The daily star-mirror. (Moscow, Idaho) 1911-1939, 1921-02-03
GOV. MCCONNELL
RECALLS EARLY DAYS
IDAHO'S "GRAND OLD MAN"
CORRECTS ERRONEOUS STATE
MENT OF BOISE PAPER

OT DOlDE L al EIN~
Last Sundays issue of the Idaho
Statesman, published at Boise, had
of early days in Idaho's capital city
claimed had been used by nine terri
torlal and state governors, including
Moscow's best known citizen, William
IJ. Mcconnell, first United States
senator and second governor elected
after Idaho became a state; The pic
ture of the desk and the big uphol-
stored arm chair which The States
man says have been used in the office
OF the governor since territorial days,
were shown and Governor Mcconnell
says the picture is a good one. The
article also showed the pictures of
nine governors of Idaho, including
one territorial governor.
But Governor Mcconnell says there
are many inaccuracies in the article.
The fine desk shown in the picture
and which is being replaced by
more modern one, was not in use
during territorial days. In fact it
was not placed in the court house
until the third governor of the state
(not territory of Idaho had taken
his seat. The governor was our own
Governor Mcconnell. He says that
when he became governor after hav-
ing been United States senator, sue
ceeding N. B. Wiley, who was elected
lieutenant governor when George l..
Shoup, who had been elected govern
or was elected United States senator
by Idaho's first state legislature,
he found furniture of the most crude
type in the governors office and he
replaced it with the desk and arm
chair shown in last Sundays States |
man. In letter to The Statesman |
Governor Mcconnell gives some in
teresting sidelights on the early days |
of Idaho as a state. His very interest
ing letter to The Statesman follows:
Publishers The Idaho Sunday States
man, Boise, Idaho
Gentlemen:
Your paper dated Sunday morning,
January 80, 1921, contains an article
entitled Modern Furniture Supplants
Historic Desk" Also very good
cut of what purports to be "The
Historic Desk" and also a good rep
resentation of the upholstered chair,
provided for the comfort of the chief
of the state of Idaho by
the second session of the Idaho State
but no such furniture
was provided for the use of the gov
ernors during the territorial days of
Idaho or even during the first two
years after we were admitted to-
statehood AS is we'll remembered by
all the pioneers who came to Idaho
Turing the early territorial days,
rawhide bottomed chairs, homemade
)edsteads, tables and other household
furniture were the simple luxuries t
We enjoyed consequently when the t
'irst capitol building was erected, the t
widest vision of the then territorial v
,fficers and the members of the then I
legislature scared no higher than a g
lesk patterned by the skill and in r
senuity of one of our best mechanics, \
Ben Anderson; his ingenuity devised Y
locker in one side of the desk which t
vas just large enough to hold one l.
Gallon demijohn and secret alcove It
ufficient to contain sundry boxes of c
igars. This desk which was the n
product of the mechanical skill of t
hat royal old timer was made of pine
nd stained brown in imitation of l
Walnut it was placed as near the f
enter of the reception room as could il
e measured by the eye. The adjoin- v
ng room which has in recent years, 6
ntil the new capitol was occupied, I
cen used as the governors private t,
ffice, was furnished with a long "
ONE made table such as travelling c
alesman use to display their samples. Ii
he chairs were of walnut with tin Y
ottoms, the tin being covered by H
plit leather stained brown; these a
hairs were considered very stylish; f;
1ey had one peculiarity which fire. f
uently startled visitors; if an oc- 81
lpant of one of them arose suddenly W
le tin would pop. If you have ever "l
lverted tin pan, and after press W
lg down on the bottom suddenly re- ev
ased the pressure you will under Il
and the action of the chairs in the f.
laho capitol Lii
The old desk which was built by tt
en- Anderson during the early COS B
nd occupied the governors office in
le state capitol until replaced dur h;
g the Spring of 1893, by the more al
odern office desk pictured in your ly
aper, might yet be located in some til
,ivate office in Boise, if an effort kt
as made to do so, and those persons Sc
ho now have it in their possession 10
ould doubtless be willing to con-
ibute it to the Idaho historical de-
lrtment
Very sincerely yours, NJ
w r MCCONNELL