.. Thompson, moro than to any
other one man. was due its defeat. In re-
turn for his bitter fight against labor in
this instance, Thompson's name was con-
spicuously posted in the hall of the
Silver Bow Trades & Labor assembly as n
traitor and an enemy to labor, and it is
still there, unless 1t has been removed
lately.
At the same session of the legislature
Thompson introduced and secured the
passage of bill which was generally
known as the miners hen law. 1t was
purely a selfish measure, and was aimed
directly at the leasers, who, in those days,
were an important factor in Butte's min
ing industry. Under this law all debts in.
Cured by leasers for timbers and supplies
became lien upon the property, and as
q natural result, leasers were unable to
secure a lease unless they could give am
pie security that they would pay all ex,
penses. The'iutention of the law was OF
course to protect Mr.. Thompson's lumber
company from bad accounts among leas-
ers, but it had far-reaching effect. As
but very few leasers were able to give the
required security to the owners oil
the property they were working, doz.
ems of small mines in and around
Butte had to be closed down and hun
dreds of men were thrown out OF employ
ment, all through the greed of William
Thompson. The obnoxious law created a
storm of indignation and when the legis
lature held an extra session, a few months
later. to repeal the squirrel bounty Law
the miners lien law was also repealed. IL
was estimated at the time that the law die
~
it was in effect. While securing the pass
are of this law Mr.. Thompson agar
showed his bitter enmity towards labor.
Mr.. Thompson holds firmly to the opin
ion that his bigoted hatred of all who diff
fer with him in regard to religion make
him better American than people wh'
can trace their ancestry back to the colo
nial days, and in view of this fact il is o
importance to note that there was tins
when he could not vote in this country
He attempted to vote at Glendale. Bea
verhead county. in 1875, but was refuses
for the reason that he could not produc,
his naturalization papers. He claimed I
have lost them. but when questione
closely he could not even remember wher
he had : taken them out. And yet MI
Thompson claims to be a better Ameri
can than people who were born in thi
country. but who differ with him as to hoy
they shall worship God.
To-morrow's issue of the Basin Times
in a lengthy. ''roaso on Mr.. Thompson
from labor standpoint. will say: u
some one were to mention to this fossil
lied candidate (Thompsonl the name c
Marcus DAILY, he would throw up his hand
in holy horror, but il is fact that tn
first start he got in business was throug
this same Marcus DAILY. Not only this
but 1T is. fact that when he first AZ
preached Mr.. Daily he did so in the char
acter of a mean, measly sycophant. II
asked Mr.. DAILY. what county in Irelan
he had come from. and when he receive
his reply, said: why, that's the county m
parents came FROM This was a plaiI
straight lie and he was brought to face
lator.o