The circle banner. [volume] (Circle, Mont.) 1914-1939, 1924-06-27

BY observing the plants, this ont
element in seed production can b.
controlled and regulated to advan
Hogan got into politics or ever
dreamed of getting into the oil game
and before he developed a financia
bent of mind, he made his living by
the sweat of his brow and the
strength of his back feeding the furn-
aces at the silver smelter at Ana
conda for which he received the going
wage of $500 per day, and it was
not an eight-hour day either, for that
was long before the passage of the
eight-hour law.
Then Hogan, who afterwards be-
came secretary of state, a candidate
| for governor, and subsequently a
state senator, was just one of the
boys among the big gang which la
bored in the smelter at Anaconda,
but he was one of the fellows who
stood in with the boys and enjoyed
the confidence and respect of all, re-
CARELESS of the fact that he was draw
ing down only $500 a day and was
supporting a wife.
Hogan came to Montana in 1890
from his native state of Wisconsin
and for a year did general work
around the mines in Butte and for the
following three years was employed in
Anaconda at the furnaces where the
silver and gold were refined. 1t was
hard, laborious work, but he was
young, was popular with his associ-
ates and obtained their friendship to
the extent that when he finally got
into politics he had backing which
counted well.
When he married in 1893 and
brought his bride to Anaconda he
bought little house on Elm street
from which he used to start out ev-
cry morning to the smelter, dinner
pail in hand.
Tending furnace in a silver mill
is not pleasant job at all. When
the bars of metal-gold, silver and
copper-came from the converter to
the refinery they had to go through
many processes i'm order that the
metals might be separated. 1t was
in the furnaces of the silver mill
that the silver had to be extracted by
a fierce heat. Each furnace had a |
tender, whose duty it was to see that |
the heat was maintained, to skim the |
molten metal at the proper time and |
then to run it off.
1t was at this work that Hogan |
spent nearly four years and when he
went to Helena to fill an office in the |
capitol he left behind him a record |
as careful, Industrious and pains
taking workman.
He early became a student of So
cial conditions and politics and his
ambition seems to have been that of /
bettering the condition of his fellow
workmen. He was active in the cause
Of labor, and, by reason of his recog-
aized abilities, became district master
workman of the knights of Labor, of
Montana, which office he held for
several years.
When he was running for secre- |.
larry of state said one of his smelter
friends at that time, che didn't do
much campaigning. He kept pretty
steadily at work all the time, only
aging off now and then. After he
vas elected he came back to work
again, poking at his old furnace as
Usual. We joshed him a great deal
lbout a man holding a high office
Ind working at a furnace I guess
lie got a little hot about it, for he
Luit and went up to Helena to meet
he applicants for appointments. He
TODD by his friends, though, taking
Jimmy Toughill and Hamilton up
here with him as employees in his
ffice."
1t was the year of the state capital
light, 1894, that Hogan first went I
nto politics. From that time on, I'M [
il he became immersed in oil, he
ever entirely dropped out of the
anne. The same year he was nomin
ted for the legislature by the popu-
SITS but lost by bare 16 votes.
Then, in 1896, the year of the flu
ion of the populists and democrats,
e was selected by the populists as the
lslon candidate for secretary of
tate and was elected. AS his assist
nts in the office of secretary of
late he selected two of his former
ssociates in the smelter. He filled
lie office for the full term of four
ears, although in 1898 he sought
lie office of congressman as the can
idate of the populists, but he was
efeated by the democratic candi-
ate.
During the time he had been in the
'rvice of the state he had kept up
is studies of law and when his term
zpired he went to Butte where he
ngaged in the practice of law for
eriod of four years.
However, before he had finally
included his term as secretary of
ate, Hogan became candidate for
lie office of governor of Montana,
aying been nominated for that office
2 the Independent democrats in the
I'll of 1900, but went down to de-
lat before Joseph K Too1e.
Upon his retirement from office and
ter spending about four years in
lie practice Of law in Butte, Mr. Ho-
an removed to Billings where he re-
lmed his work in law and where he
'acticed for seven years, after
hich, having purchased 1000 acres
land near Huntley, he gave up the