The Idaho recorder., 1922-03-03
SENATOR GoODING AND
HIS BROTHER FRED.


recently before congress and passed
up 10 the president for his approval
giving the right to private corpor-
! alton called the Pioneer Securities
company to exchange 100000 acres
of land acquired from the Northefa
Pacific railway and lying along its
right OF way in the northern part of
this state for grazing lanis in other
parts of the state.
This is the familiar method of
taking lieu lands for the alleged pur-
pose of consolidating national forest
and there is nothing wrong about 1t
except where ii Is nisappled as in
this instance apparently ior the pur-
pose In establishing a monopoly 70 in
clude the available watering places.
In the hands Of unscupulous m0nope
oiists such holdings would effectively
shut out the small livestock man from
any use of the public domain by his
cattle, sheep and horses. Fred Good
ing, a brother of United State Senator
Frank Gooding. was the chief pro-
moter of this land "lieuing" scheme,
having the assistance of Homer Fem,
formerly chief OF the Ogden forest
Office, and J. T.. Clinton, Boise
capitalist, said TO be allied with the
Swift livestock interests. Fred Good
ing and his associates went quietly
about getting an option to buy the
railroad lands, for which they agreed
10 pay $3.50 an acre. Their option ex-
pires year hence. Fortifying them
selves for exercising the option the
Goodings, Fred and Frank, are said
recently to have borrowed large sums
of money from the state War Finance
corporation, with which also they were
TO embark In the sheep business in
u larger way than ever before besides
paying for the railroad lands. The
plan worked fine until somebody not
favored enough by these cnterprising
gentlemen made holler and the
whole scheme was revealed in its sor-
did character entirely unworthy of
appreciation. But the two congressman
and the two senator's gave II approval
us II went on its way to the president
for his signature. II was Represent
ative French who introduced the bill.
Fred Gooding and Fem were at Wash
ington lobbying the bill through con-
gress and ready to hold the pen for
Harding as he signed the obnoxious
measure when the explosion came with
the call of mass meeting at the state
house in Boise to denounce IL. OF
course the president will veto the bill
now that the discovery has been made
but IL came almost too late to save
the range rights TO a COOL many small
users thereof. III the bill had been
signed there would have been nothing
TO prevent Gooding and his associates
from gobbling up both sides of the
bordering hills and slopes of the Lem
hi valley, for instance, and thus effect
lively shut Oft anybody else, even the
adjacent landowners who have been
living here for fifty years.
The first state official to call public
attention TO the obnoxious measure
was Miles Cannon. He issued broad
side against 1t. Cannon is the head of
tho state agriculturaf department.
After1ard Governor Davis denounced
the measure to the extent of saying
that the distribution of the lieu lands
in question should be made under the
supervision of the state and not to
secure monopoly to individuals.
The election of Gooding to be Unit
ed States Senator. who probably had
in hand this measure in It's passage
through congress, was the primary
cause of this scandal and only the
blame of negligence on the part of his
associates properly attaches to them.
IL was this mouthy statesman who
went up and down the bounds Of Idaho
rfoclaiming his own patriotism and
high mindedncss against all the hosts
oftdisloyolty opposing him, and un-
fortunately so unworthy man was
elected He employed the same meth
ods to become governor of Idaho at a
time he was not even citizen Of the
United States.
There Is another phase OF this land
grabbing business that will cause COM
ment. The Goodings. when II was
found that a hornets nest had been
stirred up about their heads. sought
cover and went to the state house.
Fred said he was opposed to giving
Instructions to the president of the
Unitei States to veto the obnoxious
measure, yes, stree; he was opposed
To that sort of thing, because that
would leave him with an option 10
buy lot of land that he would have
no sort of use for without being able
90 lieu II in tho manner he was plann-
ing on in the first place.
At this point the governor came
TO his aid by offering TO call an extra
session OF the legislature to take over
tho Gooding option FOR THE GOOD
OF THE STATE, as he says. And so,
you see what an accommodating gov
ernor We have to save his friends from
loss when they buy something they
have no further use for after failing
in their efforts 10 trade il for some
thing highly desirable TO themselves.
For the first time in history Idaho has
been brought in to stan1 for the loser
in n bueket-shop transaction about as
reprehcnsible rs anything of the sort
ever known among gamblers Of any
description.