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Montana capital referendum
Montana capital referendum, second round (1894)
Results
Helena 90-100% 80–90% 70–80% 60–70% 50–60%	Anaconda 80-90% 70-80% 60-70% 50-60%

In the 1890s, the state of Montana held a referendum to select its capital city. The first round was held in 1892 between several cities, and since none won outright, a second round was held in 1894. After an expensive and negative campaign, Helena was selected as the capital over Anaconda by a margin of around 2,000 votes (3.6 percent).

Background

In 1891, Montana legislators passed a bill to select a capital city by referendum in the general election of 1892; if no city were to win a majority, then a second referendum would be held in 1894.^[1] The cities of Anaconda, Boulder, Bozeman, Butte, Deer Lodge, Great Falls, and Helena (then the temporary capital) entered the 1892 referendum after collecting enough signatures from residents.^[1] In the first round, Boulder received 295 votes; Deer Lodge, 983; Great Falls, 5,049; Bozeman, 7,685; Butte, 7,752; Anaconda, 10,183; and Helena, 14,010.^[2] As no city won the referendum outright, the two cities with the highest share of the vote—Helena and Anaconda—were entered to compete in the general election of 1894.^[3]

Campaign

Both Helena and Anaconda were problematic cities for voters.^[4] Where Helena, as the temporary capital, had been embroiled in political dysfunction,^[A] Anaconda was perceived as a working-class, industrial city under the control of Marcus Daly and his corporations.^[6]

During the campaign season of September and October 1894, newspaper editorials in favor of a city were printed, and political memorabilia—including campaign buttons and banners—were minted.^[7] Organizations to promote cities were formed, and rallies were held to distribute campaign materials.^[7] Negative campaigning was prominent, with supporters of Helena decrying Anaconda as a socially inferior city that was beheld to a corporate business class, and with Anaconda supporters condemning Helena as a pretentious city of politics that did not possess a meaningful economy.^[7] Butte's Populist Tribune, for instance, framed the referendum as a question of accepting "Helena dictatorship" over the people, and Helena's Colored Citizen^[B] warned that Anaconda was ruled by the same interests that "has always crushed out the black man from every factory or workshop".^[9]

There were far fewer women in Anaconda than in Helena—supporters of its bid thought the settlement of women was beneficial because it could harbor a permanent population, but opponents believed it produced effeminate men.^[11] Helena's Social Supremacy, a satirical pamphlet that sought to debase Helena's image, said that where the city consumed 17,669 Manhattan cocktails daily, Anaconda consumed just 127; where Helena had 774 "ladies with poodle dogs", Anaconda had none; and where Helena possessed 1,343 "skeletons in closets", Anaconda possessed 16.^[12]

Results

In November 1894, Helena was chosen over Anaconda by a margin of around 2,000 votes: Helena received 27,024 votes (51.8% of the total), and Anaconda received 25,118 (48.2%).^[13] The total cost for the campaigns was between $1 and $2 million,^[C] in part because of their elaborate campaign strategies—which included fireworks, memorabilia, and coins.^[14] One of the prominent campaigners for Helena's bid, William A. Clark, reportedly celebrated the results by purchasing Helena's residents drinks at a cost of $30,000.^[D]^[14]

1892 Montana capital referendum (first round)^[15]
Candidate	Votes	%
Helena	14,032	30.5%
Anaconda	10,272	22.3%
Butte	7,767	16.9%
Bozeman	7,636	16.6%
Great Falls	5,036	10.9%
Deer Lodge	983	2.1%
Boulder	295	0.6%
Total votes	46,021	100%

1894 Montana capital referendum (second round)^[16]
Candidate	Votes	%
Helena	27,024	51.8%
Anaconda	25,118	48.2%
Total votes	52,142	100%

Results by county

Round One (1892)^[15]^[a]

County	Helena %	Helena	Anaconda %	Anaconda	Butte %	Butte	Bozeman %	Bozeman	Great Falls %	Great Falls	Deer Lodge %	Deer Lodge	Boulder %	Boulder	Total
Beaverhead	26.41%	365	31.77%	439	23.73%	328	14.25%	197	2.82%	39	0.80%	11	0.22%	3	1,382
Cascade	7.31%	215	1.97%	58	0.75%	22	0.68%	20	89.06%	2,621	0.20%	6	0.03%	1	2,943
Chouteau	49.22%	784	4.90%	78	0.56%	9	1.13%	18	43.44%	692	0.75%	12	0.00%	0	1,593
Custer	34.61%	451	1.00%	13	1.23%	16	58.33%	760	3.91%	51	0.38%	5	0.54%	7	1,303
Dawson	41.59%	267	0.47%	3	1.09%	7	34.58%	222	20.56%	132	1.25%	8	0.47%	3	642
Deer Lodge	17.99%	1,018	52.63%	2,979	9.54%	540	4.84%	274	0.77%	44	14.03%	794	0.19%	11	5,660
Fergus	52.59%	740	1.14%	16	0.57%	8	6.47%	91	38.73%	545	0.14%	2	0.36%	5	1,407
Gallatin	4.47%	104	1.25%	29	0.56%	13	92.87%	2,163	0.64%	15	0.00%	0	0.21%	5	2,329
Jefferson	52.49%	1,032	9.92%	195	13.17%	259	13.63%	268	1.58%	31	0.25%	5	8.95%	176	1,966
Lewis and Clark	91.74%	4,974	2.14%	116	1.35%	73	2.07%	112	2.40%	130	0.17%	9	0.15%	8	5,422
Madison	15.77%	250	6.06%	96	33.44%	530	42.65%	676	0.32%	5	1.20%	19	0.57%	9	1,585
Meagher	56.73%	1,104	2.36%	46	4.01%	78	14.23%	277	22.35%	435	0.10%	2	0.21%	4	1,946
Missoula	24.25%	1,351	56.62%	3,155	8.74%	487	4.81%	268	3.86%	215	1.26%	70	0.47%	26	5,572
Park	27.90%	678	10.41%	253	4.44%	108	55.47%	1,348	1.56%	38	0.08%	2	0.21%	5	2,430
Silver Bow	4.36%	385	30.37%	2,682	59.28%	5,234	4.63%	409	0.63%	56	0.41%	36	0.32%	28	8,830
Yellowstone	34.17%	314	1.52%	14	4.90%	45	58.0%	533	0.76%	7	0.22%	2	0.44%	4	919

Round Two (1894)^[16]^[b]

County	Helena %	Helena	Anaconda %	Anaconda	Total
Beaverhead	49.53%	637	50.47%	649	1,286
Cascade	42.91%	1,576	57.09%	2,097	3,673
Chouteau	77.28%	1,007	22.72%	296	1,303
Custer	67.15%	924	32.85%	452	1,376
Dawson	77.49%	389	22.51%	113	502
Deer Lodge	18.74%	955	81.26%	4,142	5,097
Fergus	80.03%	1,206	19.97%	301	1,507
Flathead	31.89%	633	68.11%	1,352	1,985
Gallatin	44.61%	1,042	55.39%	1,294	2,336
Granite	48.62%	636	51.38%	672	1,308
Jefferson	68.58%	1,772	31.42%	812	2,584
Lewis and Clark	94.95%	5,377	5.05%	286	5,663
Madison	51.52%	969	48.48%	912	1,881
Meagher	76.29%	1,155	23.71%	359	1,514
Missoula	46.75%	1,296	53.25%	1,476	2,772
Park	67.17%	1,543	32.83%	754	2,297
Ravalli	15.45%	291	84.55%	1,593	1,884
Silver Bow	38.07%	4,003	61.93%	6,513	10,516
Teton	63.91%	487	36.09%	275	762
Valley	70.52%	287	29.48%	120	407
Yellowstone	56.22%	831	43.78%	647	1,478

Notes and references

Notes

^ Early Montana legislatures were chaotic, with deadlock only addressed through precarious political compromises.^[5]
^ A paper for the African American community of Montana, the Colored Citizen was financed heavily by the Republican Party and was established specifically for the election.^[8] The paper was anti-immigrant; its editor stated that Anaconda's mining companies preferred "Dagoes and foreigners to native colored Americans".^[9] After the election, the paper dissolved.^[10]
^ Equivalent to $35–$70 million in 2023.
^ Equivalent to $1,056,462 in 2023.

^ These are the results that appeared in the table published by the Independent Record on November 29th, 1892. These are not official and may not show every vote counted, but more than 99% of votes should be accounted for here.
^ These are the results that appeared in the table published by the Independent Record on November 21st, 1894. These are not official and may not show every vote counted, but more than 99% of votes should be accounted for here.

Citations

^ ^a ^b Anaconda Standard 1917, p. 2; Lang 1987, p. 38.
^ Lang 1987, p. 39.
^ Anaconda Standard 1917, p. 2.
^ Lang 1987, p. 43.
^ Lang 1987.
^ Lang 1987, pp. 43–44.
^ ^a ^b ^c Lang 1987, p. 44.
^ Leech 2008, p. 9.
^ ^a ^b Lang 1987, p. 45.
^ Taylor 1979, p. 346.
^ Leech 2008, pp. 6–7.
^ Newby 1987, p. 69.
^ Leech 2008, p. 12.
^ ^a ^b Malone 1983, p. 10.
^ ^a ^b "The Daily Independent: Helena, Tuesday Morning, November 29, 1892 (p. 1)". Independent Record. Library of Congress. Retrieved June 26, 2023.
^ ^a ^b "The Daily Independent: Helena, Wednesday Morning, November 21, 1894 (p. 5)". Independent Record. Library of Congress. Retrieved June 26, 2023.

Bibliography

Lang, William L. (1987). "Spoils of statehood". Montana: The Magazine of Western History. 37 (4).
Leech, Brian (April 12, 2008). "Hired hands from abroad": The populist producer's ethic, immigrant workers, and nativism in Montana's 1894 state capital election. James A. Rawley Graduate Conference in the Humanities — Imagining communities: People, places, meanings. Lincoln, NE. pp. 1–21.
Malone, Michael P. (1983). "Midas of the West: The incredible career of William Andrews Clark". Montana: The Magazine of Western History. 33 (4): 2–17. ISSN 0026-9891. JSTOR 4518776.
Newby, Rick (1987). "Helena's Social Supremacy: Political sarcasm and the capital fight". Montana: The Magazine of Western History. 37 (4): 68–72. ISSN 0026-9891. JSTOR 4519094.
Taylor, Quintard (1979). "The emergence of black communities in the Pacific Northwest: 1865–1910". The Journal of Negro History. 64 (4): 342–354. doi:10.2307/2716942. JSTOR 2716942. S2CID 132137921.
"How lone Chinaman nearly won election". Anaconda Standard. June 3, 1917.

[6] Early Montana legislatures were chaotic, with deadlock only addressed through precarious political compromises.^[5]

[12] A paper for the African American community of Montana, the Colored Citizen was financed heavily by the Republican Party and was established specifically for the election.^[8] The paper was anti-immigrant; its editor stated that Anaconda's mining companies preferred "Dagoes and foreigners to native colored Americans".^[9] After the election, the paper dissolved.^[10]

[16] Equivalent to $35–$70 million in 2023.

[18] Equivalent to $1,056,462 in 2023.

[firstroundcounty-21] These are the results that appeared in the table published by the Independent Record on November 29th, 1892. These are not official and may not show every vote counted, but more than 99% of votes should be accounted for here.

[secondroundcounty-22] These are the results that appeared in the table published by the Independent Record on November 21st, 1894. These are not official and may not show every vote counted, but more than 99% of votes should be accounted for here.

[FOOTNOTEAnaconda_Standard19172Lang198738-1] Anaconda Standard 1917, p. 2; Lang 1987, p. 38.

[FOOTNOTELang198739-2] Lang 1987, p. 39.

[FOOTNOTEAnaconda_Standard19172-3] Anaconda Standard 1917, p. 2.

[FOOTNOTELang198743-4] Lang 1987, p. 43.

[FOOTNOTELang1987-5] Lang 1987.

[FOOTNOTELang198743–44-7] Lang 1987, pp. 43–44.

[FOOTNOTELang198744-8] Lang 1987, p. 44.

[FOOTNOTELeech20089-9] Leech 2008, p. 9.

[FOOTNOTELang198745-10] Lang 1987, p. 45.

[FOOTNOTETaylor1979346-11] Taylor 1979, p. 346.

[FOOTNOTELeech20086–7-13] Leech 2008, pp. 6–7.

[FOOTNOTENewby198769-14] Newby 1987, p. 69.

[FOOTNOTELeech200812-15] Leech 2008, p. 12.

[FOOTNOTEMalone198310-17] Malone 1983, p. 10.

[1892_county-19] "The Daily Independent: Helena, Tuesday Morning, November 29, 1892 (p. 1)". Independent Record. Library of Congress. Retrieved June 26, 2023.

[1894_county-20] "The Daily Independent: Helena, Wednesday Morning, November 21, 1894 (p. 5)". Independent Record. Library of Congress. Retrieved June 26, 2023.

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PROFILPELAJAR.COM

Montana capital referendum

Background

Campaign

Results

Results by county

Notes and references

Notes

Citations

Bibliography

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