The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1914-02-01
'DRYNESS" WILL Be
ISSUE IN IDAHO
Question of Statewide Pro.
hibition Probably Para
mount in Campaign.
Special to The Tribune.

SpeClal 10 Ine ITlDune.
BOISE, Idaho, Jan. 31.-Will the
three chief political parties in this
state nail statewide prohibition planks
In their respective platforms this year,
and II they do or do not in whole or in
part, what effect will 1t have on them
This is one Of the paramount queries
in Idaho politics today and will become
more so as the campaign, now loss than
sl1 months off, approaches, for state
wide prohibition is to be an issue, more
80, probably, than in any other general
election year. The primary election this
first Tuesday in that month, but the
platforms Of the respective parties must
be promulgated in party conventions at
noon in Boise, june 30, the last Tuesday
Of the month
Statewide prohibition was carefully
avoided as a plank at the party plat
form conventions two years ago, yet
there were more than enough "dry''
votes in the last legislature to have
placed Idaho IN the prohibition column
had it been Republican party pledge.
1t was not, however. The anti-saloon
advocates themselves seemed to be sat
isfied then with the way the local OPP
tion law was operating, as they had
then, as now, two thirds of the counties
in the state in the dry column.
More consideration will be given to the
prohibition plank by the Republican
and Democratic parties this year than
before and the Progressive party, now
actively installed in Idaho politics, viii
also give it the same consideration,
That some one Of them will nail it in the
platform is now believed certain and
they may all do it.
1t is largely because of the evident
dry tendency of this state that
there is much activity lover which lit
tie If anything has been said so far in
the political developments among the
friends of C. H. Heitman, former state
chairman of the Republican party, to
bring him out rs a candidate for gov
fernor. IT is given ont here on excellent
authority that letters have been pour"
ing i'll urging action of this kind be
cause Of his prominence in Kooteuai
county, where he has been and is today
conspicuous as the "dry' leader The
''drys" recently filed petition in
that county to hold local option cleo
ton next month and bring ii back into
the prohibition column. Heitman, how
ever, would not be the only "dry' can
didate if he did run, for, with the warm
ing up of this issue, every other guber,
material candidate would not be slow
10 declare himSelt as perfectly wiling
TO sign statewide prohibition bill If
the legislature passes one, which will
probably he the case.
The announcement that G. II. Potts
of Occur d 'Alene, senator from Roo
tenai county in the eleventh legislature
and former county attorney there, may
be candidate for congressman sub
icct to the will of the Republican pri-
maries, and that William E. Lee, Re.
publican state central committeeman
from the neighboriug county, Latah.
may shy his hat into the same ring,
caused somewhat Of stir here, where
state politics are beginning to brew.
From progressive and conservative Re-
publican standpoints, both are generally
considered progressive Republicans.