The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1920-08-30
CONVENTION HIGH
LIGHTS SKETCHED
Pocatello Meeting Will
Go Down in State
History

ZION, partially organized for the fal
elections and pledged to help send tt
Washington a Republican senator
: from Idaho, poured into Boise earl,
Friday morning on the same trair
with many returning delegates from
the Idaho Falls Democratic conven
:, ton.
They brought with them a thrill.
ing story of convention tits, Of sue.
cesses and failures. With them, too
came Judge Charles P. Mccarthy
nominee for the supreme bench and
Ada county's representative on the
state Republican ticket
According to these delegates, the
Pocatello convention of the Repub bill
can party, held in Columbian hall at
Pocatello with some four hundred
delegates, alternates and public of
ficials present will go down into
state history as memorable and en-
tirely successful convention.
There were four high lights in the
session:
The Gooding triumph.
The direct primary-convention
filibuster.
The supreme court tangle.
The fight over state superintendent
of public Instruction.
Of the four, the Gooding success
was most momentous. 1t did not
come from steam roller tactics. No
unfair advantage was taken of par
liamentary form. Little in the con-
vention itself was deplorable. The
Gooding organization won thru it's
own organization, it's leaderless OPP
position and a tactical blunder on
the part of its antagonists.
The organization was effected
prior to the convention and in
caucuses during the convention
Leaders and lieutenants marshalled
every Gooding vote and by tireless
work gained one by one support from
the opposition. This opposition,
without leader for it's several COM
ponent factions, was unable to stem
the Gooding tide.
The tactical blunder was the
forced motion to adjourn Tuesday
night, passed by anti-Gooding forces
in the belief that Gooding strength,
then dwindling, would collapse Dur
ing the night. On the contrary, this
forced the Gooding people to a mass
caucus, renewed organization and
iron-bound pledges which saved the
day for them.
The direct primary filibuster was
part of this tactical blunder, but once
started by the Ada county delegation
it could not be stopped and became
no longer a filibuster but a pitched
battle on the primary issue. The
fight proved two things; that most of
the convention favored a modified
convention form and that the pri-
mary election fight will, if necessary,
be accepted as an issue by Republi-
cans.
The supreme court tangle and the
fight over state superintendent were
linked together. This was because
certain leaders of the Gooding fac
tion had pledged to Ryan-for-justice
supporters block of votes from the
T. Bailey Lee-for-justice crowd in re-
turn for three Gooding votes. This
wing of the Gooding crowd wanted
Frederick S. Randall for the regular
term, T. Bailey Lee for the provis-
ional six-year term and Ryan for the
provisional four-year term.
In order to help beat this combina-
ton, Senator Whitcomb of Lemhi
county refused to present the name
of his county's candidate, Lennon,
and threw that support to William
A. Lee. To save Judge Mccarthy |
from antagonism by this faction, Ada
and other counties compromised |
their votes on state superintendent |
and the name of Ryan was not pre-
sented.
The effect of this compromise was |
shown in the state superintendent |
fight when Ada county was forced in
part to join the fight of a south
eastern Idaho group against Miss
Redfield. This fight was the real
sensation of the convention, a strong |
organization having been perfected |
to defeat Miss Redfield.
Twin Falls started the machine by
nominating Mrs. Leona M. Logue.
Seconding speeches broke from all
parts of the house, giving the impress
sion that the fight was general.
But North Idaho sprang to Miss
Redfield's support, demanding that
the territory involving Idaho, Nez
Perez and adjacant counties be
represented on the ticket. This gave
those who favored Miss Redfield's
stand on the big Bruneau project,
Zone reason for the fight against
herr an opportunity to start work
and, under cover of impassioned
speeches on behalf Of the mothers of
the state they reached delegations
which, by seconding the Redfeld
nomination, could show that the
leading candidates were not opposing
her. The sentiment visibly changed,
the vote showed a landslide toward
Miss Redfield and Twin Falls county
magnanimously moved that it be