The Glasgow courier. [volume] (Glasgow, Mont.) 1913-current, 1919-12-05
B. K. WHEELER'S
POLITICAL PROGRAM

B. K. Wheeler, formerly United
States district attorney for this state
arrived in Great Falls Wednesday and
at a public meeting in this city an
nounced his polical plans for the fu-
ture. In his speech he remarked that
he did not see any reporter present to
take down his speech. In that he was
mistaken. The Tribune had a reporter
present for that purpose. In fact, it
had more than one, SO that there
might be no question of fact as to the
correctness of it's report as to what he
said. 1t is our information that he
has been saying the same things in
his speecsehs all over eastern Mon
tana. Some of his statements are so
palpably false and libelous that the
newspapers of the state have general
ly failed to report them in print. But
in large measure they are addressed
to audiences who do not know the
truth fully, and The Tribune has thot
it good public policy to give them pub
licity in order that the false state
ments of fact may be refuted by the
truth and the people may know what
the political plans of this mar for the
future involves on his own declaration.
The three leading features of the adj
dress of B. K. Wheeler Wednesday
night in this city were, first, his an
nouncement of a purpose to form a po-
litical combination between the labor
union working men and the farmers
and capture the republican party or
%ganization through the primaries, as
circumstances might indicate to carry
out his purposes. Second, that political
power being thus gained, the people
OF this state propose to drive the Ana
conda Copper company out of the
state through the ballot box, and if
that fails, then they must "be driven
out in some other way" Third, the
speaker dealt in amazing, scandalous,
and in most cases untruthful charges
against the personal characters of
leading citizens Of the state, charging
court and other public officials with
accepting brides, stealing public
money, altering election returns, and
other crimes for which they should be
and would be in Jail if the proof was
Forthcoming to sustain these charges.
Fourth, a general abuse of John D..
Ryan and other men connected with
the Anaconda Copper company, sland-
erous and libelous in it's character,
and mostly composed of old stuff that
has already been disproved by official
and judicial Investigations.
1t is the purpose of the Tribune to
take up all of these matters more in
detail in future articles in these col
umns, as we have not space to on
slider them adequately in a single ar
ticle. It may be that such c%onsidera-
tion may be regarded as giving them
more dignity than they deserve and
that it would be better to pass them
by with silent contempt, as has been
largely done by the press of the state,
but when we remember that Mr..
Wheeler has been the representative
of the department of justice in this
state at one time, appointed to such
office by a democratic administration,
and that he is spending his time and
some n is spending a large sum of
money to have him go all over the
state repeating the statements he
made Wednesday night in this city,
we believe it a. duty we owe to the
democratic party and the people of
the state to call Mr.. Wheeler to &C.
count for his words.
To begin with, how do the democrats
and republicans of the state like the
encouragement of his purpose to de-
bauch their party organizations thru
stuffing the primaries with voters who
do not pretend to be democrats or re-
publicans, so that Mr.. Wheeler and
his friends can deceive the voters of
the state by running for office as the
candidate of a party which they do
not W any allegiance to, and de-
nounce as unworthy of public conf
dence? Mr.. Wheeler has heretofore
posed as a democrat. He has held Of
flee as a democrat, drawn down the
emoluments of public office as DEM
crat and if current comment is not at
fault, he has prospered wonderfully
in a financial way while devoting his
time and energy to politics. But &C
cording to his own statement he is in
no way bound to any loyalty to the
democratic party on account of the
fat offices and financial prosperity
that has come to him through the dem
ocratic party's favors. The republican
party nomination would suit him
equally we'll. In fact, the political Cos
sip of the hour is that he expects to
capture the republican nomination for
governor through the assistance of
the Non-Partisan League which is
stronger in the country pre-