The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1916-04-07
Comment On Political Affairs
BY THE EDITOR


practice makes perfect. These old
savings are supposed to epitomize the
wisdom of the ages. and unquestion-
ably the supposition is well founded.
For present purposes we Will accept
this saying as the truth. 1t will ac-
count for some things with which we
are at present concerned. as it applies
in politics as in all other affairs OF
life.
For a great many years the great
game in and around Boise has. been
politics. The people Of this section of
the state play politics in their sleep.
They talk of little else. dream of little
else, think of little else. 1t is their
bread, butter and sauce. As is quite
natural they have become adept at the
great American pastime which vies
with draw poker as the year around
attraction. Successful politicians are
one of our chief products though no
one has ever contended that they are
a valuable product. When it comes to
politics we would rather have the in
stinct of a Boise street sweeper than
the genius of a Richelieu or the craft
of a Machiavelli. We make politics
our business where others consider it
a hobby to be taken up and developed
in their old age. We are profession
ais. They are amateurs.
1t is quite different in north Idaho.
Up there the people are engaged in the
business Of mining ores, numbering for
ests, and harvesting crops. Their bus
mess is to make nature yield up her
treasures in one form or another. In
their business they are quite as sue
cessful as we are in our politics When
they take hazard in politics, however,
their lack of training evinces itself at
once. They have neither the skill. the
adroitness nor the staying qualities of
the seasoned veteran. They are anna
teurs and cannot disguise the fact.
Most generally they ball up the adven-
ture before they are we'll started. Rare
ly do they bring the enterprise to a
successful conclusion.
The conclusion that all this brings
us to is that north Idaho had better
let US attend to the politics Of the state
and we will let her look after the bus
mess of the state. North Idaho is not
entitled to participate in affairs far
Their than to pay the taxes. We will
attend TO their fair and honest distribu-
ton. That section can do the work
We will accept the honors and the
emoluments which necessarily attend
those honors. In this manner every
one will do the work for which he is
best fitted. Society and the state will
prosper while commerce and manufac-
ture will not languish.
Citations--All logical commentators
leave the conclusion to the last. We
are not logical and don't care cuss
where the conclusion comes in. We
try to get 1t in early so as not to forget
i entirely. We have been known to
leave out the conclusion entirely
greatly to the chagrin of the writer
and the discontinue of the reader, al
though there are readers who much
prefer it that way.
The conclusion arrived at above is
the result of two. happenings which
as happenings do, lately.
The first was the essay of Mr.. Jerome
J. Day to become national committee
man of the Democratic party; the sec
ond IS the announcement of Mr.. Her
man ]. Taylor that he will be candi-
date for the Republican nomination
for governor. The result in the Day
case Is known. All is over but the
shouting. Nugent, Pence and Elder
counted Day out in the first round.
He never had more than look-in at
best and not much of look-in at that.
Mr.. Day may be very good miner
and an exceptionally good business
man but he isn't much Of a politician.
he started in too late in life to learn
the game. He cannot understand the
rules. and as for ethics. for the which
ne has been looking, there are none.
You cannot make politician out of
Jerry Day any more than you can
make silk purse out of a sow's ear.
to use a smile very appropriate to
politics. but with no idea of carrying
the Inquire farther. Jerry Day was not
built for politics and politics were not
built for Jerry Day. This is more TO
the credit of the man than il is to
the honor of the art
Mr.. Taylor will fare no better. He
VIII not be nominated for governor of
Idaho by the Republicans. He cannot
put his nomination across and for the
very good reason that his section of
the state has not the votes. II is an
extravaganza which it can i'll afford
FOR north Idaho to support two candi-
dates for one office. There is good
pasturage for one candidate but slim
picking for two. Two candidates from
the north and two from the south.
assuming that the vote Is fairly we'll
divided among them all, means the
nomination of southern man. When
the fight was three cornered. bv the
same method of reckoning. the nom;-
nation would have gone north. That
is the nature of the thing and there Is
no escape from nature nor from ma
lures penalties.
The Tip-The Tribune will not be
thanked for tipping the nit but as our
interest is only academic we are going
to do it anyhow. The thing for north
Idaho to do is to come to a realization
that there is more than one Office in
the state of Idaho. There are United
States senators. representatives in
congress. department heads, justices
OF courts. ETC.. ad nauseam. The at
tention of one candidate should be di-