The Ketchum keystone. [volume] (Ketchum, Idaho) 1885-1899, 1890-07-12
Reasonable and Unreasonable Politics

Reasonable and Unreasonable Politics
The folly of unreasoning trump
cry is illustrated by the Ceul
d'Alene Miner, new paper in Sho
shone county, now Justify beating
the drum for republican campmeet
ings in the North, as if all the sill
yer and lead in the West depended
on its uproar. One of its notes &C
cuses the Democratic party of this
territory of opposition to statehood
Most of intelligent people would
naturally assume that statehood at
this date was question as dead as
Julius Casar-but demagogery in
the northern counties appears to be
long dying.
AS a matter of information to the
freshmen of North Idaho it may be
not out of place to recall certain
historical facts in connection with
Idaho.
Perhaps they never knew that in
the 10th Congress, in 1887, bill
was passed to utterly destroy Idaho
and to divide the fragments among
the hungry territories and states
surrounding it; that the division
bill was passed by republican
Senate and only failed to become
effectual because President Cleve-
land refused to sign it; that re-
publican Legislature of Idaho passed
and urged upon Congress and the
President a memorial demanding
it !; that the republican territorial
central committee and convention
endorsed it; that the first official
proclamation and call for a consti-
tutional convention was made by
Gov. Stevenson; that the members
of the convention that assembled
at Boise City in July, 1889, to plant
the foundation stone of the state
were about equally divided between
the two parties; that had it not
been for the earnest, skillful, self
sacrificing efforts of many demo-
cratic members of that body such
an instrument never would have
been framed or submitted to the
people for ratification or rejection !;
that when the bill passed the dem
ocrats paid as much for gunpowder
to celebrate the event as their neigh
bors. Has the Wallace newcomer
ever heard of these things?
AS party, the democracy never
opposed statehood. The reverse, if
anything, is the fact. Many demo-
Gratis, then and now, objected to the
selfish, unjust, unpatriotic method
by which it was wrung into the
Union. They said, and still think,
that great wrong was done to the
people of New Mexico and Arizona
by not joining them in the move
ment. They have as many people,
wealth, as brave American heads
and hearts, as we have, and by every
law of Justice and reason their stars
should have shone as brilliantly
upon the flag of the Union on the
Fourth of July as those of Wyoming
and Idaho. Idaho was not admit
ted upon its merits, but upon the
expectations of politicians. The
other two territories were excluded
because they were believed to be ad-
verse to congressional, republican
subsection. That is the whole his
tory and philosophy of the event.
Every one knows it. It is public
information-as free to the world
as the census report ten years hence.
The Miner, and men of that ilk,
however, care nothing for these
things. For them it is only to
throw up their hats and shout, ave
have got 'em !" What do they care
or know about Idaho?
There were individual democrats
and individual republicans who
honestly doubted the advisability
of present statehood. Many citi-
zens here have lived in seven-month
states-born before their time-who
have some practical knowledge of
the worthlessness of premature
states. They helped to carry them
on when hysterical hurrahs failed.
There ere states now in the Union
on both sides of the Rockies that
wish they had kept out of it. If
great caution is not taken in the
next legislature some of these ex-
pectant scrip-dealers and bond
holders, as we'll as taxpayers, may
wish themselves we'll out of the
scrape it may be before the next
set of office-holders are out of office.
We hope not, but who can say?
There were other and many reas-
ons, personal and otherwise, that
influenced voters last year to ap-
prove or tooppose-men of every
sort of politics. Few men have
been wholly consistent, taking a one
sided, backward view; and fewer
still will be consistent in the future.
All this is past. For US, we shall
endeavor, in politics or out of it, to
make this proud, successful
state.
Statehood has advantages. 1t will
bring capital here to deepen and
explore our mines. 1t will bring