The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1903-02-23
VOICE OF LABOR
WILL BE HEARD
Mass Meeting of Federated
Trades in Boise Tonight.
EleHT-HoUR DEMONSTRATION
SPIRIT OF ENTERPRISE AT IDA
HOS CAPITAL.
(speeial 70 The Herald.l


Boise, Ida, Feb. 22.-Monday night a
mass meeting is scheduled under the
auspices of the Federated Trades, to
take place at the Columbia theatre, the
largest hall in the city. The meeting
Is TO be preceded by a parade. IT is the
purpose of organized labor to make a
great demonstration in behalf of an
eIght-hour day for underground miners
l Three bills to secure such an enact
ment have been presented at this ses-
SION of the legislature. In the house
a bill was presented by Moore, Demo-
crat, of Idaho county. who supported
the bill with great skill and ability,
keeping ii prominently before the body
Tor more than two weeks in the face
on hostile majority. Finally it was
indefinitely postponed on the report of
the judiciary committee that the bill
would be unconstitutional. The COM
mittee took refuge behind an opinion
of Attorney General Bagley that the
! constitutional amendment authorizing
such legislation. and which received
$4,000 majority. had not been properly
submitted to the people on account of
the fact that it had not been advertised
In newspaper in each county for d
period of six weeks. Upon this flimsy
preteXt the house judiciary committee
made an adverse report and the Re-
publicans, under the leadership of Jen-
klnS and Moore of Fremont, who shed
crocodile tears over the unconstitution-
atty of bill they so longed to support,
Killed the measure.
The fire grew too hot, however, and
Attorney General BagIey was forced to
answer direct question, and he now
states that despite the defect in the
submission of the amendment, in his
opinion the bill is constitutional.
In the senate there are two measures
pending on the same subject, one by
Ballantine, Democrat, and one by Ca
ton, Republican These are both sleep
ing in committees under the Watcnful
antagonistic eyes of Senator O'Neil of
Shoshone, the personal representative
of the Occur d'Alene mine owners. The
object of the mass meeting is to make
such showing by organized labor that
one or the other of these bills will be
taken up and forced through the legis-
lature
Spirit of Enterprise.
The spirit of enterprise is abroad in
Boise, and every indication points to a
year of unparalleled growth in the cap
ltal city of Idaho. 1t is hoped that the
bill pending in the legislature, which
will extend the city's limits for mile
eastward, taking in the natatorium
Will be passed this week. This would
be a great step, obtaining for Boise its
Just position as a growing, prosperous
city of 10000 Then there is the newly
organized Intermountain Electric Rail-
way company. of which r. L. Costigan
OF Minneapolis is the leading spirit.
This company has obtained a franchise
from the county court for line to the
county boundary and applied to the
Canyon county court for the continu-
ance of the same to Caldwell a dis
lance of thirty miles, on the Short Line
This is a different company from that
represented by w. r. Sebree, the Cald-
well banker, who applied for a gift of
the right of way Of the defunct Idaho
Midland railway between Boise and
Caldwell. The trustees of this right of
way have decided adversely to Mr.. Sc
bree's request, holding that they can
only dispose of the right of way to
steam railway and not to an electric
line. However, they still have the mat
ter under consideration, and purpose to
so organize the owners of the right
some 400 people-aS to authorize the
chamber of commerce of Boise TO dis
pose of it in any way that will be of
substantial benefit to the city. In adj
dition to these evidences of advance
ment the project of a steam railway to
the mining camps and timber lands of
Boise basin has been revived and its
construction is becoming one of the i'm
perative demands of the immediate fu-
ture.