Elmore County Republican. [volume] (Mountain Home, Idaho) 1910-1915, 1912-10-26
cHARAcrER.ASSASSlNs
Mountain Home, October 20, 1912
Editor Renuhljcan.

4
Editor Republican:
The New Time Of October 18th,
has Its third article by one of the
character-assassin bunch. say ONE
of the bunch. for my investigation
leads me to believe that the three
articles were not all written by the
same person. The two first were
very particular to mix things so as
make it somewhat difficult to tell
positively who was being attacked
and what the motive was for the at
tack. The last article makes. both
clear. In speaking of the articles
appearing in recent issues of the
Republican, it says that they were
trying to explain that Probate Judge
Gray got no coin for his assistance
to the would-be hold-ups OF the
Lahtinens." There can be absolute
ly no question now as to whom they
meant to attack-Probate Judge
Gray. That point being settled, we
will take up the second, the motive
for the attack. 1t stands out in
bold relief, clear through the article.
We quote: "The Judge is quick to
appreciate the fact that something
is wrong in the feel Of the voters. !"
Again, "The law in these cases is
like the law in all the cases In
Judge Gray's court. 1t reads Sic
sempre tyrannis,' which is Latin for
where votes are thinnest.' This
means that there is law aplenty to
be applied to person whose circle
Of friends Is small and does not
number many votes, but no law at
all to apply to persons whose influ-
ence is larger" Again, BE it re-
membered that complaining witnesses
have votes as well as greed.
And now you have the motive-votes
votes, votes purely political. Judge
Gray is a candidate on the Republi-
can ticket to succeed himself as
Probate Judge; Ex-Judge Manion Is
his opponent on the Democratic tick
ct. Judge Gray must be charged with
an attempt to get "cOin" from the
RICH man, by assisting In an alleged
hold-up. Something must be done
right away quick, or Judge Gray may
get too many votes, SO the character
assassin is called in to do the work.
Unfortunately for the success of the
diabolical scheme, they selected al
poor case on which to work. OF
the five persons In the scrape, of the
four who were of the age where the
Judge had Jurisdiction Of their cases,
the parents were not wealthy but the |
fifth young man, who Was ever the
age that could be tried by Judge
Gray, and had to be sent to the
District Court for trial, was the son
of the wealthy parents, and 1t would
make rather poor campaign matter
to have tried to show that the
wealthy man was Disseminated a.
gainst Just for the sake of losing a
rich mans influence. So the char
acter-assassin had to be called in.
Had the circumstances been revers-
I'd, and the oldest one In the bunch
mad been a poor mans son, then If
hey had wanted to ignore the fact
hat his age was what sent him for
rial to the District Court they could
nave put up great howl about the
persecution by the Judge of the poor
nan s son and the favoritism shown
he rich mans son. 1t was indeed
In unfortunate selection, but they
ire working on the theory that a lie
we'll stuck to Is just as good as the
ruth, just before Election.
Quite a number are asking why
hey bawled out the information( |
hat Mr.. Watts was attorney for the
prosecuting witness, Heaven save
he mark which information(D
Nr. Watts has denied in signed
statement.
The way the story comes to me Is
hat the attorney for the defendant
Ind owner of the New Time sent the
editor, Mr.. Clayton Reed,
o attend a Democratic meeting (held
ust prior to that issue of the paper)
md that Mr.. Reed made a PROPOSE
ion to the committee, to the effect
hat the New Time had been neutral
n politics, but that If the Democratic
Committee would give them FIVE
HUNDRED DOLLARS they would be
Democratic, and support the whole
Democratic ticket. Whereupon attor-
icy J. G., Watts, one Of the Commit
az realizing that while Haavon