Montpelier examiner. [volume] (Montpelier, Idaho) 1895-1937, 1917-02-23
TELLS OF EFFORTS MADE TO
DIVIDE IDAHO IN EARLY DAYS
IN Article in the Capital News A. F. Parker Relates tn
Attempts That Were Made to Dismember the State
Question was Made Campaign Issue.

Boise Capital News by A. +. Parker:
"The Idaho Legislature of 1867 me-
moralized congress to create new territory
out of portion Of Idaho and eastern Wash
ington to be called Columbia.
"The matter was then UNDECIDED for sew
eral years. Intermittent efforts were made
from time to time to galvanize it into liv-
ing issue on the proposition that the re-
moval of the territorial capital from Lewis
ton to Boise was illegal and an unjust and
despotic usurpation of power by southern
Idaho
"The annexation movement in the north
was under the leadership of Hon. Alonzo Lee
land, editor of the Lewiston Teller, a man of
great ability, who conducted at time the only
paper in north Idaho. Through persistent
iteration and through his invitation, the leg
islature of Washington territory, in 1877-78,.
invited the cooperation of north Idaho in the
framing of constitution for the state of
Washington.
NORTHERN Idaho at time contained only
three county organizations, Nez Perez, Sho-
shone and Idaho, the latter being newly Great
ed. What is now the great county of Sho-
shone was then confined to the old mining
camp of the Orfino basin, polling about fifty
$4,000, the only taxable property being few
mining bitches. Nez Perez county was prin-
cipally Lewiston The total vote of Idaho
county at that time did not exceed 100 votes
coming from the various mining camps trib-
utary to the Salmon and Clearwater rivers
The total voting population of north Idaho
was then about 600, Of which probably one
half were in Lewiston. Lewiston was then, as
h. o,sc1 g III.
north of the Salmon river, and what Lewis
ton dictated, its interior country naturally
indorsed delegate was therefore elected
to represent north Idaho in the Walla Walla
convention.
"In 1880 the Lewiston annexation clique
nominated an independent candidate for con-
gress, Mason Brayman, the then republican
carpet bag governor of Idaho, who, having
everything to gain and nothing to lose, ac-
cepted the nomination and polled about 700
votes in the northern counties.
I'm 1880-81, the territorial council of the
Idaho legislature passed a memorial to con-
gress favoring the annexation of the northern
counties of Idaho to Washington by prac-
tice so sharp that its advocates dared not
bring it before the lower house, nor was any
effort made in that direction in the following
session of 1928.
In 1882, the carpet bag secretary of Ida
no territory, T. E. Singiser, aided and abetted
by other carpet bag officials, secured the reg
ular republican nomination for congress and
made his campaign in the northern counties
on his distinct pledge of supporting the an
nexation movement in the event of his cleo
ton. He was elected by 5000 majority, the
northern counties voting with practical unan-
unity. At this time the Northern Pacific and
Oregon Short Line railroads were being con-
structed through northern and southern Ida
no respectively. As sidelight on that cleo
ton, 1882, will state that it was won by il
legal votes, solidly cast of the railroad labor
ers on the Northern Pacific in Kootenai coun-
ty and the same element on the Short Line in
old Alturas county, which then embraced
nearly all of southern Idaho. I have very
clear recollections of the trip made from
Lewiston to Kootenai county, then newly or
ganized by federal carpet bag territorial of
ficer, literally equipped with the sinews of
war, to arrange for the purchase of the rail
road votes for the republican cadidate of the
campaign. The plain fact is that the election
of 1882 was one of those disgraceful incidents
of frontier politics where humbug, hypocrisy
and unblushing corruption carried the day.
In those days these western territories were
under the control of the national government,
which appointed all territorial of fiiCials-car-
pet baggers from other states who had no in
terest whatever in promoting the welfare of
the respective territories By profuse prom
Uses of office, aided and abetted by the entire
crew of federal officials then filling the ter
ritorial offices, they absolutely dominated
f1or afr III nh0 lint