The Elk Mountain pilot., 1924-10-09
WHEELER SCOURCE
OF CORRUPTION
Vice Presidential Candidate
Drove Daugherty From
Office.
0Y JOHN QUINN

Washington. d. C.-The dominant
quality Of Senator Burton Kendall
Wheeler is his magnificer courage,
blended with personal aminility and
guided and directed by brain of alert
Intelligence.
Outside of Montana, the public
knows little of the story of Wheeler's
q years of struggle and achievement.
Wheeler was born at Hudson, Mass.
q small New England village. on Feb
ruary n. 1882. His father was the
village shoemaker. His mother traced
her lineage back through three cen
turtles Of distinguished New England
ancestry. Wheeier's forbears, in fact,
were on American soil before 'the
Lowells who speak only to Cabots,"
and "the Cabots who speak only to
God" had made Massachusetts the
scene Of their aristocratic and exclu-
sive activities
Young Wheeler spent no time ad-
mirlng his family tree. He was am
bilious and energetic. and early set
out to earn his own way in the world.
The youngest OF ten children. he
by cultivating a strawberry patch and
selling his produce at Hudson. He
peddled pop corn and peanuts at base
ball games, sold newspapers and man
aged to support himself by other odd
Jobs while he flashed high school.
Goes West to Study.
He determined to go West to study
for the law. He went to Michigan and
entered the law school at Ann Arbor.
He had less than $40 in his pocket
when he enrolled for the school year
and ii was necessary for him to wait
on students tables and do stenographic
work In order to pay his tuition and
his living expenses.
Wheeler entered law office at
Butte, Mont. and after few years
his two-fsted lighting ability won him
a big practice. In 1910 he entered
politics as candidate for the legisla-
ture and was elected. Thomas J.
Walsh then one of the leading law
yers of Montana, was candidate for
the United States senate at that ses-
sion of the legislature.
Through the tense days of that session
he stood up mnnfully, giving blow for
blow, and went down fighting when
the copper interests finally triumphed,
Later he helped in the campaign for
the adoption Of constitutional
amendment providing for the direct
election of United States senators In
Montana and had the satisfaction of
seeing Walsh elected by a direct vote
of the people In 1912.
In 1920 he won the Democratic NOM
ination for governor. Every Repub-
lican and Democrat newspaper and
most OF the weeklies opposed him.
Nevertheless. in the November election
he ran 1900 votes ahead of Governor
Cox. the head OF the Democratic ticket
Chosen Senator by Progressives.
In 1922. the Progressives of Mon
tana called upon him to become a can
didate for the United States senate.
Early In the session. Wheeler pre-
pared a resolution providing for an In
vestigatlou of the Department Of JUS
tice. He received little encouragement
from the members Of his own party
but the Progressive Republicans gave
him their active support and a COM
mittee to conduct the Inquiry was
elected from the senate ioor. on mo-
tion OF Senator LaFoilette.
The story of Wheeler's conduct Of
this case against corruption and NAL
feasance In the Department Of Justics
IL already well known TO the public.
Single-handed. he carried on his fight,
pursued every step OF the way by spy
ing agents detailed by Daugherty and
Burns to shadow" him and to get
something on him"
81 am a Democrat, but not Wall
street Democrat" In these words
voicing the sentiments of the progress
sives Of his own party, Senator Burton
K. Wheeler accepted Endorsement ~
a candidate for vice president ON the
fndenande0t Progressive ticket