The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1910-05-21
REASON IDAHO
NEEDS CLEANING
Baleful Influence of the Nor
mon Hierarchy Is Shown by
the Record.
INTERESTING SIDELTGHTS
ON POLITICAL HISTORY
Easy for a Mediocre Man to At
tain HOnOrs if He
Stands In"
BY G.. E. ARNEY,

Special to The Tribune.
BOISE, Ida. May 20.-Many people Of
Idaho are raising their hands In utter as-
| tonishment at the recent exposure Of cor
| ruption in the state house at Boise.
| Docs 1t ever occur to these horrined
| folks that such depravity as this must of
necessity accompany such rule as Idaho
has sustained for the past six years, viz,
a Mormon rule?
Does it occur to the people OF Idaho
| that at the end of tho first term Of Gov
| ernor Gooding tho people of the state were
extremely anxious for n change, but that
| the Mornons refused to permit them TO
| govern tire situation? DO We remember
| that whom the votes OF the people wore
| counted In that election Gooding had lost
| nearly every GENTLE county in Idaho, and
| that he was defeated by more than 5000
votes when be reached the Mormon belt
| OF Idaho, jocuiarly referred to as Our
Little Utah." but that by and through the
| power that controls from Salt Lake City
| this belt. con sisting OF five counties, gave
| him upwards OF IL. 900 majority, which re-
| elected him governor?
The people Of Idaho were then In a
state OF open revolt against the approach
| OF a system OF graft" the first groupings
| OF which now appear on the horizon TO
| snock the moral sense OF these good folks
of Idaho: but the Mormon hierarchy in
| salt Lake City bade their cohorts in Idaho
| 70 rally to his standard. and he thus
became their and not the peoples gov
| ernor for two years longer.
During this election the present Gov
| ernor Brady was the Republican state
| chairman, and he did all within the scope
| OF his ingenus power to allay the instr-
| sency OF the Gcntlles and to encourage
the solidity OF the vote OF the Morrnons.
| He did more; he enhanced his standing
with the Mormons later when the legis-
lature met with his party in control. by
pledges. made by the Republican state
convention. in which he was ono OF the
dominant factors.
He sheltered securely under the pro-
tecting wing OF the hierarchy. which made
him the only candidate before the sue
ceeding state convention for governor. al
| though not the choice OF tho Gentle Re-
publicans OF Idaho for that high office.
Choice Of the Mormons.
He. like Gooding. became the choice OF
| the Normons for governor or this sturdy
young commonwealth. That this was the
last state convention which the people
OF Idaho will hold IS refreshing. In that
It was n mass OF swapping. trading.
| cheating delegates. fearful OF nothing save
the wave OF the hand OF tho Mormon hier-
archy. and Justifying their pcrlidy by the
unWnolssome conclusion that the Nor
mons would be forced 10 elect their ticket
through the defense which the Republican
party had thrown about them under the
regime OF Governor Gooding and of Chair
man Brady. whom they were making their
candidate.
in this altogether disgraceful state
meeting such men as Walter fjogc, the
polygamist from Bear Lake. and George
{, Parkinson. the cushion-footed thief
and usurper from oneida. were high in
party councils.
II was shortly following this outrageous
scene. called a political party convention.
that the state supreme court OF Idaho,
composed of three members-al Repub-
licans-sat in Judgment and determined
that the Mormon Democratic ticket shoul3
be recognized as the legal Ticket in the
ballot at the fall election. This E?ade
Moses Alexander the candidate or the
Democracy OF the state against Brady in
Il fast and furious scramble Tor Mormon
votes.
The former held to the saints The rain
bow of promise. They had evidenced
their devotion to the Mormons by plac
ing q Mormon on the ticket, They had
ever defended them against the enactment
of any resolutions pledging laws against
the free and untrammeled practice OF
polyEam They assured them that at
future time they would further honor
this sect by giving them senator
them.
But furthermore, they pointed proudly
To the record OF their candidate for gov
ernor Moses Alexander as the only man
OF either party who at any time or any
place had exercised the ISnoble bravado
TO declare I'm public that the Democracy
OF Idaho. II given the power, would strip
the Idaho state constitution u that OBJ
jectional Inherent provision. pledgiEG the
people To ever and forever maintain an
effective statutory provision against the
practice of polygamy.
Rule of the Church.
This was the situation at the begin
ming and at the end OF The state cam
paign of 1905 and IT. is the situation to-
day. No man In the state with lntelli-
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