Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1888-07-20
THAT ANNEX1TION MEET
ING.
The AgttdtiOn Was Reneced by
Le,ctston Men for Political
and Campaign Purposes.
IDAHO.

Owing to the sickness of the editor,
the FREE PRESS has fallen somewhat in
arrears in the discussion of current top
les, and we now hasten to catch up. The
recent annexation meeting held in
Grangevlle passed a resolution censur-
ing the county commissi oners which in
the opinion of very great majority of
the responsible voting population of
Idaho county was entirely uncalled for.
1t is true that the commissioners petit
toned congress to oppose annexation,
but it was because annexation under the
bill then pending proposed to divide
and practically to bankrupt Idaho
county. There are a good many good
men here who favor annexation who
are opposed to county division, and we
have been solicited by some of the best
men and heaviest taxpayers in Idaho
county to say through the FREE PRESS
that the board of county commissioners
did perfectly right in petitioning con-
gress to oppose any bill that would d.
vide this county, and that if 1t came to
q count of noses, those who want annex
alton at the expense of county division
are not a majority or anything like it of
the legal voters of Idaho county.
About this matter the people must
form their own opinions, but we wish to
say editorially and on our own respon-
sibility that the commissioners them
selves are annexation men. Mr.. Cleary
was member of the legislature of 1884
and he voted for the annexation mem
orial which passed both houses. Mr..
Jones has repeatedly signed annexation
petitions, and for all that we know to
the contrary Mr.. Witt may also be an
annexatiOnist. We know perfectly well
that there are fanatics here who want
annexation 80 bad that they would &C
cept 1t If the county line was drawn be-
tween Mt. Idaho and Grangeville. We
were told this last week in those very
words. But we warn the annexationists
that they will be beaten on a popular
vote every time they propose to divide
this county. Let us keep our county
boundaries intact, and then there will
be no kick against annexation, but the
common sense of this community is OPP
posed to annexation ifit bankrupts our
county organization. 1.-THE Stewart bill
passes congress it will be sustained by
the people, because it is fair and does
not alter our county boundaries. But
the commissioners were not opposing
the Stewart bill and therefore we think
that our republican fellow citizens who
attended that meeting and censured the
three democratic commissioners did so
for other purposes than desire to ad-
vance the annexation cause. They may
be able to fool part of the people some
of the time, and some of the people all
the time, but they cannot fool all the peo-
pie all the time, and it is generally I'M
derstood that there is good deal more
of partisan politics than annexation in
the secret caucuses that are now being
held by alleged annexationists on be-
half of the annexation cause, and we
warn them that the dark lantern, star
chamber and Jacobinic methods which
they are inaugurating will prove a
boomerang to hurt themselves more
than anybody else.
The attempt to vindicate Mr..
Browns withdrawal from the recent re-
publican convention at Boise City was
also thrust upon this meeting. Now
this is purely republican party quarrel
with which democrats have nothing
whatever to do, and the animus of that
alleged annexation meeting in trying to
get democratic and popular endorse
ment of Mr.. Browns policy is a dead
give away. That is question which
our republican fellow citizens must settle
among themselves, and all the demo-
cratic endorsement they get from the
democrats of Idaho county will benefit
neither faction of the republican party.
The democrats of this county do not
propose to be used as catspaws to pull
chestnuts out of republican fires, and il
there are any republicans who are not
satisfied with their own party we ex-
tend them a cordial invitation to come
into the democratic fold. The bars are
always down and no questions asked.
Equally transparent is the denuncia-
ton of delegate Dubois. No democrat
in Idaho county voted for him, because
the democracy knew very well that he
was opposed to annexation. The an
nexation candidate was John HALEY,
aud the vote shows that the democracy
of this county, and also some honest re-
publicaps voted for him. fall the re-
publiosps in these northern counties
who profess such monstrous interest in
annexation had voted for HALEY they
would now have been in Washington