The New York herald. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1920-1924, 1920-10-05
non PARTISANS
SEIZE CONTROL
OVER MONTANA
Capture of Dem0craticParty
Makes Success Seem
Inevitable.
I. w. w. ALSO IN RING
Bill Dunn. Radical Head,
Leads nti-Gompers La
Dor Into the Fold.
STATE is FOR HARDING
Agreement General That Cox
Failed Signally to Win
Sentiment There.
STATE is FOR HARDING
~ staff Corresponds, Of THE HERALD.

the street lfOH1 WHcre tillS Is pSllS
written the local headquarters Of Ar
thur Townley's Nom Partisan League
is filed with folks who insist that the
Z. Non Partisan League has won the
State and will sweep into power in
Montana in November. Down beyond
the corner of Main street and Broad
way are the Wheeler Democrats. who
mildly rebuke the Nom Partisan
Leaguers by saying that it is the
Democratic ticket that will win, with
7, the support Of the Non-Partisan
I League. And still further off toward
the base of the three snow capped
I mountains that lord it over the south
ern edge of Butte, stands thinly
( steepled edifice that once was q
Methodist Church.
Down in the basement of the aban-
i doned chapel sits the young man who
more nearly than any one else is the
political boss of the existing outland-
ish situation in Montana. He is WILL
Z lam +. Dunn. and he cheerfully admits
that he's "as much a Communist as
anything" but longs for the day when
the l. w. W., the o. B. U. Zone Big
( Tnion), the Communists, the Socialists
and all other alien political cults will
unite under the banner OF "a free
people" and jar both the Republican
and Democratic parties out of exist
ence. Much might be written about
Z this husky young electrician, who. no
matter how far reaching his obvious
weakness may be. is natural leader
of an idolatrous following.
wheeler Victory Seems Assured.
Dunn says that neither the Democrats
nor the Non-Partisan League will win
the coming State elections. Labor, or
ganized and unorganized. will be VIC
torious. he asserts. And in a certain
sense 1t looks as though all of them are
correct. But If Burton X. Wheeler is
elected Governor OF Montana in Novem-
Der (and his election seems inevitable
the organization genius of Arthur Town
I, Icy must be conceded the credit. III
The Non-Partisan League came into
Montana a year or so ago with its usual
programme OF consolidating the farm
ers. First of all. 1t corralled about
$4,000 agrarians who vert yearning for
the laws OF North Dakota. After coll
lectlng SIS from each farmer and solidi-
flying them into conventional unity, the
league issued call to all those who
found II disagreeable to work for the
anaconda Copper Mining Comany. the
Northern Pacific Railroad, the Chicago.
Milwaukee and st. Paul Railroad, the
Great Northern Railroad. the Oregon
Short Line. the Butte, Anaconda and
. Pacific Railroad or the Great Montana
Power Corporation.
Be II understood that these develop
ments did not happen in the exact Sc
quence here set forth. But they came
10 pass as the natural result of the
leagues decision to dominate Montana
and are collated with regard for logical
order.
The call was responded TO by the
heterogeneous throng OF men engaged
by the Anaconda corporation to dig
copper out from the streets of Butte,
and by labor generally. Back in 1914
the copper miners. here beneath the
richest hill on earth. had forsaken the
Western Federation of Miners and dyna-
mlted the federation's own hall half way
up Main street. just to make the divorce
absolute.
Tho /. W. w. D. II. Y. and like out
law cohorts absorbed the men they had
led against the federation. And Bill
Dunn and his crowd overthrow the
American Federation OF Labor leaders
throughout the State. Bill says that
man In public life in America.
Townley Plays with Fire.
Dunn and Townley Joined hands
Townley was a bit fused UP about II.
Dunn was radical beyond known limits
He was anti-war, anti-government and
anti everything that stood for or was
the fruit OF our present system The
farmers were not, and Townley knew Il.
The farmers wanted n moderate pro-
framme that would insure them a fair
Zeal in the markets. Townley decided
TO play with the sinister Mr. Dunn, how
ever, until such a time as he would be
able to talk back to the latter. Just at
the time, however, Townley needed
3 Dunn.
True to form. Townley began apprals-
ing both major parties with a view 20
Z Feeding which to devour. Neither the
Republican party nor the Democratic
party could prove that II owned Mon
tana. The Democratic vote was con-
centrated. the Republican scattered.
Townley picked upon the Democratic
party He called q meeting of his organ
izers In Great Falls I'm July. II was in
tended to bo a Non-Partisan League
convention and no enthusiastic reception
greeted Bill Dunn's radical labor organ.
Y ixatlOn when IL appeared ana look seats
ms It did. But Dunn's Influence was no,
70 be sdetracked. He brought about the
nomination of Burton X. Wheeler for
Governor. Wheeler. Massachusetts,
Yankee. had been appointed United
States District Attorney only TO resign
during the midst or the local furore
growing out OF the vast number OF young
men arrested for the evasion OF the Sc.
.ective draft. and had won considerable
renown for himself az a labor lawyer.
For Iieutenant-Gover they decided
upon G. Arnold, a farmer for Secre
fary ~ state. K. A. Haste. N country
. editor for Attorney General. Louis S
Ervint former law partner OF Frank
Z Il. Walsh; for state Treasurer Ella u
Lord, the wife of cooperative store
manager for state Auditor, ole Sanvik
farmer for Railroad Commissioner, j
( " Meadors. a farmer; for Superintend-
ent of Public Instruction, Marga ret A.
Hannah. wife Of farmer: for Congress
Burton Watson. "A locomotive engineer
and NJ. NJ. McCusker. machinist en-
ployed by the Great Northern road
with this ticket Towniey and Dunn
won the Democratic primaries by ma
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