Evening capital news. (Boise, Idaho) 1901-1927, 1916-03-06
What is the real matter with George


r. Barker?
George r. Barker, secretary of state
for Idaho, and apparently official re-
porter, spokesman and defender Of the
majority Of the state land board and
it's mouthpiece, uses q column or two
OF the morning mouthpiece of that
majority in explaining why he holds
some unfriendly thoughts toward the
Capital News.
He gives purported interview
concerning the serious offense COM
mitted by a man engaged in the job
department Of the Capital News in
soliciting Mr.. Barker for a portion of
the job work of the secretary of state,
but that is not the conversation which
Mr.. Barker had which caused him his
great grievance.
What Real Cause 10.
The conversation which caused him
the real grievance occurred in the Of
flee of G vernon Alexander one day
last summer. Governor Alexander had
just left for San Francisco to attend
the Idaho day celebration at the
Panama Pacific exposition. When
Mr.. Barker came into the office C. o.
Broxon, the governors private secre-
tary, was seated in the governors pfi-
vate office and was engaged in a con-
versation with Game Warden Jones.
Among other things said at that
time, Mr.. Barker said:
THAT fellow Mcbride up there in
Boundary county is tying a lot of the
bills of the Pend d'Oreille Review and
unless you fellows in here call him off
and make him allow those bills, l am
going to tie, up some of your claims
against the state down here"
Now, in order to understand the sig
nificance of this statement, it must be
known that Mcbride is a county COM
missioner in Bonner county that the
Pend d'Oreille Review is a newspaper
owned by Mr.. Barker and that Mr..
Barker. as secretary of state, is a
member of the state board of exam
iners which passes upon claims against
the state of Idaho.
Secretary of State Called.
q, The significance of this startling
declaration was Immediately appar-
emit said Mr.. Broxon in giving an
account of the visit of Mr.. Barker,
.aSld l at once said to him:
You mean, Mr.. Barker. that unless
Mr.. Mcbride, a county commissioner
in Bonner county in the extreme north
ern part of the state, allows the
claims of your newspaper against that
county which he apparently believes
should not be allowed, YOU will tie up
the claims of the Capital News against
the state of Idaho. Now if you think
that is the proper thing for you to do
and If you think action of that sort
lis in accordance with your official du-
ties as an officer of this state, you
go right ahead, for l want to tell you
right now that l have nothing what
ever to do with Mr.. Mcbride, and il I
did have, ! would not ask him to ap-
prove any bills upon any such consid-
eration.'
Mr.. Barker then declared that as
Governor Alexander had appointed Nc
Bride to be county commissioner, he
could control his acts in such a mat
ter. ! told Mr.. Barker that that was
not true and that he. Mr.. Barker, knew
It was not true; that commissioner
having been appointed could not be
removed by the governor and was be-
yond the influence of the governor.
Brand Offer as a Bride.
"Mr. Barker then made the sugges-
ton that Mcbride would certainly be
grateful to the governor for his ap-
pointment and he, Barker, thought the
governor might be interested enough