Celebrating History: Elections 100 years ago

By Emily Mayer

As today, the big news exactly 100 years ago was the election. I have had the opportunity to read those newspapers from a century ago, fully realizing the sobering reality that the unseemliness of today’s election is, it’s nothing compared to what was going on in 1924. Attacks on the voter registration list were launched in Butte, only to be thrown out by the Montana Supreme Court. The Governor of New Mexico sent National Guard troops to Las Vegas, New Mexico, to ensure that voters would not be intimidated because the local sheriff had been removed from office due to “irregularities” of how he conducted the office, and he was on the ballot. They Mayor of Las Vegas, New Mexico, declared martial law for the entire town during the election. All over the United States, the Ku Klux Klan had been causing problems throughout 1924, so it was no surprise they continued their antics into election season. On election day, violence in small towns such as Lexington, Tennessee and Chicago left people dead either at or near polling places, and two patrolmen in Detroit were stabbed in two fights at polling places in that city. And nowhere in those papers were any pleas for peace from those in leadership positions.

And all this happened just this week in 1924. You should read what had been happening all year, it’s a real eye opener. Suffice it to say, our forebearers were not the pristine examples we have taught ourselves to believe.

In Havre, however, the tone was markedly, and thankfully, different. Each political party decided to celebrate the day before the election, which was recorded for posterity in the November 4, 1924 Havre Daily Promoter.

CAMPAIGN CLOSES WITH DANCES IN HAVRE

Dances in the Elks hall, given by the republican candidates, and in the Havre Hotel, given by the democratic candidates, both well attended, closed the 1924 campaign in Hill county last evening.

Before the dancing the democrats held a final rally in political hall, with E. Pat Kelly of Livingston as principal speaker. Talks were made by the candidates and there was good music. The candidates put on the same program they have been giving in the county during the campaign.

Also in the same issue was this show of cooperation and unity.

ELECTION RETURNS AT POLITICAL HEADQUARTERS

Election returns will be received tonight at political hall.

The republican and democratic county central committees will unite in receiving the returns and in defraying the cost of getting national reports on the results.

A general invitation is extended to the voters to attend and hear the returns.

There was no mention in the newspapers where “political hall” was, but several campaign speeches and gatherings of both parties took place there throughout the 1924 campaign season.

I wish I could share with you the final results of the local elections from 1924, but the old newspaper on microfilm at the library that had the final results was so blotchy with ink, it is unreadable. If I can find a clean copy with that information in the future, I will certainly share it.