The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1922-10-06
MONTANA POLITICS
IS BADLY MIXED
Contest of individuals In
Which Party Lines Are
Generally Ignored
LITTLE FEELING
AGAINST HARDING
Some Democrats Go Back to Their Party
But Republicans Little Affected-Gov-
ernOr Dix0n's Radical Tax Scheme
Object OF Attack-StrOng Machine.
BY DAVID LAWRENCE.

BY DAVID LAWRENCE.
Especial Dispatch to the Reformer.)
Copyright 1922.
HELENA Mont, Oct 6-Politics in
Montana as in Iowa, Wisconsin and
North Dakota is topsy turvy. Persons
and not parties are dominant. There
are no national issues.
Whether a man labelled Republican or
another labelled Democrat goes to the
senate turns on state issues and here.
as in North Dakota the Democratic can
didate is a conservative while the man
who won the Republican primaries is tied
up with the radical elements to such an
extent that old line Republicans will be
found supporting the Democratic ticket
in large numbers.
Speaking of persons instead of
parties, Governor Joseph Dixon is
responsible for the upheaval in
Montana. He will be remembered
as having represented this state
in the United States senate and as one
of the original Insurgents who managed
Col. Roosevelt's pre-convention fight for
the presidency in 1912. He was elected
governor two years ago on the regular
Republican ticket. He won many Demo-
cratic votes because he was considered a
conservative as compared with b. X.
Wheeler, former United States attorney
who with the help of the Non-Partisan
league, became the Democratic nominee
for governor
Today Mr. Wheeler is running for
the United States senate and the old line
Democrats are behind him although he
has background of radicalism to over
tlap
Democratic organizati ton and a platform
was formulated which is eminently salts
factory not only to conservative Demo
Gratis but to conservative Republicans.
This is because the Democrats have
aimed their platform at Governor Dix
on'S radical taxation policies which so
far as conservatives are concerned.
stamp Mr.. Dixon as more of a radical
than they thought Mr.. Wheeler ever
could be.
Dixon After Mining Property.
The fight here is really pro-Dixon or
anu-Dixon. The governor has made up
his mind to levy heavy taxes on the min
ing industry and it is attempting to JUS
tify il on the ground of increased expense
IN running the state. The Democrats
are shouting economy of expenditure and
relief from burdensome taxation. In
order to hit ut Dixon. who is campaign
ing energeticallyto get state legislature
elected friendly to his policies, many Re
publicans will vote for Democratic can
didates right down the list with one or
two exceptions. Former Congressman
Evans Democrat is one of the excpp-
tiOnS. He has endorsed the tax pro-
gram of Republican Governor Dixon.
To add to the confusion, j. w. An
derSon, who polled about 10000 votes
out of 10000 in the Republican prim-
aries for United States senator purely on
the platform of dissatisfaction with the
a Hpnin Str nt t.nr
antipathy to President Harding so far
rs to announce that he viii support Il.
X. Wheeler, the Democratic nominee for
the senate.
Carl Riddick, the Republican nominee
for the senate. was a minority choice in
the primaries While he came from the
ultra-radical group and was n member
of the Non-Partisan league. he poses as
a conservative and the friend of Presi-
dent Harding Governor Dixon is
fight but the expectation is that he and
Riddick will sooner or later get together.
Result Depends On Coalition.
Mr. Wheelers chances of victory lie
entirely in a coalition of Democrats of
both progressive and conservative in
clination. regular Republicans and all
those who will vote for state candidates
gram. In the primaries Mr.. Dixon's men
won the Republican nomination in half
the number of>legislative districts.
Here. as in North Dakota. the voter
will have to do good deal of scratching
to accomplish his purpose. Instead of
voting for or against the Non-Partisan
league, as was the case two years ago.
the effort is to support or destroy Dixon
ism Governor Dixon has built up quite
a powerful machine not unlike that of
la Toilette in Wisconsin and Hiram
Johnson in California. 1t is supposed he
wants to go back to the United States
senate two years hence while Senator
Walsh. Democratic, viii be up for re-