Among other things: Polson's first election raised eyebrows

Political campaigns and elections today can be questionable and controversial, but Polson’s first election in 1910 had some questionable moments, too. At least, according to an account by the late Emil R. Swart, who was the Flathead Courier’s chief printer from 1910 to 1950.

Here are excerpts from his recollection:

“As I recall, all but a very few of us wanted to be mayor. We had a sort of mayor, Jim Dawson, a mortician, who had been appointed by someone.

“Suspicion was rife but soon three groups evolved, and this later became but two, and so the battle line was drawn. ‘Old Man’ Carter, who was charged by some with being an ex-Quantrill guerrilla and by others of being an ex-Kansas Redleg, headed one ticket and Charley Mansur, the other. Charley, having the Willing Workers Club, Ben Cramer, president, behind him, won.”

Emil said that there were only about 115 registered ballots cast and that Mansur held a comfortable margin of about two-to-one. “Of course,” he added, “the result was never in doubt as Ben had about a hundred ballots in reserve which, it proved, were not necessary. It was rumored they quit counting when they reached 116.”

Apparently there was considerable dissatisfaction over the result.  Swart said, “The losers found a scapegoat in the person of a jeweler, Arthur Mizell. Arthur, a great joker, boasted that he voted several times at each polling place… and after weeping scalding tears down his wife’s backbone, during which she called him many kinds of a fool, he was dragged by the law to Kalispell where we heard he was fined $200.”

While the following item isn’t connected with municipal elections, it does have political ramifications as told by Emil Swart in his colorful style:

Ed Simmons was an early Polson resident who almost didn’t get here. The time Ed came over the mountain coincided with the time two young men...held up a Great Northern train at Rexford, securing $40,000.

Marshals and other law officers were as thick as fleas...and they soon put the arm on Ed, who re?fused to cooperate. He demonstrated his assertion that he lacked the forty thousand by several dollars.

He told them the story of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, and they promised to send for the documents, but in the meantime, held him in jail.

An avid Democrat, Emil added, “The matter resolved itself and Ed came to Polson in complete conviction that those law men were all Republicans.”