The Meridian times. (Meridian, Idaho) 1909-1938, 1917-02-23
LOBBY CHARGES TO
Be INVESTIGATED
AFFIDAVIT FROM NATIONAL CAP.
ITAL ARouSES IDAHO SEN
ATE TO ACTION.
Claimed That Pressure Was Brought
to Bear on Japanese Ambassador
Causing Him to Protest Against
Anti-Alien Land Bill.

Boise, Idaho.-The legislature on
February 16 ordered an INVESTIGATION
into the charge that a lobby was
maintained here by the Japanese So
ciety of Idaho through E. M. Booth,
a Twin Falls attorney, to bring about
the defeat of the anti-alien bill, which
passed the house and was killed in
the senate after the Japanese govern.
ment protested its passage through
its ambassador at Washington. The
state affairs committee of the senate,
of which Senator Perry w. Mitchell Of
Lewis county, president pro tenn, is
chairman, was instructed to forthwith
issue s~ubpoenas to bring Booth and
others who could throw light on the
matter before it and to proceed to
conduct an open hearing. The sheriff
of Twin Falls a te~legraphed to
serve the s%ubpoenas on Booth.
The senate also issued %subpoenas
to Wilbur Craig, H. H. Rankin, E. H.
Hasbrouck and w. Winchell, all prom.
inent Idaho men, who filed afidavits
with the state department at Wash
ington alleging that Booth told that
he had brought pressure to bear on
the japanese ambassador, with the
result that that official later register
ed his protest with the government
against the passage of the anti-alien
bill. Booth, they claim, asserted he
was acting for and on behalf of Sam
uel Herrick, a prominent Washington
attorney.
While the bill was pending before
the legislature, Booth is claimed to-
have kept in direct communication
with Washington over the long-dis-
lance telephone, paying heavy tele.
phone charges. While direct charges
have not been made, a 10000 attor-
ney fee is claimed to be involved. The
affidavit further sets forth that the
Japanese ambassador had no inten-
ton of taking any action in the mat
ter at the time until forced to do so
by Booth; that he had no instructions
from Toxic to act in the matter of
protesting against the passage of the
bill.
The house of representatives pass
ed the anti-alien bill on January q
: by unanimous vote. 1t was admitted
on the floor that the purpose was to
: prevent Japanese from acquiring title
, to valuable sugar beet lands in east
, ern Idaho, where they were coloniz-
ing. After the bill reached the sen
: ate, the international crisis with Ger
many came on and a protest was made
{ at Washington by the Japanese am.
bassador against passage of the meas
sure. This had the backing of adj
ministration officials and for fear OF
~ -., A. 80 - NhA
bill was Indefinitely postponed. 1t is
, to be reintroduced, claim Legislators
! interested in its passage. In the mean
!, time the senate bill probe into the
t charge of the alleged loDpy main
tanned to defeat it.
The legislature found on converting
> on February 26 that it had not legal
ly passed the Portneuf county division
bill, for at the time the vote was tax
en- in the senate, reconsidering the
l vote by which the bill was killed and
which resulted afterwards in its pas
sage, the bill was in the hands of
the house and not before the senate.
) Lieutenant Governor Parker held,
therefore, that the passage of the bill
/, was null and void, following a heated
debate. Senator Cummings reiptro-
duced the bill in the senate Saturday.
: 1t had previously passed the house.
Among the bills on February 26 in
troduced was a measure extending the
provisions of the Nepotism act so as
t to include school, drainage and irriga-
! ton district employees; an anti-strike
measure, by Walker, making it a
misdemeanor for two or more persons
to conspire to quit work; and a bill,
by Atherton, requiring that the Bible
2 be read in the public schools. The
house passed the Lehrbas bill, making
2 the Pocatello national forest a game
! preserve. A bill was introduced to
:, create the county of Clark out of Ere
: mont county.