Laurel outlook., 1949-09-07
BOYS STATE REPORT
IS GIVEN ROTAR|ANS

At its weekly luncheon Tuesday
the Laurel Rotary club heard a
report from Lowell Anderson, high
school senior, on this years ses-
sion of Montana Boys State at
Dillon which he attended as one of
Laurel's four representatives. He
had been sponsored by the club,
while others had been sent by the
Kiwanis club, Fraternal Order
of Eagles and local American Le-
gion post.
Fred W.. Graft, program COM
mitteeman who introduced the
speaker, said Boys State is one of
the Legion's national projects and
is intended to provide young men
of the nation with demonstrations
of the American government they
will live under and control in the
years to come.
The club program opened with
two vocal solos by Miss Ardelle
Anderson, sister of the speaker,
who had Miss Linda Johnston as
her piano accompanist. B. M. Har-
ris, president of the Yellowstone
banks at Laurel and Columbus,
spoke a few minutes regarding an
address that had been delivered
by DR.. j. o. Christensen, super
intendent of the school of agricul-
tIre, University of Montana, at
the forty-sixth annual convention
of the Montana Bankers associa-
ton June 1926 this year in yell
lowstone park. The subject was
Rediscovering America. The bank
r considered the address of so
much value that they caused 3d.
600 printed copies to be made in
booklet form, some of which were
distributed at the Rotary meeting.
The 1949 session of Boys State
was the first the speaker, Ander-
son, had attended. He found it a
means to appreciate America and
to understand the representative
form of government America pos
sesses. The session of 10 days,
Aug. Ia to 20, was equivalent to
semester in school and was at
tended by 800 boys from over the
state.
Beginning at grass-roots, the as
sembly was divided into four cities
which organized and operated gov
ernments on a city basis. Coun-
ties of two cities each were then
formed, and the counties created a
state. Anderson was elected po-
lice judge in his city.
Campaigning for state offices
was intense and closely paral-
leled the real thing, with two par
ties strongly opposing each other
and using all acceptable means at
hand in their attempts to elect
their candidates. They contribut-
ed money for purchase of cam
paign materials and used the !
word, radio, and picture !
projectors. The political rallies
very realistic as to detail and
Incidentally, the parties
developed machine politics-some-
the boys had heard and read
about but had never seen in actual
operation. Rotarians gathered the 7
impression that the boys did not |
ike some of the methods, but had S
lad a lesson in what to do to con-
rol and correct. i
Another lesson was that despite s
Intensity of political feeling, the t
Americans unite as citizens. This n
vas represented at the solemn
lag raising each morning and at f
he lowering which closed the day. n
Gov. John Bonner and Justices {
olson and Adair of the supreme T
curt were among the several {
dult speakers. Demonstrations t.
put on by the F. B. l.. and S
ectures by the Montana highway C.
'atrol.
The 10 days were not all work; a
here were many entertainments, W
rovided by the people of Dillon, Il
lontana State university at Mis-
oula and Montana State college
t Bozeman. One day the boys
Iere taken to Virginia City, cradle
f Montana history. J
The climax and final event was !
he Boys State governors ball.
he boys were glad to return to
heir homes, but also regretted
their new friends.
Visitors and guests at the Ro-
airy meeting were DR.. William d..
'opeland, president of Rocky
fountain college, Billings; E. L..
.eed, Red Lodge; Rev. c. o. An
erson, Charles (Bob) White and
wayne Hageman, Jr., Laurel.