The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1910-12-03

righteous Indignation for an unfair
fight; one in which the executive branch
of the state government steps in in in.
reference with the legislative branch.
Many of the boys and girls constitut-
ing the Blaine county votary of today
remember the stories their fathers told
them, more than twenty years ago, of
the division by a territorial Legislature.
of old Alturas county of which HALEY
Was the seat of government This was
the most sensible political enga cement
ever enacted in Idaho aud one which
threatened the very lives of many good
| men OF courage, brains and genius.
Seat Of Agitation.
American Falls, located on an arl line
about seventy miles south and east Of
| this city. at the crossing of the Short
Line over the Snake river, is the seat
| of the agitation for a county seat II
! is entitled to some serious consideration.
| There is sort of unwritten law in
Idaho that the eager settlements of the
| state for county seat honors must fight
battle of their own and on a basis
! of getting what they can free from any
particular lines OF patriotic justice. In
other words, a county division bill is
regarded as legitimate prey for intense
| political maneuvering, No one, how.
! ever, justifes either the executive or
| he judicial branches of the state gov
ernment taking hand in the game,
for that removes from it the elements
Of fair fight
In their effort two years ago to create
Shoup county, after the Power bill had
been defeated in the house. the Amer
icau Falls folks made glitteripg pro.
posal TO the Blaine county representa-
tives, The Shoup county bill, house
bill PSI, defined its lines from territory
OF Oneida. Bingham and Blaine coun.
ties. The Blaine county strip was about
forty miles from north to south and
thitty one miles from east to west This
! Blaine county block was of especial
interest because it lay Just across the
river from American Falls and carried
with 1t thirty-one miles of Oregon Short
Line right of way and track. The loss
OF this to Blaine county cut consider
| able figure. as it would tend to reduce
the total assessment of the county con.
| siderable.
A Strong Bid
| In house bill $50 the American Falls
business men proposed to deposit in a
bank $4,000 in cash 10 be covered into
| the treasury of Blaine county as soon
as the act should become law. In
addition TO this they offered to bear
their pro rata of the bonded and war
rant indie debtedness of Blaine county,
based on the assessment roll of the
county.
This bill was passed by the house
and in the last hours of the session de.
feated in the senate by only one vote
1t occurs to me that American Falls
| is entitled to county seat. There
are hundreds Of good people, represent
ing enough taxable property about it,
TO warrant such legislation without in.
jury to any other county concerned It
is understood that Oneida county, OF
which American Falls is now u part.
and which would lose the largest area
through the creation OF new county,
ls in harmony with the righteousness
of the contention. Bingham. which
would contribute some territory 10 the
new county. is not as friendly to the
proposition as they were two years ago
Blaine is watchful but inclined to be
fair.
For State Game Warden
Ben r. GRAY of HALEY has n strong
Endorsement from the Democrats of his
county for the position Of state game
warden. Mr.. Gray has been prominent
for years in Blaine county politics He
has been sheriff and assessor. and un-
der the second term of the Steuuenberg
administration, when l.. G.. Rice was
state treasurer, ne was the deputy
state treasurer. Mr. Gray is at present
the local manager of the Rocky Noun
tam Bell Telephone company at HALEY.
he is understood 10 have the copent
Endorsement of Hon. Arthur NJ. Bowen
Of this place, who made a splendid los
ing fight for congress in the recent