The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1920-06-08
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X WHAT OTHERS THINK
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THREE IDAHO MEN MISSED
AN OPPORTUNITY.

| ty Tor ntteen or twenty years. y. "A.
Barton is the general manager Of the
Barber Lumber company, now re-or-l
eanized as the Boise ayette Lum-l
Der company. Mr.. Barton Is . Rel
publican. P. H. Spangenberg Is the
third member of trio that served
on the draft board of Idaho during
the war. m
We do not happen to know Mr..
Spangenberg and his business. Each
of these men had one or more sons
Of the fighting age during the war,
but they were all tempted. Mr.. Hart
had three sons of the draft age, all
married and fathers of children. All
of them were farmers, yet many far
mers having dependents went to war.
These prominent gentlemen sitting
las draft board to review the decisions
of the local boards, did something that
was within the letter of the law but
in violation of the spirit Of the law.
To make it plain, when the case Of Mr..
Harris sons was being reviewed, Mr..
Hart said he was disqualified and took
inc part in the matter, which was ac-
cording to the letter of the law and
also according to the spirity of it.
When Mr.. Barton's sons case came
up for consideration, Mr.. Barton did
as Mr.. Hart, and when Mr.. Spangen-
: berg's sons case was being reviewed.
e he did not sit in. All of this was &C.
n cording to approved form.
: But strange to say, all of these sons
e were exempted and it was possible
e for each son to say of father, "He KEPT
e US out Of war" Reciprocity is . great
y thing in out 0he Republican, party
! and these incidents suggest a fine
i courtesy that may have been over.
f worked. Such impressions was SO
e strong that dismissal from the draft
!. board resulted, and the case went III
on appeal to Secretary Of War New
!. lton D. Baker, thru General Crowder
/ and their Dismissal was at first con
q irmed and then reversed after Mr.
/ Hart had talk with General Crowdel
/ in Washington.
). The opinion or decision written b,
i. Secretary Baker says to Mr.. Har
" that while he was legally right, ant
his action was regular, yet it ap
peared questionable upon the fact 0
it. He was right but it looked wroni
to the ordinary, superficial observer
q and the whole draft board sitting OF
I the case before and after the preliln
e mary consideration by the three faith
Al ers, upheld their decision.
te That reminds us: In the campaign
r. of 1916 in Bingham county, The Idah,
5 Republican told the people that tw,
Is certain members of the Legislature
ID from this county had been getting ap
6 pointments for their own sons to &C
n. as pages in the legislature when tn
n sons of other men not holding offic
r wereapplicants for. the positions. In
stead of distributing the good thing
r. among as many people as possible
these gentlemen kept things all in tn
=. favored families to the etent mention
:. ed. We oppose the principle, not tn
- individual, and put il up to the peopl
Al of the county to show by their vot
~ whether they approved of that thin
~ or not, and these gentlemen who ha
!, been in the habit of being elected b
4. very large majorities were reelecte
by slender margins, notwithstandin
our repeated statements that Will
they were doing things in an autocr;
!. tic and aristocratic way. they were tn
= best qualified men we had for thos
positions. The vote of the people o
=. the matter was rebuke to men i
~ question but an exoneration of til
principle and an acknowledgement {
"a their abilities.
h. During the same campaign Senate
/. Hart was candidate for re-electio
"A in his county, and although he had ei
~ joyed large majorities in other ele,
!; tons he was defeated on that occasio
~ and by the same token-the exercise
the aristocratic idea. People got tire
of it and they delegated him to sta
ae at home one term
nc 1t appeared to be the exercise ,
We this same autocratic or aristocrat
" spirit that operated to keep all of tn
y sons of those three families out d,
We war while others went. Those thrt
~ Idaho men missed big opportunit
ny They had good chance to say. to the
VI sons: "This is our country; it is OF
re country's fight. We have enjoyed Il