Montana capital referendum

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]

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]

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]

Summarize Top Qs Fact Check

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

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