The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1916-08-25

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wanted it, and abused the editor of
this paper for exposing him. Thru
all this the. Republican central COM
mittee remained silent, and neither
demanded the return of the property
that was illegally withheld O met
and r%epudiated the man who held it.
1t was simply passed up because he
was a pal of some of the Republican
LEADERS and because the value of the
property in question was only about
$50, and for the further reason that
the Republican party in this county
was and is in the hands of men who
have no lofty ideas of public duty.
They do not realize that the trusted
official who has possession of public
property and knowingly keeps it in
his possession and use without the
consent of the officials to whom he
should deliver it, and without record
being made of any transaction which
they see fit to make Of it in loaning
or presenting it to him, is a greater
transgressor than the man in the cell
who is charged with stealing as much
goods out of a store or warehouse.
1t was not claimed that he e. ask
ed permission to keep it, no claim
was filed asking that it be made his
property, and it was not claimed that
anyone excepting the guilty man and
the editor of The Idaho Republican
knew that he had the property and
should have turned it over to the
county seven months before. He
simply paused and said he would
give it up if they wanted it. The
men constituting the party organiza-
ton lacked the courage and appre-
citation of public duty to face him
and demand it, and he quickly sized
up the situation and saw that he
could retain it and they would not
disturb MIN. He further sized up the
low moral ebb of the party and a
year later, July, 1916, filed, or had
filed his nomination for the position
of county surveyor on the Republi-
can ticket, a position he filled with
discredit two years ago; a position
in which his illegal claims for SER
vices and goods were defended by
his relative the county commissioner
from the first district who is still
a member of the board. With the
knowledge of all these things before
them, the present membership of the
county central committee has not the
courage to assemble and ask him to
withdraw from the ticket and save
the party the disgrace of his associa-
ton as one of their candidates. With
the knowledge of many such trans
actions before this same committee
when they met the last two times
they agreed that the party was in
good shape. With the knowledge of
this matter before them for owe a
year and a campaign opening, they
have remained silent. and if they
are reelected or if they hold over
because the people neglect to vote on
the matter of committeeman, we pre-
dict that they will adopt a resolu-
ton endorsing the record of the
party in the county or adjourn with
out writing a platform as they did
two years ago when the record of
the party was so rotten it would not
bear endorsing.
The present chairman of the Re-
publican central committee presided
at a meeting of the city council when
the editor of The Republican show
ed them the indisputable proof of
the prison graft. and when the coun-
Gil admitted that they had paid one
bill twice in the face of u warning
and the warning of the chief of police
who is now sheriff it was suggested
lin open council and gladly agreed
to by the council at large, that a
new system of checking the prison
bills should be followed to prevent
being "stung again." nor did any
body resent the plain inference that
a Republican sheriff had stung them.
This same chairman and former
mayor now holds the highest place
in the county organization, an or
g%anization made up Of that same in
efficient bunch of precinct commit
teemen that has viewed all these
other gratis without a protest. This
chairman we are speaking Of; was
elected a few months ago to take
the place of a still more Indifferent
county chairman, who was a member
of the city council when the prison
graft was exposed. He Is a very
estimable citizen in his private and
personal affairs but utterly lacking
in his appreciation of public duty.
Only a month ago he filed the nom
nation of a man Of his party seeking
to be elected county attorney when
it was we'll known to him that the
man had been remiss in his duties
when he was city attorney and is a
confirmed card player, constantly
neglecting his private business as he
did the work of his public office
when he had an office, and has the
reputation of being a gambler and
a man who does not pay his debts.
All or at least the worst of 1t was
we'll known to this former county
chairman when he signed the NOM
nation papers putting the unworthy
fellow in the race as a representa-
tive of the Republican party. The
unworthy fellow probably knew that
if he could get the signature OF SO
good a man and one who had been
so honored with the management OF
the party, on his nomination papers
it would give a good impression OF
himself to the voters when it appear
ed in the list of filings published by
the newspapers. The list was pub
Ilished by this paper twice, August
III and 18, and many people are prob.
ably deceived thinking that so prom