The Idaho scimitar. [volume] (Boise, Idaho) 1907-1908, 1908-04-11
To Assail the Constitution.

easy ones who claim to be the Democratic party
of Ada County may have paid attention to open
threat that Illuminated the proceedings of last Mon
day evening. The main pillar of the structure had
the floor and the report of the meeting credits him
with saying
Dubois had good deal to say about the Constitu-
ton and how it DISTINGUISHED good citizens of the
state, but Democrats would fix all that with the
initiative and referendum if they got into power and
would give Dubois one thing less to talk about by
holding a constitutional convention and changing
some OF the Objectionable features OF the document.
1t is the Constitution of the State then, that Mr..
Alexander objects to more than he objects to the
who believes the Constitution ought to be
forced. 1t is well enough to be candid. There isn't
a Mormon within reach of the Constitution that does
not take the same view of the case-none that have
not also been plotting for years to exempt them
selves from the consequences of crime.
The object for which the Ada County Club exists
came to the surface when its spokesman threw off
all subterfuge and declared in favor of the legal
ization of poygamy that the Supreme Court
has declared it illegal under the Constitution
The Ada County Club is not the originator of this
proposed assault OH the morals of IDAHO though it
now turns up accessory For many years
leaders in the Mormon church have been employing
their influence in behalf of the destruction of the
safeguard provided by the Constitution builders
During the Legislative session of 1902 they succeed
ed in securing the passage of mpotent resolution
authorizing a Constitutional convention to deal with
the clause about which Mr. Alexander complains.
In his testimony before the Smoot investigating
committee, in 1904, William Balderston of Boise,
told the story of the passage of the resolution and
the following colloquy ensued:
Mr. Tayer During the session of the Legislature
which this resolution providing for the calling of
the Constitutional convention was adopted did you
see TOhn Henry Smith?
Mr. Ba1derston Yes; saw him in February, I
think
Mr. Tay1er You had talk with him?
Mr. Balderston | had a talk with him on this
subject.
Mr. Tayler Tell what that conversation was.
Mr. Baderston. AS nearly as | can recall the
conversation, Apostle Smith took aside in the
hotel and asked me if I thought the time had come
when amendment to the Constitution could be
submitted eliminating what he termed those pro-
visions which Objectionable to his people. We
did not discuss the matter. | answered very prompt
ly that the time had not come-tha it would be very
unwise to do anything of the kind, and he remarked
that all his friends there had told him the same
thing.
Apostle Smith then the promoter of the
scheme to 1ega1ize open po1ygamy in Idaho by de-
stroyng the penalties for indulgence therein. The
Ada County Club now appears on the scene the
father of an intention to accomplish that which an
apostle of the Mormon church failed to accomplish
a half dozen years ago.
The connection between these two political forces
-Mormons and Jack-Mormon Democrats-ls plain
ly revealed and the recent strenuous work of bolt
ing faction of the local Democracy against the law
and order element of the party is explained
Through persuasion and force, the machine of the
Republican party of the State has been able to pre-
vent the execution of Constitutional law and poyg-
aists have been protected in indugencies for which
penalties have been provided since the dawn of state
hood Now that the courts have taken away the