Editing Montana (section)

===Montana and World War I===
As [[World War I]] broke out, [[Jeannette Rankin]], representative of Montana and the first woman in the United States to be a member of Congress, voted against the United States' declaration of war. Her actions were widely criticized in Montana, where support for the war and [[patriotism]] was strong.{{sfn|Montana Historical Society—WWI|2013}} In 1917–1918, due to a miscalculation of Montana's population, about 40,000 Montanans, 10% of the state's population,{{sfn|Montana Historical Society—WWI|2013}} volunteered or were [[Conscription|drafted]] into the armed forces. This represented a manpower contribution to the war that was 25% higher than any other state on a [[per capita]] basis. Around 1,500 Montanans died as a result of the war<!--this number includes KIA and later deaths in and out of the war zone, verified here: http://montanahistorywiki.pbworks.com/w/page/21639730/Montana%20War%20Casualties#WorldWarI19171918--> and 2,437 were wounded, also higher than any other state on a per capita basis.{{sfn|Howard|1959|pp=202–203}} Montana's [[United States Army Remount Service|Remount station]] in [[Miles City, Montana|Miles City]] provided 10,000 [[Horses in World War I|cavalry horses]] for the war, more than any other Army post in the country. The war created a boom for Montana mining, lumber, and farming interests, as demand for war materials and food increased.{{sfn|Montana Historical Society—WWI|2013}}

In June 1917, the U.S. Congress passed the [[Espionage Act of 1917]], which was extended by the [[Sedition Act of 1918]].{{sfn|History Channel|2013}} In February 1918, the Montana legislature had passed the Montana Sedition Act, which was a model for the federal version.{{sfn|University of Montana|2005}} In combination, these laws criminalized criticism of the U.S. government, military, or symbols through speech or other means. The Montana Act led to the arrest of more than 200 individuals and the conviction of 78, mostly of German or Austrian descent. More than 40 spent time in prison.<!--sources vary: 42 to 47--> In May 2006, then-Governor [[Brian Schweitzer]] posthumously issued full pardons for all those convicted of violating the Montana Sedition Act.{{sfn|Montana Sedition Project|2013}}

The Montanans who opposed U.S. entry into the war included immigrant groups of German and Irish heritage, as well as pacifist [[Anabaptism|Anabaptist]] people such as the [[Hutterites]] and [[Mennonites]], many of whom were also of Germanic heritage. In turn, pro-War groups formed, such as the Montana Council of Defense, created by Governor [[Samuel V. Stewart]] and local "loyalty committees".{{sfn|Montana Historical Society—WWI|2013}}

War sentiment was complicated by labor issues. The [[Anaconda Copper Company]], which was at its historic peak of copper production,{{sfn|Butte-Anaconda Historic District|2006|p=18}} was an extremely powerful force in Montana, but it also faced criticism and opposition from [[Socialism|socialist]] newspapers and unions struggling to make gains for their members.{{sfn|Murphy|1980}} In Butte, a multiethnic community with a significant European immigrant population, labor unions, particularly the newly formed Metal Mine Workers' Union, opposed the war on grounds it mostly profited large lumber and mining interests.{{sfn|Montana Historical Society—WWI|2013}} In the wake of ramped-up mine production and the [[Speculator Mine disaster]] in June 1917,{{sfn|Montana Historical Society—WWI|2013}} [[Industrial Workers of the World]] organizer [[Frank Little (unionist)|Frank Little]] arrived in Butte to organize miners. He gave some speeches with inflammatory antiwar rhetoric. On August 1, 1917, he was dragged from his boarding house by masked [[Vigilantism|vigilantes]], and hanged from a railroad trestle, considered a [[lynching]].{{sfn|New York Times|1917}} Little's murder and the strikes that followed resulted in the [[National Guard of the United States|National Guard]] being sent to Butte to restore order.{{sfn|Montana Historical Society—WWI|2013}} Overall, anti-German and antilabor sentiment increased and created a movement that led to the passage of the Montana Sedition Act the following February.{{sfn|Foner|1987|p=289}}<!--"The immediate effect of the lynching of Frank Little was the spread of the miners' strike. The union claimed it had proof that the Anaconda Copper Company had perpetrated the crime, and the workers' anger enabled the MMWU to close most mines, and because of the lack of ore, major smelters closed all over the state. But on August 10, Federal troops were ordered to Butte to patrol the streets leading to the mines. And as the strike spread, Senator Myers of Montana introduced into the U.S. Senate an anti-sedition bill that could have been used to guarantee the strike's defeat. When this failed to pass, a special session of the Montana legislature passed what have been called "incredible laws curbing the freedom of speech". One such law was the Montana Sedition Act which provided that{{nbsp}}... [text of source]"--><!--keep, useful--> In addition, the Council of Defense was made a state agency with the power to prosecute and punish individuals deemed in violation of the Act. The council also passed rules limiting public gatherings and prohibiting the speaking of German in public.{{sfn|Montana Historical Society—WWI|2013}}

In the wake of the legislative action in 1918, emotions rose. U.S. Attorney [[Burton K. Wheeler]] and several district court judges who hesitated to prosecute or convict people brought up on charges were strongly criticized. Wheeler was brought before the Council of Defense, though he avoided formal proceedings, and a district court judge from [[Forsyth, Montana|Forsyth]] was [[Impeachment in the United States|impeached]]. Burnings of German-language books and several near-hangings occurred. The prohibition on speaking German remained in effect into the early 1920s. Complicating the wartime struggles, the [[Spanish flu|1918 influenza epidemic]] claimed the lives of more than 5,000 Montanans.{{sfn|Montana Historical Society—WWI|2013}} The suppression of [[civil liberties]] that occurred led some historians to dub this period "Montana's Agony".{{sfn|Murphy|1980}}