The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1911-02-05

On A FORMER DIVISION,
WITH SLATE BREAKING
Sensational Incident in Which
a Former Governor
Appears.
BY g. E. ARNEY.
o The Tribune

BY G. E. ARNEY.
Special 10 The Tribune.
BOISE, Ida, Feb. bingham coun-
| ty is divided Bonneville county ls
created. Idaho Falls is at last a county
seat The bill was passed and the coun-
| ty created out of territory of north
Bingham by the efforts of Senator st.
Clair in the senate and Representatives
Ellington, Johnston and Wanlck in the
house.
The creation OF Bonneville county,
ont of Bingham territory, recalls some
"ancient history of more than ex-
traordinnry interest.
1t was in 1885, twenty-six years ago
this winter, that Bingham county was
created out of Oneida county territory,
with boundary lines extending from a
few miles below Oxford (now in Ban
mock county, on the south to the Mon
| tana line on the north and from Wyo-
ming on the east (excluding Bear Lake
county, to the Lost River mountains on
the west (eycluding American Falls).
| This was an enormous county from
| point of territory.
Early in the SOS it became the con-
ter of the anti Mormon movement with.
in the territory of Idaho. Blackfoot was
the home of Fred T. Dubois, who had
| lust been appointed United States mar
shall in the territory. 1t was also the
home of C. j. Bassett. who was gem
orally recognized as his closest friend
and adviser
The Anti Mormon Movement.
The seat of the anti Mormon move
ment demanded at once the attention of
| the politicians of the state. w. B.
Green had been elected as one Of the
| legislators. and the strongest one from
Oneida county. being resident of Ida.
| h., Eel l11 hn,- l. D6,Io II
The company shops with several thou
sand men were then located at Eagle
| Rock.
In the original draft Of the bill there
was sort of understanding that Eagle
Rock should be the county seat. In the
passing of the bill, however, shuttle
was made and Blackfoot landed the
county seat of Bingham county. This
change is said to have been made for
a consideration and the deal was Mt the
time credited to the manipulations of
one of the smoothest politicians who
ever struck Idaho, namely, D. p. B.
Pride. secretary Of the territory, a prod
uct Of the state of Maine and close
friend of Senator Eugene Hale.
| Governor William Bum was at the
time the territorial governor of Idaho.
| Bingham county was named by Gov
ernor Bum out of respect to his old
friend, Percy Bingham.
When the county was finally created
Governor Bum invited Marshal Dubois
| to help him name the officers for the
new county Dubois called on him and
left his ideas as to whom these men
should be, in the following list of Off
| cials:
For sheriff-Samuel F. Taylor OF Eagle
| Rock.
For clerk-C. ]. Bassett Of Blaclsfoot.
For assessor-George W. Gorton Of
| Soda Springs.
For attorney-Harry M. Bennett OF
! Blackfoot.
For probate judge--F, NJ. Shoemaker
| of Blackfoot.
| For commissIoners-A Moyes Of Eagle
Rock. Fred s. Stevens OF Blackfoot and
| Henry o, Hardness of McCammon.
This was the list of strong men. anti
| Mormon in politics to the letter and
close personal and political friends of
| Marshal Dubois.
! transmitted this list to the territorial
secretary. Mr.. Pride, and as that officer
entered his office one morning he OBJ
served his clerk, "LittleD George
| Green, about to write out the commits
sions.
Breaking the Slate.
Pride had opposed Dubois and op-
posed him then. Taking the list of ap-
pointecs from Green, he went to the
governor Office and SAID: ''GoVernor
| Bum, If you want TO make Marshal
| Dubois the delegate to congress from
Idaho territory instead of yourself
years hence the appointments Of this
delegation will aid him TO that end
more than anything else you can do, -
Bum discussed the matter with him at
length. Bum was young, handsome and
ambitious. Pride was resourceful,
smooth and designing. Pride was de-
cldedly the stronger character of the
two. and rs result he returned to his
room with the name of c. j. Bassett of
Blackfoot removed from the list and
the name of j. NJ Clifford of Eagle
Rock in its .stead. This was an at.
tempt on Pride 3 part to make Idaho
Falls, then Eagle Rock. rather than
Blackfoot, the center of political activ-
ity In this great southeast empire. Pride
did not oppose, nor did Bum, the anti
Mormon movement. 1t was too strong
and too well settled to undertake to
traffic on it politically, Their endeavor
was to hamper Dubois by the removal
of his close friend. Bassett, and there
by transfer. if possible. the influence
of the strong men of the anti-Mormon
party of the southeast away from Du
bols and to Governor Bum.
| The Boise Statesman. the next morn
ing, gave the list Of names Of the new
Bingham appointees, with Clifford IS
naRie where Dubois had expected Bas-
sett S would be, The marshal called