The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1913-10-03
PERTINENT NEWS OF
STATE With our
own Comment
Prominent Club Woman Makes
Serious Charge Against
Legislature.
TAINTED MONEY USED
Failure to Pass Bills Endorsed by
Club Women Brings Out ACCUSE
tons of Cowardice, Trickery and
Corrupt Use of Money-Members
of Legislature Ace Called Down.


Mrs. A. H. Oversmith, wife OF Rep.
resentative Oversmith of Latah coun
ty, and prominent club woman O.
the state, in the last issue of mag
azine published by the club women
makes some serious charges against
members of the legislature Some
are accused Of disrespect toward club
women; Others of cowardice; some
few OF resorting to tricky politics
one of being beardless youth; and a
fourth class Of having accepted cor
ruption money. All of the charges
grow out of the fact that legislation
favored and endorsed by the club wo-
men Iailed OF passage. Senators Han
son. Barton, Ellington, Haight, Hunt,
Lee, Macbeth. Sweet, Johnson Of
Lewis, and Johnson Of kootenai and
Representatives Healey, Dickinson
and Finke, are the ones in particular
who offended. We presume that these
are the men who are classed in one
or the other of the four classes. The
really serious charges made by Mrs.
Oversmith, that of the corrupt use OF
money, is worded as follows:
1T is reported on reliable authority
that considerable money was raised in
Idaho to defeat this measure From
whence came the money? From the
owners of houses of prostitution and
the traffickers in vice? No! 1t was
collected from their victims, the poor
unfortunate slaves who are held in
bondage which by comparison would
make chattel slavery a bondage OF
golden hue. In closing this subject
we would do well to remind all the
women of Idaho of the attitude OF
every member OF the senate on the
white slave traffic in the state"
1t will be noted that Mrs. Over
smith does not name her reliable au-
thority." She also refrains from CIV
ing the names of the legislators who
accepted the money collected from
the poor, unfortunate slaves. Charges
of corruption, bribery and trickery
are frequently made against legisla-
tive and other bodies, and in most
instances, where there are little
grounds for the charges. In the
charges at point the trickery was in
reporting a bill to an unIavorable
committee. The beardless Youth was
Representative Healey. The towards
were "a majority of the senate" The
corruptionists are not mentioned by
name but may be presumed to be all
opponents of the bills who were not
beardless, cowardly or tricky.
A. H. Oversmith was Progress
sive" ip the last legislature. He and
Senator Fields came down to Boise
for the purpose of reforming and re-
making the morals, politics and laws
of the state of Idaho. To attain the
reformation Representative Over
smith is credited with having intro
duced some S. bills, very few of which
passed. He was there, as the Poca-
tello Tribune says, Ito introduce
everything that would pander to SEN
timentality or radicalism, and was
backed up by that faction designated
as Progressing, for some reason or
other" The Tribune also is afraid
that the lady is influenced to large
extent by the same brand of politics
that made her husband an amusing
figure in the house"
In speaking of the koelsch bill,
which was pet club measure, Hon.
Charles Wright. editor of the Mont
pelier Examiner, and one OF those
who is not mentioned by Mrs. over
smith, says:
"The writer voted against the
Koelsch bill, and would do SO again
if the opportunity presented itself.
We are satisfied that if the bill as 1t
passed the house last winter, was sub
mitted to a vote of the women OF Ida
no, it would be defeated by a large
majority. If the conservative elemen,
in the various women's clubs of the
state would not permit themselves to
be governed by the few radical re-
formers they would be able to secure
the passage of the marriage law which
would remedy the evils against which
the women are fighting But the
trouble with the radical reformers-
both men and women--they often en-
deavor to secure the passage OF laws
which would be utterly impract'eable,
as we'll as obnoxious to q very large
per cent Of the people. Get together
ladies', and draft marriage bill along
common sense lines, and you will have
but little trouble in securing its pas
IN g~ NV the oext LEGISLATURE"