The Western news. [volume] (Stevensville, Mont.) 1890-1977, 1910-12-13
COOPER TOLD CROFT
HAD SIGNED
DEFEATED CANDIDATE FOR LEG.
ISLATURE WAS ASSURED CROFT
SIGNED SALOON PLEDGE.

j. Frank Cooper of Darby, defeated
republican candidate for representa-
tive in the legislature. was told by
the committee of the Ravalli county
saloon men, when asked to signs their
pledge, that H. c. Croft had signed the
agreement This is vOuched for by
the following letter by Mr.. Cooper to
Henry Grover, president of the Inde-
pendent league:
Darby, Montana, Dec. 9th, 1910.-Mr.
Henry Grover, Hamilton, Montana
Dear Sir: Even worm will turn.
AS The Western News has been pub
fishing great deal since election
about the Saloon Mems Pledge, as hav-
ing been signed by H. c. Croft, John
Mclaughlin, B. F. Plummer and my
self-in measure to justify myself
/ take the liberty of writing you, you
being the president of the Independent
league.
A short time after the republican
county convention in September, Mr..
Mace of Stevensville and Messrs.
OBrien, Wakely and Abbey of Hamil-
ton, called on me at the Hotel Priscilla
with their paper, which they wished
signed. They informed me that Mr..
1T, and that Mr.. Plummer would sign
it. l asked them as to what the pur-
pose of the signing of the paper was
and was led to believe it was merely to
find out how we stood in regard to
matters contained therein l. told
them that | was not a saloon man and
Just exactly how | stood in regard to
the measures therein contained, and
should be elected, l should go to Hell
ena to represent the whole people, |
asked them if they were positive that
Mr.. Croft had signed the paper, or one
just like it, and Mr.. Mace replied that
he, Croft, had, and that Mr.. Croft had
used this expression at the time of |
signing it: by G., l am going over
there to represent the whole people,"
our present representative at Hell
Mr.. Croft is personal friend of mine
ena, and at that time | placed his |
judgment above my own.
Now, with the above-named mems |
forcible statements to me that Mr.
Croft had signed their paper, also that |
Mr. Mclaughlin, a minister of the gos-
pei, had, and that we were still free
to represent the whole people, you can
see the position in which | am placed
Whether or not the saloon mems state
lIlGHIS were ldDIICdIlOuS, L leave II LOT |
you to judge. But in regard to the
statement published in the Indepen-
dent leagues circulars, sent out at
election time, and in the News since,
about the text books, in my own case,
it is false, that is, if | can understand
plain English. Are you in favor of
new textbooks to be furnished by the
state?" That is the wording in the
paper brought to me. So you can see
that the statement in the Independent
leagues circulars and the News are, in
my case, radically wrong. What is
the object of this?" | asked, and Mr.
O'Brien answered that bill would
come before the next legislature for
that purpose, and that the revenues of
the state were so low that there would
books for the schools. Now, | have
the secretary's word of honor, of the
saloon association, that the papers the
different candidates signed are burned.
Be that as it may, | candidly admit
that l erred and am exceedingly glad
that | lost out in the election, for
the very reason that ! would have had
my hands tied, and would not have
been able to represent the whole peo-
pie honestly and fearlessly. l repeat
the text book proposition as wOrded
in your circulars in my own case, were
false. But it is not neceS-
sary to my defeat, and | also repeat
that | am glad | was defeated, for the
reasons stated above. Yours respect
fully,
T FRANK COOPER