Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1921-current, 1922-09-10

Burton X. Wheeler, Butte attorney,
has established himself as zone OF the
strongest men in the democratic party
in this state in the opinion OF seVerai
Montana editors who see much sig-
nificance in the large vote received oy
him in the August primaries.
With one or two exceptions, editors
have been silent on the question OF
whether or not Wheeler will have the
support of a united democratic party
in the fall election. Only one news
paper, the Billings Gazatte rep, mas
pointed to the possibility. that the IN
dependent" democrats, who joined WIN
the republicans In 1920 in defeating
Wheeler when he had the nonpartisan
league endorsement for governor, might
do so again.
Byron Cooney, editor of the Butte
Montana American (ind.), who was a
candidate for the democratic nomina-
ton for congress in the First district,
a Y that If the corporate interests
ARE wise, they will vote for wheeler.
The Montana American continues:
wheeler can raise more trouble Tor
big business In Montana If be is a mere
attorney-at-law in this state than II ne
was safely away for the next SIX years
at Washington.
"Riddick, if he is defeated, sinks into
oblivion; Wheeler, if he is defeated, re-
mains a thorn in the flesh of the cor
porate interests. Either man, IT he
goes to the senate, will not cut a very
large figure in national affairs, but
Wheeler is the most dangerous man to
the interests that can be left at home;
THE next governor of Montana VIII
probably be a democrat. and should the
hznlrc - %kraryr s,fn Whao1ar ar this
time by the big fellows, they have the
shadow of Wheeler hanging over them
as governor two years hence.
THE corporate interests of Montana
will probably figure out that the best
| place in the world for Wheeler is
Washington, u. c., and money is no
object when it becomes necessary to re-
move from the Montana field a man
as dangerous and as powerful as Wheel
er has proved to be-"
The New Northwest (ind.), at Mis-
soula believes that "it won't make much
difference" whether the corporate in
~terests support Wheeler or not-"the
temper of the voters was well demon
strated by the tremendous vote given
to him in the primaries" The New
Northwest doubts that Attorney Gen
| eral Wellington d. Rankin will give
| 1OuETtSSlldu SdIi W.. ItIuulthy thC lN
| publican nominee against Wheeler, his
support and "the result will be that a
high percentage of the republican vote
in the primaries will go to Wheeler in
the finals" The Missoula editor be-
lieves that if the corporate interests
start fighting Wheeler as they did two
Years ago. they will be forced to waste
much of the energy which they are try.
ing to centralize on the anti-Dixor
fight" They are much more vitality
interested. the New Northwest says
lin stopping the Dixon tax program
than in anything else, and they cannot
afford to force Dixon and Wheeler, the
most powerful leaders in the state, into
a coalition to fight a common enemy
In Wheeler's victory in the primary
in which he obtained about as many
votes as his competitors put together
the Butte Miner dem sees a victor!
for the progressives rather than for thu
radicals. The Miner continues: "Th'
fact that the Butte gentleman was bit
terly fought by the majority of thu
lNonpartisan leagle element, plainly in
dicates that that organization was dis
satisfied with his tenets of faith ant
turned against him.
Senator Anderson. who campaignet
for and with Mr.. Wheeler two year
ago, frequently denounced the gentle
man from the stump this time.
"As between radicalism and conser