The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1918-08-08
NOM.PART|SAN LEAGUE
WILL CONTROL PRIMARY
DEMOCRATS DEPEND ON CHAL.
LENclNG VoTERs-sMooT
LAND BOARD GOAT.
(Boise Correspondence.)

The democratic war horses have
about given up hope of defeating the
Nonpartisan candidates in the demo-
cratic primaries. They will go on
with their campaign. however, in an
effort to prevent absorption of their
marty, While the only court to which
the subject has been submitted has de-
cided, on technical grounds, against
the democratic chairman's claim that
the eaguers could not go into the de-
mocratic primaries as democrats,
moral suasion will be used to induce
those who are not democrats from
voting as such. Their honor will be
appealed to and there will undoubt
eddy be democratic challengers on hand
at every precinct to dispute the right of
any Lacquer who is not democratic
participation.
The feeling of democratic leaders
against the Nonpartisan league lead
ers and their effort to steal the DEM
ocratic party" as they put it, is very
bitter. They do not mince words in
condeumning the league leaders, and
this is coupled with revival of
charges of disloyalty.
Smoot Made the Goat.
The democrats in the state house
are considerably worried over the de-
velopments in the Rexburg land sale.
This SALE and some others, was the
subject of criticism by republican
newspapers for some time before pub
lie sentiment created a pressure too
heavy for the democratic land board
to withstand.
All the charges made have been sus-
tanned by the report laid before the
board. Aside from the report it is
stated by a member of the board that
the state lost $4,000 as the result OF
alleged collision at the Rexburg sale,
In addition to the cost of advertising
it. Furthermore, it also develops that
the state lost 100000 in the recent
Twin Falls sale. and there is similar
complaint about the Caldwell sale.
Smoot has resigned and the admin
istration hopes that all the odium Of
the deal will go out with him, but in
this it will be disappointed. The
people understand that the land COM
missioner is the creature Of the state
land board and that these questionable
land sales cannot be put over repeat
eddy without the boards knowledge.
Shoots offense from the democratic
standpoint seems to have been in be-
ing caught.
Why No Action Before?
1t is pointed out as peculiar that the
land board having been advised OF
what had been going on at these sales,
no action had been taken before.
Shoots actions, similar to those at
Rexburg, were approved by the board,
so apparently there is a reason for
failure to take the matter up until 1t
was forced out by pressure.
State Auditor Van Deusen now tells
what has been going on the past
eighteen months, but not a word was
spoken, not an action taken, until the
other day-after the public became
aroused.
Making a seape-goat of Smoot is
part of the policy of the land board
in stigmatizing those who partici
pated in the sales, and the commun
tiles generally, it is pointed out.
The state appraised the land ant
fixed it's own price, subject to any in
termediary percentage of increase
That was it's upset price. Human ma
ture always enters into bidding to ac
quire property as cheaply as possible
so the buyer cannot be condemned fo
getting any property as cheaply as h