The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1921-03-21
Interesting View
Of Legislature
Continued on page s

fees created were real estate com
missioner and custodian of records
in the department of reclamation
Wholesale retrenchment certainly die
not take place. The blame for this
SO far as it can be placed at all, is tc
be found in the fact that the legisla.
tors had almost as many plans az
there were members and all dis.
agreed with the budget of Governor
Davis in important particulars and
with his plan for raising highway
funds in particular. What this would
have evolved were there no disturb
ing issue it is impossible to- guess,
but there was disturbing issue. The
fight on the primary interviewed and
divided both houses and divided the
majority of the senate from the ma
jority of the house. Neither side
showed calmness and good judgment,
If the object were to get together.
Some Republicans in the house who
were primary men were undoubtedly
in favor of Incorporating some of the
provisions of the senate bill into their
own measure if this could be done
without destroying it, Some senate
members who were opposed to the
primary were willing to let it go at
that rather than create fight inside
the party lines. That house Republic
cans by adopting "sign here" atti-
tude drove moderate anti-primary
men into the opposite camp is beyond
doubt. How much this attitude
was the result of deliberate purpose
and how much the result of the ex-
uberance of the enthusiastic pro-
tagonists of the primary cannot be
told. That both factors entered into
it is beyond doubt. That the Borah
letters contained just enough er,
roneous claims with reference to the !
meaning of the Pocatello platform
to anger the convention men and just /
enough suggestion of 1--WE may carry
this thing out successfully at the next
convention and win on it" to prevent
friends of the primary from carrying
the fight to "the last ditch" seems
clear. Whether so able a politician
as the senior senator did this thru q
misunderstanding of political condi-
lions here, or whether 1t was done
with malice aforethought' is a mat
ter in regard to which every person
may have different opinion.
At any rate, the senate failed to
fight the battle in way that would
win, just as the house had done. Had
the senate tabled the primary bill in
stead of killing it, it would have had
the whip hand. Again, tho badgered !,
to considerable extent, had the up
per house accepted the final offer of
the majority of the lower house to
submit the whole matter to the peo-
pie at the general election it would
have assumed more popular atti-
tude. ] understand very we'll the
position Of the majority. The Re-
Publican party at Pocatello had re-
pudiated the direct primary plank.
The argument that the same party
which locked the door should be al
lowed to unlock it, did not lack
plausibiiity, but very much doubt
It's efficiency as campaign slogan ~
Whatever the cause of the division,
Dy whomsOever brought about and !.
whatever purpose moved those who i.
created the division, the fact that !
he primary was allowed to obscure
,ther issues diverted attention from
hem to such an extent that the best :,
,rains in both houses failed to give :.
hem the consideration deserved. :
Ne, therefore, find the question of =,
etrenchment still unadjusted and a =
ceiling of vague discomfort prevail 8
ng the people in general. 9