Montana capital referendum explained

Montana capital referendum
Montana capital referendum, second round (1894)
Yes Text:Helena
No Text:Anaconda
Yes:27,024
No:25,118
Total:52,142
Map:Montana Capital Referendum 1894 (Round 2).png
Mapcaption:Helena Anaconda
Date:November 6, 1894
Country:Montana

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. 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. 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. 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.

Campaign

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

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. Organizations to promote cities were formed, and rallies were held to distribute campaign materials. 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. Butte's Populist Tribune, for instance, framed the referendum as a question of accepting "Helena dictatorship" over the people, and Helena's Colored Citizen warned that Anaconda was ruled by the same interests that "has always crushed out the black man from every factory or workshop".

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. 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.

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%). The total cost for the campaigns was between $1 and $2 million, in part because of their elaborate campaign strategies—which included fireworks, memorabilia, and coins. 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.

Results by county

Round One (1892)

CountyHelena %HelenaAnaconda %AnacondaButte %ButteBozeman %BozemanGreat Falls %Great FallsDeer Lodge %Deer LodgeBoulder %BoulderTotal
26.41% 36531.77%43923.73% 328 14.25% 197 2.82% 39 0.80% 11 0.22% 3 1,382
7.31% 215 1.97% 58 0.75% 22 0.68% 20 89.06%2,6210.20% 6 0.03% 1 2,943
49.22% 7844.90% 78 0.56% 9 1.13% 18 43.44% 692 0.75% 12 0.00% 0 1,593
34.61% 451 1.00% 13 1.23% 16 58.33%7603.91% 51 0.38% 5 0.54% 7 1,303
41.59%2670.47% 3 1.09% 7 34.58% 222 20.56% 132 1.25% 8 0.47% 3 642
17.99% 1,018 52.63%2,9799.54% 540 4.84% 274 0.77% 44 14.03% 794 0.19% 11 5,660
52.59%7401.14% 16 0.57% 8 6.47% 91 38.73% 545 0.14% 2 0.36% 5 1,407
4.47% 104 1.25% 29 0.56% 13 92.87%2,1630.64% 15 0.00% 0 0.21% 5 2,329
52.49%1,0329.92% 195 13.17% 259 13.63% 268 1.58% 31 0.25% 5 8.95% 176 1,966
91.74%4,9742.14% 116 1.35% 73 2.07% 112 2.40% 130 0.17% 9 0.15% 8 5,422
15.77% 250 6.06% 96 33.44% 530 42.65%6760.32% 5 1.20% 19 0.57% 9 1,585
56.73%1,1042.36% 46 4.01% 78 14.23% 277 22.35% 435 0.10% 2 0.21% 4 1,946
24.25% 1,351 56.62%3,1558.74% 487 4.81% 268 3.86% 215 1.26% 70 0.47% 26 5,572
27.90% 678 10.41% 253 4.44% 108 55.47%1,3481.56% 38 0.08% 2 0.21% 5 2,430
4.36% 385 30.37% 2,682 59.28%5,2344.63% 409 0.63% 56 0.41% 36 0.32% 28 8,830
34.17% 314 1.52% 14 4.90% 45 58.0%5330.76% 7 0.22% 2 0.44% 4 919

Round Two (1894)

CountyHelena %HelenaAnaconda %AnacondaTotal
49.53% 637 50.47%6491,286
42.91% 1,576 57.09%2,0973,673
77.28%1,00722.72% 296 1,303
67.15%92432.85% 452 1,376
77.49%38922.51% 113 502
18.74% 955 81.26%4,1425,097
80.03%1,20619.97% 301 1,507
31.89% 633 68.11%1,3521,985
44.61% 1,042 55.39%1,2942,336
48.62% 636 51.38%6721,308
68.58%1,77231.42% 812 2,584
94.95%5,3775.05% 286 5,663
51.52%96948.48% 912 1,881
76.29%1,15523.71% 359 1,514
46.75% 1,296 53.25%1,4762,772
67.17%1,54332.83% 754 2,297
15.45% 291 84.55%1,5931,884
38.07% 4,003 61.93%6,51310,516
63.91%48736.09% 275 762
70.52%28729.48% 120 407
56.22%83143.78% 647 1,478

Notes and references

Bibliography