DEMOCRATIC COUNTY CONVENTION IN SESSION

The Butte Daily Post, Butte, 1904-05-14, p.8

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Summary

"(Continued from Page One.)" Coverage of the **14 May 1904 Silver Bow Democratic county convention** — DISTINCT from the September 1904 primaries clipping (1904-09-11). The convention selects 86 delegates + 86 alternates to attend the state Democratic convention at Great Falls on 17 May 1904. Temporary chairman made permanent. Temporary secretary made permanent secretary. Charles F. Roe assistant secretary. Committee of seven to select state-convention delegates: W. B. Daly, M. P. Gilchrist, Mike Peters, P. J. Sullivan, Joe Riley, Harry Riley, Maurice Hartnett. "**Those behind the slate were Clark's friends**, and it was taken to mean that none but those delegates favorable to that gentleman would be selected." (Senator William A. Clark, the copper king; the Clark / Heinze faction war is the Butte political backdrop, four months before the September Heinze mines-shutdown attempt.) **Delegates and alternates seated** (top of the list; the column continues beyond the clip): - Precinct 1: Patrick Colligan, Michael Peters, John Green, M. O'Rourke (del); **Michael Murphy**, Thomas Green, Michael Reynolds, Edward Peters (alt) - Precinct 2: William Mulcare, John Melville, Thomas Collins (del); Michael Murray, John Sivalon, Charles Beley (alt) - Precinct 3: John Cannon, J. P. Holland, Patrick Collins (del); Hamner, Thomas Noonan, Daniel Mulcare (alt) - Precinct 5: **J. B. Murphy**, John J. Collins, John Quilty, John J. Lempan, Peter Shea, John J. Sullivan, **James Chatham** (del); George Decker, William Lohman, John Noonan, P. B. Leahy, John Shea, **James J. Murphy**, P. V. Ryan (alt) - Precinct 7: [cut off — continues below the clip] ## FAMILY RELEVANCE (a) **James Chatham**, Precinct 5 delegate, also on the September 1904 Precinct 5 slate. Chatham is the birth family of Mary Chatham Kelly, mother of Agnes Kelly, who married James J. Murphy (1883-1938) on 19 Oct 1908. He is plausibly Mary's brother or a son of John A. Chatham (d. Butte 1901); not yet resolved. One of the earliest Butte civic appearances of the Chatham branch in the archive. (b) **James J. Murphy**, Precinct 5 alternate, sits beside **P. V. Ryan** — Pat V. Ryan, an in-law of the OTHER James J. Murphy (d. 1927, 79 Missoula avenue). That leans this entry to the other man, but the user's JJM (then ~20, a Hennessy's clerk and a Democrat) is not excluded. Held in `mentioned:`. (c) Three Butte Murphys on the slates: Michael Murphy (P1 alt), J. B. Murphy (P5 del), James J. Murphy (P5 alt). The September 1904 primaries had James P., J. D. and bare James. (d) **Peter Shea** and **John Shea** (P5) — Shea is a Beara surname (Margaret Shea Lyne, JJM's maternal grandmother), but both are common names; no link established.

In its time

Narrative

At the Silver Bow County Democratic convention, the committee on permanent organization recommends keeping the temporary chairman and secretary in place, names Charles F. Roe assistant secretary, and sets an order of business providing for a committee of seven to choose 86 delegates and 86 alternates for the state convention at Great Falls on May 17, 1904. W. B. Daly, M. P. Gilchrist, Mike Peters, P. J. Sullivan, Joe Riley, Harry Riley and Maurice Hartnett are appointed to that committee after a pre-arranged slate, backed by Clark's friends, collapsed. Delegates and alternates seated from Precincts 1, 2, 3 and 5 are listed, among them Patrick Colligan, Michael Reynolds, William Mulcare, John Cannon, J. B. Murphy and James Chatham. [transcription continues beyond the clip at Precinct 7]

  • “its promoters met a snag somewhere, and the result was that the slate was smashed to smithereens”
  • “there is a faint possibility that he will go as alternate to Senator Clark”

AI-generated (claude-opus-5). Verify against the transcription before quoting.

People

Also mentioned

  • J. B. Murphy · delegate_precinct_5

    Another distinct Butte Murphy (Joseph B. or James B.?). Not attributable to any known family Murphy; distinct from the James J. Murphy alternate on the same slate.

  • John J. Collins · delegate_precinct_5
  • John Quilty · delegate_precinct_5
  • John J. Lempan · delegate_precinct_5
  • Peter Shea · delegate_precinct_5

    Shea is a Beara surname (cf. Margaret Shea Lyne, JJM's maternal grandmother). Common name; no link established.

  • John J. Sullivan · delegate_precinct_5
  • George Decker · alternate_precinct_5
  • William Lohman · alternate_precinct_5
  • John Noonan · alternate_precinct_5
  • P. B. Leahy · alternate_precinct_5
  • John Shea · alternate_precinct_5

    Shea is a Beara surname. Common name; no link established.

  • James J. Murphy · alternate_precinct_5

    Ambiguous between the user's JJM (1883-1938) and the other James J. Murphy (d. 1927). Beside P. V. Ryan, the other man's in-law, it leans to the other man; not decisive. No attribution.

  • P. V. Ryan · alternate_precinct_5

    Pat V. Ryan, recurring Butte Democratic figure; in-law of the other James J. Murphy (d. 1927).

  • Charles F. Roe · assistant_secretary
  • W. B. Daly · committee_to_select_delegates
  • M. P. Gilchrist · committee_to_select_delegates
  • Mike Peters · committee_to_select_delegates
  • P. J. Sullivan · committee_to_select_delegates

    Common name; no family Sullivan link established.

  • Joe Riley · committee_to_select_delegates
  • Harry Riley · committee_to_select_delegates
  • Maurice Hartnett · committee_to_select_delegates
  • Clark · faction_leader_referenced

    Senator William A. Clark, copper king, US Senator from Montana 1901-1907. The convention story is about his faction's delegate slate.

  • Patrick Colligan · delegate_precinct_1
  • Michael Peters · delegate_precinct_1
  • John Green · delegate_precinct_1
  • M. O'Rourke · delegate_precinct_1
  • Michael Murphy · alternate_precinct_1

    Another distinct Butte Murphy; no middle initial. Not attributable.

  • Thomas Green · alternate_precinct_1
  • Michael Reynolds · alternate_precinct_1
  • Edward Peters · alternate_precinct_1
  • William Mulcare · delegate_precinct_2
  • John Melville · delegate_precinct_2
  • Thomas Collins · delegate_precinct_2
  • Michael Murray · alternate_precinct_2
  • John Sivalon · alternate_precinct_2
  • Charles Beley · alternate_precinct_2
  • John Cannon · delegate_precinct_3
  • J. P. Holland · delegate_precinct_3
  • Patrick Collins · delegate_precinct_3
  • Hamner · alternate_precinct_3

    Surname only. Checked against the page scan 2026-10-03: Hamner (earlier transcriptions had Hanner and Hanmer).

  • Thomas Noonan · alternate_precinct_3
  • Daniel Mulcare · alternate_precinct_3

Places

Themes

Story threads

Tags

Source type

news_item, list_of_officers

Related sources

Transcription
transcription: partial · confidence high
# DEMOCRATIC COUNTY CONVENTION IN SESSION *(Continued from Page One.)* *The Butte Daily Post, Saturday, May 14, 1904, p. 8.* permanent organization and order of business, recommend as follows: > "First — That the temporary chairman be made permanent chairman. > > "Second — That the temporary secretary be made permanent secretary of this convention. > > "Third — That Charles F. Roe be made assistant secretary of this convention. > > "Fourth — We recommend the following order of business: > > "Report of committee on credentials; also that a committee of seven delegates be appointed by the chair to select 86 delegates and 86 alternates to attend the Montana state democratic convention to be held at the city of Great Falls on May 17, 1904." The roll was then called and the report of the committee on credentials was accepted. The chair then appointed the following committee, which will select the delegates to the state convention: W. B. Daly, M. P. Gilchrist, Mike Peters, P. J. Sullivan, Joe Riley, Harry Riley and Maurice Hartnett. A slate of the delegates to be sent to Great Falls had been perfected previous to the convention, but its promoters met a snag somewhere, and the result was that the slate was smashed to smithereens and the matter of selecting delegates was left entirely with the committee of seven appointed for that purpose. Those behind the slate were Clark's friends, and it was taken to mean that none but those delegates favorable to that gentleman would be selected. As it is, the committee selecting the delegates has upon it declared friends of Clark, and there is a faint possibility that he will go as alternate to Senator ClarkButte: companies, unions & placesThe Copper KingsWilliam A. Clark, Marcus Daly and F. Augustus Heinze, whose rivalry over Butte’s mines ran Montana politics from the late 1880s to 1906.More in Key terms →. The delegates and alternates seated at the convention were as follows: ## Precinct 1. Delegates — Patrick Colligan, Michael Peters, John Green and M. O'Rourke. Alternates — Michael Murphy, Thomas Green, Michael Reynolds and Edward Peters. ## Precinct 2. Delegates — William Mulcare, John Melville and Thomas Collins. Alternates — Michael Murray, John Sivalon and Charles Beley. ## Precinct 3. Delegates — John Cannon, J. P. Holland and Patrick Collins. Alternates — Hamner, Thomas Noonan and Daniel Mulcare. ## Precinct 5. Delegates — J. B. Murphy, John J. Collins, John Quilty, John J. Lempan, Peter Shea, John J. Sullivan and James Chatham. Alternates — George Decker, William Lohman, John Noonan, P. B. Leahy, John Shea, James J. Murphy and P. V. Ryan. ## Precinct 7. [*— continues beyond the clip —*]

Dotted underlines mark key terms on first mention — hover or tab to one for a reference note. The wording is the source’s own.

Open questions

  • James Chatham — explicit relationship to Mary Chatham Kelly? Brother, or a son of John A. Chatham? Not yet resolved against the GEDCOM Chatham line.
  • James J. Murphy (May 1904 P5 alternate) — the user's JJM or the other James J. Murphy (d. 1927)? And is he the bare "James Murphy" P5 alternate of September 1904? The P. V. Ryan adjacency leans to the other man.
  • Peter Shea + John Shea — any relationship to Margaret Shea Lyne? Both common names; pending the Annals of Beara Shea line.
  • Promote Michael Murphy (P1 alt) and J. B. Murphy (P5 delegate) to candidate Butte-Murphy person records on back-pass — both have specific year + precinct + Democratic-party detail to distinguish.

Source ID: 1904-05-14_butte-daily-post_democratic-county-convention-in-session-may-1904

On page: 1904-05-14_butte-daily-post_p08

Clipped by lukedmurphy on 2020-10-15.