The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1896-03-03
BOOMS AND BOOMERS
The Status of Political Feeling in the
Garden City.
PROSPECTIVE CANDIDATES
Smead Is Named for Governor
Something up the independent
Republican" SIeeve-Demo-
Gratis Are Saving Wood

Missoula. March 1.-The advent of an
other month finds the local political sit
uation unchanged. The boom and
boomlets. the boomers and the doomed
have all been holding their own so far
as local indications are concerned. The
Smead boom. being the most recently
announced, is the one which attracts
the most attention. There is no doubt
that somebody has inaugurated a
movement in favor of the senator for
governor. Nobody here claims to know
who is doing IT. Senator Smead, him
self, denies most emphatically any con-
nection with 1t, but this may be simply
an ente-convention denial. 1t probably
is The senator isn't in town much
these days and he is not easy TO keep
track of. He is scaling timber for the
state at McKeens camp, where a large
quantity of state timber is being cut.
This affords him an excellent opportu-
nifty to saw wood and to be quiet and
undisturbed.
The other local booms seem to be
holding their own in the republican list
There have been no new ones sprung
lately, but the independent republi-
cans" state that they have a bona fide
candidate who will be announced when
the time is ripe. This may mean that
started are not on the square or it may
simply be a device to throw off the OPP
position. Whatever its purpose, there
is evidently no lack of enthusiasm
among the supporters of Boos, Smead
ct al. That is. the enthusiasm Is as
great as IL ever has been and may or
may not be responsible for the prevail
ing blizzard.
Not a single democratic candidate
for state office has been discovered
since Hon. #. G.. Higgins denied the
statement that he is a candidate for
the gubernatorial nomination. 1t is
possible that the democrats have one
or two favorite sons in grooming, but,
If so, they are keeping very quiet about
them. There are so many republican
candidates here however, that the alb
sence of any democratic boom does not
seem to be noticed. The discussion of
the relative bluffing strength of DR..
Brown and Elder Palmer has occupied
so much of the attention of the public
for few days and democratic politics
have been ignored.
March may bring some new develop
ments that will show the true state of
affairs. There is a strong probability
that Professor Merritt's Y ray expert
ments will be brought to successful
phase this month and. II the X ray can
be induced to work properly in this
city, there will be more jumping around
than IL the grand jury were in session.
1t will then be impossible for a man to
pose as a candidate. when he is simply
trying to help build the fences of some
friend. Nor can man deny that he
knows anything about his own candi-
dacy when he has been writing letters
all over the state. If Professor Mer-
rift can only furnish a liberal supply
of his Y rays, they can be used to ex-
cellent advantage here at present.
l..
much stir. A score of names have been
mentioned in connection with the nomi-
nations, but there is yet no avowed
candidacy. 1t is too early. Too much
may happen between now and nominal
ton time. City politics is attracting as
little as the county situation. William
Jourdan is the only candidate yet an
nounced for alderman and the aspi-
rants for the seat that will be vacated
this spring by Judge Ross have not
yet begun TO appear. The capers cut
by the codes i'm regard to the emolu-
ments of this office have made II not a
desirable one.
The efforts to secure the state nomi-
mating conventions for Missoula have
not yet been productive of any appar-
ent results. The state committeeman
who have replied to inquiries addressed
10 them from Missoula. have all ex-
pressed the warm love and ardent ad-
miration for Missoula which charac-
terizes political letter but. up TO
date. none of them have promised To
give any material manifestation of that
love and admiration. other than TO
agree TO be satisfied "if the other MEM
bers Of the committee decide upon Mis-
soula." No wonder IL is cold over here.
SO many of these chilly letters have
been received that IL is a matter of
congratulation that the blizzard is no
worse than IL is.