Cut Bank pioneer press. [volume] (Cut Bank, Mont.) 1909-current, 1917-04-06
FIRST GOVERNOR
POOR POLITICIAN
EDcERTON HAD BITTER QUAR-
REL WITH FIRST CouN
OFFICIALS APPOINTED
County Commissioners heIns.u
Dust Recorder at Executives IT
der So Latter Appointed "Rump.
Board, Which Was Knocked ous
by Territorial Court.

~ Montana has seer some exciting
events in connection with Its poIiticaA
history, and at times the state has
been rocked by VIOLENT political feuos
such as the Clark and Daily fight
and the long-drawn out battle pc
tween Heinze and the Amalgamated
Copper company, which permeateo
every section of the state and became
an issue in every country.
In fact political scraps IN montana
dated from the organization OF Il
territory in 1864, when Sidney Ed
gerton, who came to b new terri
tory from Idaho, where he was CnieI
Justice. to become first governor, Is
sued his proclamation from
ordering an election of members OF
the legislature. One of the merriest
battles involved the first county OF
ficials of the newly created Edger-
ton county, which has since become
Lewis and Clark county, and WILDER
F. Sanders, nephew of Governor Ed
gerton and one of the most famous
of Montana's pioneers
When Edgerton county was Great
ed, the governor nominated a set or
county officers, and the denominations
were confirmed by the territorial sem
ate or council. Among these were j..
b. Stewart, Judge; G.. ]. Wood, sher-
iff; Henry Eastman, clerk and rec
order.
The diary of Nicholas Hilger con-
tains an interesting account of the
| political difficulties that began in
this county at once, ' -ich a never
previously been published. 1t appears
that after making the appointment of
a~bove-named officials, Governor Ed
gerton was not wholly satisfied with
his selection of a county clerk and
recorder, and as a result, the govern
or's nephew, Colonel Sanders, who
was acting in the capacity of secret
art to the governor, appeared at the
recorders office at Silver City and
demanded possession of the records
of the county. He was accompanied
by one H. Harding, who produced an
appointment as recorder signed by
the governor.
Clerk and Recorder Henry East
man declined to yield the office and
records. This happened in April,
1866, and the same month the
ty commissioners, consisting of NAL
colin Clarke, A. J.. Wells, and j. w.
Rhodes, met and refused to recognize
the legality of H~arding's appoint
ment by the governor and ordered
Eastman to retain the office and rec
ords.
Gets a Mandamus.
When the commissioners refused
to recognize Harding, Colonel San
!, ders proceeded to secure a writ of
mandamus from the local court, and
Sheriff Wood forcibly took the rec
ords and delivered them to Harding.
> who then took possession of the Of
/ flee. Governor Edgerton then an
nounced the appointment of a new
set of county commissioners, consist
ing of Lee Markham, who refused to
serve and vas succeeded by Corne-
illus Hedges, J. G. Sanders and Dan
Carpenter. This board of commits
sioners organized at Silver City. and
for some weeks two sets of county
commissioners were tr%ansacting busi-
ness.
Eastman did not give up the fight.
however, and took his case I'D to the
territorial court at its first session
in September, 1864, and a decision
was given by Judge Munson in favor
of Eastman and against Harding. Az
a result the Trump" board OF county
commissioners disbanded and Hard
ing, who had collected some $6,0G0
in fees while acting as clerk, left she
territory
1t was partly as a result of this
squabble between the governor and
his appointees that the name of the
county was changed from Edgerton
to Lewis and Clark and Governor Ed-
gerton left the territory.