DEMOCRATIC COUNTY CONVENTION IN SESSION

The Butte Daily Post, Butte, 1904-05-14, p.8

Summary

"(Continued from Page One.)" Coverage of the **May 1904 Silver Bow Democratic county convention** — DISTINCT from the September 1904 primaries clipping (1904-09-11). The May convention selects 86 delegates + 86 alternates to attend the state Democratic convention at Great Falls May 17 1904. Pre-Heinze-mines-disruption coverage of the same year's Democratic activity in Silver Bow. Temporary chairman made permanent. Temporary secretary made permanent secretary. Charles F. Roe assistant secretary. Committee to select state-convention delegates: W. B. Daly, M. P. Gilchrist, Mike Peters, P. J. Sullivan, Joe Riley, Harry Riley, Maurice Hartnett. "**Those behind the slate were Clark's friends**, and it was taken to mean that none but those delegates favorable to that gentleman would be selected." (William A. Clark — the copper king who became US Senator from Montana through bribery in 1899; recurring Butte political faction-leader.) **Delegates and alternates seated** (incomplete, top of column cut and continued): - Precinct 1: Patrick Colligan, Michael Peters, John Green, M. O'Rourke (del); **Michael Murphy**, Thomas Green, Michael Reynolds, Edward Peters (alt) - Precinct 2: William Mulcare, John Melville, Thomas Collins (del); Michael Murray, John Sivalon, Charles Beley (alt) - Precinct 3: John Cannon, J. P. Holland, Patrick Collins (del); Hanner, Thomas Noonan, Daniel Mulcare (alt) - Precinct 5: **J. B. Murphy**, John J. Collins, John Quilty, John J. Lempan, Peter Shea, John J. Sullivan, **James Chatham** (del); George Decker, William Lohman, John Noonan, P. B. Leahy, John Shea, **James J. Murphy**, P. V. Ryan (alt) - Precinct 7: [cut off — continues below the clip] ARCHIVE SIGNIFICANCE. (a) **Pre-September-1904 snapshot of Butte Democratic Party precinct slates.** Three more distinct Butte Murphys: **Michael Murphy** (P1 alt), **J. B. Murphy** (P5 del), **James J. Murphy** (P5 alt). The September 1904 primaries (1904-09-11) had James P., J. D., and bare-name James. Some overlap is possible but the May list adds Michael Murphy and J. B. Murphy as further distinct individuals. (b) "**Those behind the slate were Clark's friends**" — the William A. Clark / F. Augustus Heinze faction war is the Butte political backdrop. The May convention is the Clark faction's effort, four months before the September Heinze mines-shutdown attempt. (c) **James Chatham** appears as P5 delegate here AND on the Sept 1904 P5 delegate slate — confirmed as a same-precinct multi-event Butte Democratic figure. This PDF is NOT a duplicate of the Sept 1904 clipping; it's the same person appearing in two distinct Democratic events in 1904. (d) **P. V. Ryan** as P5 alternate — = Pat V. Ryan recurring.

Also mentioned

Michael Murphy · precinct_1_walkerville_democratic_alternate_may_1904
Another distinct Butte Murphy on the 1904 Democratic precinct slates. Walkerville Precinct 1 alternate. No middle initial.
J. B. Murphy · precinct_5_democratic_delegate_may_1904
Another distinct Butte Murphy. Middle initial B. (Joseph B. or James B.). Precinct 5 delegate, May 1904.
James J. Murphy · precinct_5_democratic_alternate_may_1904
Yet another distinct Butte Murphy with middle initial J. Could plausibly be JJM-Centerville-AOH at this early date (he'd be ~24); or could be the 1927-d. James J. Murphy. Held in mentioned only — no attribution without further evidence.
James Chatham · precinct_5_democratic_delegate
Same James Chatham as the Sept 1904 P5 delegate. Recurring Butte Chatham (= the user's associated-family surname). Two-pass confirmation of his Democratic-precinct activity.
P. V. Ryan · precinct_5_alternate
= Pat V. Ryan, recurring Butte Democratic figure.
William A. Clark · faction_leader_referenced_not_named
The 'Clark' faction is the Anaconda-affiliated wing of the Silver Bow Democratic Party at this period. William A. Clark was US Senator from Montana 1901-1907, copper-king-turned-politician.
W. B. Daly · committee_to_select_delegates
M. P. Gilchrist · committee_to_select_delegates
Mike Peters · committee_to_select_delegates
P. J. Sullivan · committee_to_select_delegates
Joe Riley · committee_to_select_delegates
Harry Riley · committee_to_select_delegates
Maurice Hartnett · committee_to_select_delegates
Charles F. Roe · assistant_secretary

Places

Themes

Source type

news_item, list_of_officers

Related sources

1904-09-11 — The Butte Miner, p.7 — DEMOCRATS HOLD THEIR PRIMARIES

Transcription

transcription: partial · confidence high

# DEMOCRATIC COUNTY CONVENTION IN SESSION *(Continued from Page One.)* *The Butte Daily Post, Saturday, May 14, 1904, p. 8.* permanent organization and order of business, recommend as follows: > "First — That the temporary chairman be made permanent chairman. > > "Second — That the temporary secretary be made permanent secretary of this convention. > > "Third — That Charles F. Roe be made assistant secretary of this convention. > > "Fourth — We recommend the following order of business: > > "Report of committee on credentials; also that a committee of seven delegates be appointed by the chair to select 86 delegates and 86 alternates to attend the Montana state democratic convention to be held at the city of Great Falls on May 17, 1904." The roll was then called and the report of the committee on credentials was accepted. The chair then appointed the following committee, which will select the delegates to the state convention: W. B. Daly, M. P. Gilchrist, Mike Peters, P. J. Sullivan, Joe Riley, Harry Riley and Maurice Hartnett. A slate of the delegates to be sent to Great Falls had been perfected previous to the convention, but its promoters met a snag somewhere, and the result was that the slate was smashed to smithereens and the matter of selecting delegates was left entirely with the committee of seven appointed for that purpose. Those behind the slate were Clark's friends, and it was taken to mean that none but those delegates favorable to that gentleman would be selected. As it is, the committee selecting the delegates has upon it declared friends of Clark, and there is a faint possibility that he will go as alternate to Senator Clark. The delegates and alternates seated at the convention were as follows: ## Precinct 1. Delegates — Patrick Colligan, Michael Peters, John Green and M. O'Rourke. Alternates — Michael Murphy, Thomas Green, Michael Reynolds and Edward Peters. ## Precinct 2. Delegates — William Mulcare, John Melville and Thomas Collins. Alternates — Michael Murray, John Sivalon and Charles Beley. ## Precinct 3. Delegates — John Cannon, J. P. Holland and Patrick Collins. Alternates — Hanner, Thomas Noonan and Daniel Mulcare. ## Precinct 5. Delegates — J. B. Murphy, John J. Collins, John Quilty, John J. Lempan, Peter Shea, John J. Sullivan and James Chatham. Alternates — George Decker, William Lohman, John Noonan, P. B. Leahy, John Shea, James J. Murphy and P. V. Ryan. ## Precinct 7. [*— continues beyond the clip —*]

Open questions

Are James J. Murphy (May 1904 P5 alternate) and bare James Murphy (Sept 1904 P5 alternate) the same person? The middle initial appears in May, drops in September — possibly typesetter omission. Worth a back-pass.
Promote Michael Murphy (P1 alt) and J. B. Murphy (P5 delegate) to candidate Butte-Murphy person records on back-pass — both have specific year + precinct + Democratic-party detail to distinguish.