Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1910-11-03
1000 Majority in the North


chairman of the state democratic com
mittee, is in receipt Of advices which
enable him to forecast the election Of
James II. Hawley and the entire dem
ocratic state ticket. From every
county in the state, excepting perhaps
Latah, there comes the news Of a vari-
table landslide to the democracy. The
five other counties Of the north can be
depended upon for the democracy, but
the Potlatch Lumber Company has
thrown itself in the breach to save
the county for Brady The Potlatch
company has a selfish interest in the
matter and are turning every stone
for the reelection of the governor
1t will be recalled that this company
owns the timber upon $4,000 acres Of
land in Latah county and have only
twelve years in which to remove the
timber out Of the twenty years grant
ed by the state in the sale Of the tim
Der, but at the rate that the company
is progressing it will be unable to re-
move the timber within the stated time
and the same will revert to the state
The company has twice asked the legis-
lature for an extension of time in
which to cut the timber, which extern
sion has been refused. Under a de-
cision of Judge Fremont Wood in a
similar case it is held that the state
land board can sell the land, although
every administration held since state
hood has gone upon the theory that
such sale of timber lands in large
tracts would be unconstitutional As
soon as the district court left the bars
down the Potlatch company applied to
the Brady land board to purchase the
land and the complaisant board at
once had it appraised, but so strong
was the opposition to the sale that the
matter was postponed until after cleo
ton. 1t is conceded that the next
legislature will correct the law upon
which Judge Wood rendered his de-
cision and that such Sale will be pro-
hibited, so the only chance the Pot
latch company has to secure the land
is to elect Brady and have the matter
attended to before the legislature con
venes. The company is playing the
big stakes and hence with its arm of
employees may carry Latah county for
Brady.
That the proposed sale is simply an
attempt to evade the present contract
between the state and the company is
plain upon its face and it behooves the
people Of Idaho to nip this transac-
ton in the bud. There can be no
greater menace to the future pros
perity of the state than by securing
by corporations Of large landed in
terests, but the corporations can be
expected to 60 the limit in erdeavor-
ing to secure the same. For this
reason, Mr.. Nugent comedies that
Latah county is in the doubtful column,
although he predicts the north will
come to the center with 1000 ma
jority for the democracy.
Democratic speakers report from
the southeast great enthusiasm and
that at least three of the six south
eastern counties this year will be
found in the democratic column.
News from Canyon county, considered
a Brady stronghold, is to the effect
that hundreds Of republicans have
become Disguised with land board
matters and will join the democracy
in cleaning out the state house.
Washington, Owyee, Elmore, Blaine,
and Boise counties are regarded as
safe for combined democratic ma
jority in excess of one thousand and
Ada is being conceded by republican
leaders as for Hawley by at least one
thousand, while democrats are claim
ing twice that many. The state and
county ticket will run along with
Hawley, as the republicans in revolt
are actuated by the intent to give the
party needed licking all down the
line, thus paving the way for new
Jao1 IN 1910