Mountain Home Republican. [volume] (Mountain Home, Idaho) 1915-1946, 1921-08-06
CHAPTER XXXVI

CHAPTER XXXVI
Politics in Gilmore county in 1902,
owing to dissatisfaction and dissen-
lions among the leaders as well as
the rank and file of both parties,
seemed throughout the campaign to
be AN unknown quantity.
Hon. K. /. Perky was the choice
of the miners and farmers of the
Wood River country and the upper
levels of Gilmore county as we'll as
the railroad men of Glenns Ferry
for reelection to the district judg-
ship. During the two years he had
presided over the district court his
decisions, marked with strict justice
and legal skill, had secured him so
many warm admirers in both pOliti-
cal parties that Republican leaders
had asserted that in case of Judge
Perky's, nomination for reelection to
that office no opponent would be
nominated by the Republican party.
The anti-Steunenberg wing Of the
Democratic party, comprising gener-
ally the labor element, clamored for
the nomination of Judge Perky.
THE Steunenberg wing of the party
were equally assiduous to secure the
nomination of E. M. Wolfe for the
position. Wolfe was a corporation
attorney, and in 1894, during the
march of the Coxeyites and the A.
r. U. strike, had openely denounced
the labor cause, and had aroused the
ire of the labor unions, and the
wrath of the labor element of the
Democracy, became revived as the
campaign progressed before the pri-
maries.
Fearing a disruption in the ranks
of the Democracy, both Perky and
Wolfe entered into a written agree
ment to the effect that neither OF
them, during the campaign of 1902,
would be a candidate for any state,
district or county office.
This compact, instead of healing
the breach, widened it, and caused
a general feeling of dissatisfaction in
the ranks of the Ants, who declar-
ed that no such stipulations could
bind their side of the Democratic
party.
In the middle of July the Demo-
cratic primaries were held all over
the county, and in some of the pre-
cincts, Mountain Home and Cold
Springs in particular, some extraor-
binary proceedings took place in the
way of voting.
The anti-SteunenbergerS in Noun
tain Home, at the primaries, had a
ticket with the names of jeff ID.
Whitson, j. M. Cowen, B. B. Swan,
pnxro1 ID nonio1 UyhnDnaC MO VITO and
e. G. Helfrich for delegates to the
county convention.
The Steunenbergers or "~straights'
as they were pleased to call them
selves, had a ticket with the names
of e. M. Wolfe, r. P. Chattin, L. l..
Spring, Steve Donovan, Frank Bar
rett and A. Loveridge for delegates
to the same convention.
The polls opened in the afternoon,
the Ants securing the judge, but
said judge had evidently been in
duced to go over to the Steunenberg
faction before the close of the polls,
as was apparent by his remarkable
decisions in conducting that cleo
tion.
Tramps and hobos employed as
hay harvesters never having had any
residence i'm the county, were run 10
the polls in w%agonloads by the
''%straights' and voted. Parties o
Ada county and other outside places
visiting Mountain Home were also
brought to the polls and voted-anu
finally rigs were run to the bagnlos
ON the south side of the track for the
''soiled doves" and these ladies (to
quote the language of one OF Vhe
"straights") were helped out of the
carriages and CALAMITY CD escorted
to the polls by n of two leaders
off the "Steuny" party, where they
deposited their ballots.
Although in every case where ~
legal voters approached the poils
they were challenged by the Anus
the judges overruling the challenges
and accepting the votes.
Four parties who had been Anus
until a week before the primary
were won over to the "~steunys' on
the promise to each of them the nom 4
nation for Shorthand the tour
would-be sheriffs, their wives, thelr {
sisters, their cousins and their motl-
ers and their brothers n their &
uncles and aunts, all worked as IL
the success of their ticket was staKe1 4
Upon them alone. Neither one OIL {
these promised" gentlemen, nom /
ever, received any recognition alter !
the primary. They were "buncoeu I
to a finish by their leaders. ]
The result in Mountain Home was 1
the election of the SteunenDeTg I
straight ticket by Z majority. IN '
addition to other votes cast Tor tnat
ticket were a lot cast by hitherto {
Republicans. The gilmore Repub-
commenting on the way tne !
election was conducted, said that SO G