Celebrating History: News from the Hill County Democrat

By Emily Mayer

Because The Havre Plaindealer’s issues abruptly ended November 8, 1919, and won’t resume until March of 1920, the Hill County Democrat will be used for the next few months.

At one time, coal was king in Montana, including Havre. Hill County had several coal mines, and it was coal that presumably brought my great-grandfather, Frank Bunton, to the area as he owned a coal mine somewhere in Hill County. He later became a homesteader near Simpson.

One hundred years ago, several mine workers were striking throughout the country, leaving some communities short of Black Gold. But not here!

This article is found on the front page of the Democrat’s November 27, 1919, edition:

HAVRE HAS GOOD SUPPLY OF COAL ON HAND

The coal strike throughout the union has worked great hardships on many of the cities and towns by reason of the curtailment or closing down of many industries. A great portion of Montana is out of coal, many cities and towns have been burning wood and some are actually suffering by reason of the coal famine, but Havre has lots of coal. No one here has suffered any but all have all the coal they want and it is being sold at a very reasonable figure, $5.00 wholesale and $5.50 per ton retail.

Havre citizens may consider themselves lucky. No other city in the state except Chinook has the coal facilities that Havre has. Several mine, in fact practically all the coal mines of Havre are working to their full capacity and many dry land farmers with teams find ready employment in hauling the coal and also some dry landers are digging coal, having had experience in Pennsylvania before coming to Montana in digging coal and many of them have homesteads here.

The principal dealers are J. R. Alcott, G. J. Ayers, Louis Harry, Carnal and Heeter, Joseph Gussenhoven and W. S. Hedge, all of whom have a great daily output.

One of the reasons I chose the Hill County Democrat’s newspapers for this column is the owner. J. K. Bramble was a highly respected lawyer not only in Havre but throughout the state. He wasn’t afraid to speak his mind or put it in print. Here is one of the examples of his outspoken nature, found on his paper’s front page:

NO NEW ORLEANS IN HAVRE, OR IN MONTANA

The weather is very cold today in Havre, the ground is covered with snow and the thermometer is far below zero. And the worst of all is, you cannot get a drop of beer, wine or whiskey. The state is bone dry and even no Canadian blind pigger with the home-made stuff is in sight. So this is not a very hilarious Thanksgiving, none of the real good cheer is to be had and everybody looks as solemn as Ford or Huston or Stranahan, a little bilious, dyspeptic, something like a crabid deacon.

Thus life in Havre must be endured.

What a contrast in New Orleans, the city down by the sea, where the roses are in bloom and the weather is just fine! The city where you find the real southern beauty, clad in a summer attire of beautiful white, the city of poetic and historical attraction and interest, where all is gay, where the breeze coming up the river of mighty waters from the gulf fans your brow and you get a touch of real existence.

Right over the bar there today you can get a glass of wine, whiskey or beer. They are all sold and all you need is the wherewithal to purchase.

Federal Judge Foster, one of the real brainy and fearless fellows who sits upon the bench, has handed down a decision that war-time prohibition is unconstitutional. He has issued an injunction restraining federal authorities from interfering with bonded whiskey. He ruled that the war came to an official end when congress adjourned without rejecting the treaty with Germany. Right is this judge. The treaty was signed by the president. The senate of course must ratify, but they did not reject the treaty, hence the war is over. And New Orleans has no Joe Popes. If she did, they would be where they belong, in jail in the Crescent City down South.

Joe Pope is referenced in an editorial by Bramble. It appears he was a character in a movie being played at the Lyric theatre, with the movie’s theme being about the foibles of prohibition. Bramble was a strong opponent of prohibition, and he wasn’t that keen on women being granted the right to vote, either. In his editorial, he states:

The good looking ladies of Montana will vote against prohibition the next opportunity they have. You remember they all voted for Jeannette the first time but not the second. You can’t fool a real bright woman. Of course the real homely ones will vote dry, but there are so few of them in Montana they do not count. They are like Joe Pope and Huston, in the real minority.

It’s quite melodramatic to state “they all voted for Jeannette,” meaning Jeannette Rankin, Montana’s first congresswoman and the first ever in the nation. Not all women voted for her, certainly. And Congresswoman Rankin would not have been sent to Washington, D. C., without a number of men voting for her.

And, of course Ford, Huston and Stranahan are referring to Attorney General Sam Ford, Reverend E. J. Huston in Havre and Hill County Attorney Stranahan. He isn’t afraid to take swipes at them either.

As for the movie, I will try to track that down. I didn’t see an ad in the Democrat, but there must be one somewhere I can look at.

The disappointing feature of the Democrat is a lack of society news. There is a local news section of the little paragraphs stating who is coming and going from Havre. Here are a couple of entries:

Tuesday night the Havre Elks initiated the largest class in the history of the Havre lodge. The ceremonies began in the afternoon and lasted, owing to the great number of candidates, far into the night. The evening was concluded with a well ordered luncheon, served at the lodge.

And Tom DeWitt just couldn’t keep out of trouble. One would think that being acquitted of perjury charges would make one think twice, but not this guy.

An information charging burglary against Brakeman Tom DeWitt, for entering and stealing from box cars was yesterday filed by County Attorney Stranahan. Defendant was given until Friday morning to enter a plea.