The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1892-06-21
SOME IDAHO HISTORY
Looking Backward for a Short
Time.
REPUBLICAN RULE A FAILURE
1t is High Time That the Democracy for Our
Neighbor Should Throw of
the Incubus.

OF The HERALD. Perhaps no people on
the face of the globe have within the past
century been afflicted with as sorry lot
of officials as Idaho for the last two years.
They were elected on the strength of
splendid promises for protection to lead and
restoration of silver. 1t is needless to
comment on the manner in which these
promises have beenfulfilled.
Lead is cheaper now than two years ago.
silver is no nearer RESTORATION, or free
coinage than then.
THE cGUR d. ALENE
mining region, the greatest lead producing
district in the west, has been closed over
four months owing to the low prices OF
the lead product
| The fun state ticket Of two years ago,
which was Republican, was elected.
Out OF total of 81 members of the legis-
lsture there are A Republicans and III
Democrats.
The ball was fairly opened by the ad-
ministratlon when Governor Shoup re-
signed to take his chances with Dubois,
Mcconnell, Claget, Wells and others for a
seat in the United States Senate. The
names of Shoup, Mcconnell and Claget
were balloted on without successful issue
for two days, when Shoup, Dubois
the full strength of each was to be given
as they were respectively balloted upon.
| Shoup, Dubois and their friends were
exceedingly anxious for Claget TO enter
the combination instead of Mcdonnell.
Clsget was too grand man to drive q
bargain of this kind and told them If he
were elected to the United States Senate
it would be the result Of free and honest
| ballot; that he proposed, SO far as he was
concerned, to let the will of the people
have full and free expression in tina matter.
The outcome of this business Is well
known. Dubois, Shoup aud Mcconnell
were elected. Claget afterwards sue
ceeded in springing leak in the Republi-
can gondols, makingits precious cargo who
mad 80 ardently supported MIR. Dubois be-
Heve If he were not elected TO the nlteo
States senate instead of MIR. Dubois the
Republican party would go to the devil.
A bare majority OF 28 out of "a believed
Mr.. Claget AND elected him. thus bringing
about one of the most celebrated contests
In thesenate on record.
In the meantime Lieutenant Governor
Norman B. Wiley, who succeeded Shoup
TO the governorship on his resignation, had
entered on his duties with fiattering pros
poets before him. The people Of Idaho,
thoroughly disappointed at the manner in
which Shoup treated them in his resigna-
tion, and realizing what sad failure the
first official acts of Wiley and the unhappy
future they foreshadowed, soon
TOOK TUMBLE TO THEMSELVES
and are now repenting in sackcloth and
ashes
The stock of ashes has not run low for
the last two years-the present admlnlstra-
ton has been & constant source Of supply.
A j. Pinkham, secretary of state, furn-
| ished the first cart load by charging from
twenty 20 thirty dollars a copy for certified
copies of the last session laws.
| The next dlsGraceful break was that OF
the prison board. After formal complaint
| had been made to the board and proper evil
dence furnished in regard to brutal prize
| fights, which were of frequent occurrence
at the penitentiary, the board, instead Of
putting a stop to it, went through sham
investigation, Swallowed with ignorance
and perforated with fear aud finally con-
Guided after an investigation OF over two
months that there was nothing in the COM
plsint.
II is a well known fact that the convicts
had given many exhibitions of the manly
art, IN which they often mauled the stuff
ing out of each other, and on two occasions
the defeated contestant was used up in
most brutal manner.
Finally w. S. Mack, the pen warden,
discharged guard, a son, of Attorney
! General Roberts, and thus incurring his
displeasure which resulted il Mack's dis
charge, and upon investigation of Mack's
books, it was found that Mack was sinned
against as well as SHINING,
Macks books were short in regard to the
prisoners fund and close investigation
showed that Roberts vas the recipient of
almost the entire shortage.
Mack was kind and impressionable and
the sly Encouragement worked him for
all that he was worth.
ANOTHER LINK
in the chain was 20 lease convlcts to private
parties for private purposes in direct
violation of the constitution
The last and most disgraceful thing in
connection with the states prison was the
action of the board of pardons in releasing
McCarty, life prisoner sentenced in 1884
for murder II the second degree. Nine
tenths of the people of Boise county where
the crime was committed, deemed it an
outrage and down right insult to the law
abiding and liberty-loving citizens of
Idaho.
The people are familiar with the history
of the board of equalization whose actions
seemed to be more influenced by the Union
Pacific railroad than by the interests of the
people.
The improper handling of the school
funds derived from the sale of the school
lands in the last two years has been sus-
pected by the best citizens Of Idaho.
The unsavory Northwest Bureau of
Education,n in which the state superin-
tendent OF public instruction and the state
auditor were chief officials, will be remem-
bered as the worst abuse of high official
trust that ever occurred in Idaho.