The Idaho scimitar. [volume] (Boise, Idaho) 1907-1908, 1908-05-02
The KiCkers in Session.

On the 18th day of April, the democratic central
committee of Latah county, Idaho assembled at Mos
and selected thirteen delegates to the democratic
state convention at Twin Falls, the latter being the
convention to elect delegates to the national dem
cratic convention to be held at Denver
There was nothing unusual in the proceeding it
being a common practice for party committees to
perform such duties in counties where there is no
contention and no objection such course useless
expense and waste of time thus being avoided
In four of the counties of Idaho-Latah, Lemh,
Kootenai and Bonner-withn the past few weeks,
committees of the republican party have appointed
the delegates to the state convention that IS to.
elect delegates to the Chicago nominating conven-~
ton and no one has felt that the committees have
gone beyond their privileges.
In nearly every that enjoys the safeguard of
the modern primary law, it is provided in the law
that delegates state conventions of either party
at which delegates to national conventional con-
ventions are to be elected may be chosen by the
county committees of the respective parties, may
be elected by delegate or mass conventions, at the
option of the counties.
The presumption of law is that the selection OF
the delegates of state to a national nominating
convention is not part of the governing process of
state and that the primary can be omitted IN the
Judgment of the county, without eopardizing the in
terests of the electors
1t is probable that one-half the delegates of both
parties to the presidential conventions of the middle
west primary election law states this year ap-
pointed by the party committees of the counties of
those states.
But here in one of the southern corners of Idaho,
the action of the democratic committee of remote
northern county of Idaho in naming the delegates
to the state presidential convention deemed pro-
vocation sufficient to excuse SO extraordinary
proceeding as the calling of indignation meeting
at the city of Boise
1t is true that the indignation not wide
spread virulent, not than forty malcontents
appearing the scene, including the paid attorneys
and agents of the Western Federation of Miners
and the Mormon hierarchy, and most of those whose
indignation there expended itself habitualy vote
the republican ticket after swapping at the heels
of the democratic party through entire campaign
Had the persons engaged in this demonstration
been democrats in good standing, their attempted
violent protest against the action of the bona hde
democrats of another county would have been an
absurdty.
Had they been democrats with genuine apprecia-
ton of their party they would have known that the
delegates selected by the Latah County committee
were representative democrats of the county-party
members standing high in the councils of their
ciates and unyielding defenders of the constitution
and the laws of their state.
One of the conspicuous malcontents of the Boise
roundup one wearing the brand of the federation,
John Nugent, could not have been SO short of MEM
ory as to have forgotten the circumstances under
which he attended the democratic convention of two
ago. held at Coer dA1ene, while voicing with
ming hypocrisy his protest against the appointment
IF the Latah county delegates.