DEMOCRATIC RALLY SCHEDULED TONIGHT

Summary

Sub-head: "Women Will Also Meet to Appoint Committees For Campaign." Joint meeting of the Silver Bow county Democratic executive committee with committeemen from the 81 precincts and four representatives of the Women's Democratic club, at the Democratic headquarters at **222 West Park** at 7:30pm, per Chairman C. P. Nevin. Mrs. Otto Simonsin, president of the Women's Democratic club, has called a meeting of that organization for 8pm in **the basement of the Democratic headquarters which now occupy the Murphy-Softly store building**. (The Murphy-Softley store itself is at 22 West Park — see ad clippings — so the Democratic HQ is sharing the building.) Mrs. Simonson will appoint a committee of four to act with the men's executive committee. Finance committee (newly appointed): William Meyer chairman, W. D. Horgan, Flurry Sullivan, Pat Holland, Steve Sullivan. Met in Mayor Horgan's office at city hall the previous afternoon. Headquarters open 9:30am to midnight. Information phone No. 665. ARCHIVE SIGNIFICANCE. (a) The **Murphy-Softley store building hosts the Silver Bow County Democratic Party HQ in the 1924 presidential year** (Davis vs. Coolidge vs. La Follette). The building's basement is the Women's Democratic club's organising space. This is a strong political detail: JJM, a lifelong Butte Democrat (cf. 1900 Ward 1 delegate, 1924 election judge etc.), is renting space in his store to the party. (b) Mayor Horgan named (W. D. Horgan) — confirms the 1924 Butte mayor. (c) Two distinct Sullivans (Flurry Sullivan and Steve Sullivan) on the finance committee — recurring Beara surname in Butte politics.

People

• James Joseph "James J." Murphy (b. 1883 Ardgroom; d. 1938 LA)(as printed: Murphy-Softly)
  role: store landlord for democratic party hq · family confidence: 10 flag

  Indirect — the article does not name JJM individually, but the building is his (Murphy-Softley store). Inferring his role as effective landlord to the Democratic party in this campaign cycle is plain reading.

Also mentioned

• C. P. Nevin · democratic_county_executive_chairman_1924
• Mrs. Otto Simonsin · womens_democratic_club_president

  Article uses both 'Simonsin' and 'Simonson' — likely 'Simonson' is correct; the first instance is typesetting drift.

• William Meyer · finance_committee_chairman
• W. D. Horgan · mayor_and_finance_committee

  Mayor of Butte 1924, William D. Horgan. Hosted the finance-committee meeting in his city hall office.

• Flurry Sullivan · finance_committee
• Pat Holland · finance_committee
• Steve Sullivan · finance_committee

Places

• Butte, Montana (primary)

Themes

• butte_economic_life
• municipal_politics
• irish_american_community

Story threads

• Berehaven Murphys
• Murphy-Softley and Money Back Store — JJM's Butte retail era 1920-1924

Tags

• candidate_family
• color

Source type

news_item, public_meeting_report

Related sources

• 1900-03-22 — The Butte Daily Post, p.3 — DEMOCRATIC CONVENTION. / Daly Faction Has a Working Majority. / HARRIS IS TURNED DOWN. / Routes by McArthur For Temporary Chairman — The Platform is Harmless.
• 1920-03-01 — The Anaconda Standard, p.6 — CHANGES ARE MADE IN BROWN COMPANY

Open questions

• The Murphy-Softley building hosting Democratic HQ in 1924 — is this a fee-paying lease or an in-kind political contribution? The clipping doesn't say. If the latter, it counts as a JJM political activity even though his name isn't on the article.
• W. D. Horgan as 1924 Butte mayor — worth a person record on a back-pass for the political-life chapter.