The Idaho scimitar. [volume] (Boise, Idaho) 1907-1908, 1908-04-18
A PoIygamous Postoffice.


questions of poygamy and control in politics in Idaho
by the polygamous church, The Scimitar has un
earthed somewhat complicated plot in Bear Lake
County, Idaho, that yields an abundance of proc
bearing upon both of these question
Going back some three years into the past anC
picking up the Washington end of string of events
it is found that the Junior Senator for Idaho in
troduced in the United States Senate a resolution
requesting the President of the United States to in
struct the Postmaster General to find out how many
poygamists had been commissioned postmasters in
Idaho and were then holding office.
The resolution was adopted and investigation
instituted and in short time seven Idaho postmas-
tiers sent in their designations The theory at
once established that the appointing power did not
consider poygamist postmaster such bad thing.
1t being caught at it that might affect the
fortunes of politics in a dangerous way
The postoffce department sent its inspectors into
the state to enquire in to the marital relations of
the stamp vendors and in the of time one of
those officials invaded the office of the postmaster
at Geneva in the Southeastern corner of the State,
near the Wyoming line Godfrey Eschler the
postmaster and he confessed to the indscretion of
two wives, of whom he thought more than he did of
the government job he holding
To his first wife, Rose Kunz, he had been married
about twenty years and to his second wife, Rose
Kunzler, he had been married about dozen years
His rose garden had bossomed abundantly during the
process of time the first of his floral helpmeets hav
ing borne him nine children and the last four
children
Looking the situation over from the point of view
of the Inspector Mr.. Eschler executed his resignation
and placed it in the hands of the representative of the
department and along with it a recommendation that
Fred Evans, a neghbor and friend, be commits
stoned his successor.
In this state the political machine requires the
County Chairman of the party to recommend can
didates for postmastershps to the Chairman of the
State Committee and the Governor of the State and
if they are endorse the selection of the County Chair
man. it is certified to the Congressman of the State
and he does the rest.
1t is presumed that the Evans recommendation
went through the usual routine At any rate, he
was duly appointed postmaster at Geneva, in place
of the offending polygamist But Mr.. Evans quickly
tired of the honors and emoluments of office and
soon as the scandal had subsidized, he rendered his
to the department and the polygamistic
second wife of the polygamous Mr.. Eschler, Mrs
Rose Kunzler (Eschler) was appointed as his success
sor
The machine undoubtedly understood the relation
ship between Mrs. Eschler number two and Mr.
Eschler and Congressman French was probably
equally we'll posted They were merely evadng
order from the postofice department based upon
an order from the Senate, for Mr. Eschler has
since been enjoying the salary earned by his poyga
nous wife, who is still postmaster at Geneva.
Recently her official duties were interrupted by an
incident not uncommon in domestic experience. Mrs.
Rose Kunzler, postmaster by grace of Mr.. French
md the machine, became the mother of girl child.
The little one was ushered into life during the month
If February last and that the mother is wise in her
lay and generation is attested by the fact that she
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