USA > Idaho > History of Idaho, the gem of the mountains, Volume I > Part 33
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THIRTEENTH LEGISLATURE
The thirteenth session of the State Legislature commenced on January 4th, 1915, and ended March 8, 1915.
Lieutenant-Governor Herman H. Taylor presided over the Senate and A. H. Connor of Bonner County was chosen speaker of the House. Governor Alexander's message, read at the opening of the session, dealt largely with the financial condition of the state, saying, among other things:
"In order properly to serve the people I am compelled to furnish you some ยท facts as they exist in this state. The income of the state, without levying any taxes upon any property, was, in the preceding two years, approximately $1,- 400,000. This money is largely derived from the interest on the sale of state
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lands; the rental of lands, corporation taxes, licenses, Federal aid to the various state institutions, and from other sources. This income increases from year to year. It is used, generally, for the general expenses of the state, for special purposes designated by law, or for purposes for which the Legislature may see fit."
He then discussed the bond issues authorized by the last Legislature ($110,- 000) and stated that the expenditures during the preceding two years exceeded the revenues by at least three hundred thousand dollars. "This enormous def- icit," said he, "has been caused by the lavish expenditure of money and by the board of equalization refusing to follow the long established precedent of conducting the fiscal transactions of the state on a cash basis, by its failure to levy sufficient tax to meet the current expenses of the state government, thereby creating the impression that taxes were low when, in reality, the expenditures of the state government exceeded those of any other (biennial) period in the state's history and no sufficient provision was made for the payment of the enormous outlay."
As a means of retrenchment he recommended fewer offices, especially those of immigration commissioner and the tax commission, "on account of useless- ness;" fewer boards; consolidation of the state board of health with the dairy, food and sanitary department ; also the consolidation of the offices of bank ex- aminer and insurance commissioner; and the reduction of the governor's salary from $5,000 to $3,000 per annum. He also recommended that no bonds be au- thorized during the session, and that a constitutional amendment prohibiting the manufacture or sale of intoxicating liquors in the state be adopted and sub- mitted to the people at the general election in 1916.
Notwithstanding the governor's recommendation that no bonds be authorized, the Legislature passed an act providing for the issue of $200,000 in state high- way bonds, which was approved by the governor. Four new counties-Benewah, Boundary, Gem and Teton-were created at this session ; a game preserve in the counties of Cassia, Twin Falls, Oneida, Franklin, Power and Bear Lake was created and penalties provided for pursuing, capturing or killing certain birds and animals within the limits of said preserve; the banking law was amended ; the office of director of farm markets, with an annual salary of $2,500, was created and an appropriation of $10,000 was made for the use of the depart- ment ; county commissioners were authorized to purchase land for fair grounds ; and two constitutional amendments-one prohibiting the manufacture or sale of intoxicating liquors, and the other providing for a more rapid method of dis- posing of the state lands-were passed and approved.
PANAMA-PACIFIC EXPOSITION
The history of Idaho's part in the great international exposition began in 19II. In his message to the eleventh Legislature Governor Hawley suggested that the Idaho senators and representatives in Congress be urged to use their influence to have the exposition held at San Francisco, Calif. A resolution to that effect was adopted and by the act of March 3, 1911, the governor was ap- pointed a commissioner for the purpose of taking the necessary steps for pre- paring and installing an exhibit of Idaho's products, and to select a site upon the exposition grounds for a state building. A preliminary appropriation of
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$1,500 was made to carry into effect the provisions of the act, and Governor Hawley at the head of a commission appointed by him under that act selected the site for the Idaho building.
In his message to the Legislature of 1913, Governor Haines recommended that the state participate by an exhibit at San Francisco and send only a repre- sentative to the exposition at San Diego, to circulate literature, etc. On March 13, 1913, Governor Haines approved an act making the commissioner of im- migration, labor and statistics the executive officer of an exposition commission, the other two members of which were to be appointed by the governor, and appropriating $100,000, "or so much thereof as may be necessary," for prepar- ing, transporting and installing the state's exhibit.
By a concurrent resolution the Legislature of 1915 authorized the capitol building commission to permit the use of certain furniture belonging to the state by the exposition commissioners, who were to remove and return the same without expense to any other department of the state government. On June I, 1915, Timothy Regan was appointed commissioner by Governor Alexander, and ten days later Harry L. Day was appointed the personal representative of the governor at the exposition. In his message to the Legislature of 1917, Gov- ernor Alexander said :
"Idaho was represented in a proper and becoming manner and notwithstand- ing the appropriation of $100,000, made by the twelfth session of the Legis- lature, was more than half expended when the new commission took charge two years ago, the exhibit from this state was a most creditable one and com- pared favorably with that of any state in the Union, and we are able to report a surplus left in the treasury out of said appropriation of $6,498.40."
The exhibit, except such products as were perishable, was brought back to Boise and placed in the capitol building annex, where it is still kept as a perma- nent source of information regarding the resources of Idaho.
ELECTION OF 1916
In national politics the republican party opened the campaign of 1916 by holding a national convention at Chicago, beginning on the 9th of June. The progressive national convention was held at the same time and place and a con- ference committee from the two conventions tried to formulate a plan by which the two parties could get together. The progressive members of the committee insisted upon the nomination of Theodore Roosevelt for President, and after several meetings the conference committee abandoned the effort to establish har- mony. On the Ioth the republican convention nominated Charles E. Hughes, of New York, for President, and Charles W. Fairbanks, of Indiana, for Vice President. The progressives then nominated Theodore Roosevelt for President and John M. Parker, of Louisiana, for Vice President. Roosevelt declined to accept the nomination and the progressive national committee then indorsed the candidacy of Hughes and Fairbanks.
The democratic national convention, which met at St. Louis, Mo., on June 14, 1916, was conspicuous because of the lack of excitement usually attending national political conventions. President Woodrow Wilson and Vice President Thomas R. Marshall were both renominated by acclamation, no other candidates being presented to the convention.
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The socialist national convention nominated Allen J. Benson, of New York, for President, and George R. Kirkpatrick, of New Jersey, for Vice President. The prohibition candidates for President and Vice President were J. Frank Hanly, of Indiana, and Ira Landrith, of Massachusetts.
Four parties-republican, democratic, socialist and prohibition-nominated candidates for presidential electors in Idaho in 1916. No state ticket was placed in the field by the prohibitionists, the members of that party giving their sup- port to candidates of the other parties who, they believed, would work for the constitutional amendment for prohibition and the enactment of legislation to give that amendment force and effect in the event it received the necessary ma- jority of votes at the election. The prohibition candidates for presidential elec- tors were W. I. Edwards, J. L. Haines, E. R. Headley and Isaiah Williams.
The democrats nominated Harry L. Day, David L. Owens, Frank Martin and John E. Pincock for presidential electors ; M. J. Kerr and John V. Stanley, repre- sentatives in Congress ; Moses Alexander, governor ; Ernest L. Parker, lieutenant- governor ; William T. Dougherty, secretary of state; Clarence Van Deusen, state auditor; S. P. Worthington, state treasurer; T. A. Walters, attorney-general ; Lula S. Carlisle, superintendent of public instruction ; Thomas D. Fry, inspector of mines.
D. W. Church, W. H. Estabrook, E. I. A. Walters and Ignatz Weil were the republican nominees for presidential electors ; Burton L. French and Addison T. Smith were both renominated for representatives in Congress; D. W. Davis was named for governor ; B. M. Holt, for lieutenant-governor; George R. Barker, for secretary of state; George W. Lewis, for state auditor; John W. Eagleson, for state treasurer; M. J. Sweeley, for attorney-general; Ethel E. Redfield, for superintendent of public instruction ; Robert N. Bell, inspector of mines.
The socialist ticket was made up as follows: C. O. Bellamy, C. W. Cooper, D. E. Evans and George Marple, presidential electors; Annie E. Triplow, gov- ernor; Walter H. Willard, lieutenant-governor; Thomas J. Coonrod, secretary of state ; Caroline A. Sparks, state auditor ; Bertha L. Robertson, state treasurer ; John E. Dunlap, attorney-general; Louis A. Coblentz, superintendent of public instruction; James F. Rogers, inspector of mines; Samuel G. Gilliland and Albert B. Clark, representatives in Congress.
John C. Rice and Robert N. Dunn were the candidates for justice of the Supreme Court, to be elected by the nonpartisan method. The former was chosen by a vote of 26,664 to 18,050.
The election was held on November 7, 1916, and resulted in the choice of a mixed ticket. For presidential electors the highest vote received by each party . was as follows: Democratic, 70,054; republican, 55,368; socialist, 8,066; pro- hibition, 1,127. French and Smith, the republican candidates for representa- tives in Congress, were elected by pluralities of 8,841 and 9,452, respectively. For governor, Alexander received 63,877 votes; Davis, 63,305; Triplow, 7,321. The democrats elected the lieutenant-governor, secretary of state, state auditor and attorney-general, and the republicans elected the state treasurer, superin- tendent of public instruction, and the inspector of mines. The prohibition amendment received a majority of the votes in every county in the state and was adopted by a total vote of 90,576 to 35,456. The constitutional amend-
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ment relating to the sale and rental of state lands was also adopted by a safe majority.
FOURTEENTH LEGISLATURE
Governor Alexander's second term began with the opening of the four- teenth session of the State Legislature, which was convened on January 8, 1917, and continued until the 8th of March. Lieut .- Gov. Ernest L. Parker presided over the Senate and B. Harvey Allred, of Bingham County, was elected speaker of the House.
A large part of the governor's message was devoted to the subjects of state finances and irrigation. He referred to the adoption of the constitutional amendments adopted in 1912 giving the people of the state the rights of the initiative and referendum and the recall of officers, and recommended legisla- tion that would render the amendments effective, as well as the enactment of a law giving force and effect to the prohibition amendment adopted at the last general election. He urged the passage of a workingmen's compensation law, "drafted in accordance with the highest ideals of giving adequate compensation to the injured." The anti-trust law enacted in 1911, and the "Blue Sky" law of 1913, he declared to be unsatisfactory and recommended amendments that would give them broader scope and provide heavier penalties for their violation. The message also recommended an act authorizing the game department of the state to purchase the site of old Fort Lemhi for a historical park, to be subject. to the same rules and regulations as Heyburn Park, in Kootenai County.
The most important law passed by the Fourteenth Legislature was the work- ingmen's compensation act, which was approved by the governor on March 16, 1917, nearly a week after the adjournment of the Legislature. This law went into effect as to a state insurance fund on July 1, 1917, and the other provisions became operative on January 1, 1918.
Acts providing for five new counties were passed at this session, viz: Butte, Camas, Payette, Selway and Valley. Four of these counties were afterward organized, but in the proposed county of Selway, to be carved from the north- ern part of Idaho County its creation was submitted to a vote of the people and the majority of the votes was in the negative and the act thus became void.
Some time before this session of the Legislature was convened the Columbian Club of Boise started a movement for a national park of about one hundred acres in the Sawtooth Mountains, to include the country about Redfish Lake and the eastern part of Boise and Valley counties. The Fourteenth Legislature was in- terested in the subject and a memorial to Congress, setting forth the fact that Idaho is the only intermountain state without a national park, and asking for the passage of an act creating the "Idaho National Park," was adopted without a dissenting vote. But Congress was too busy with matters pertaining to the war in Europe to act upon the memorial.
The recommendation of the governor that old Fort Lemhi be purchased for a state park resulted in the passage by the House of a bill authorizing the pur- chase of a tract of land including the site of the fort, but this bill was amended by the Senate in such a way that it could be construed as carrying with it a perpetual appropriation and for that reason it was vetoed by the governor.
Five proposed constitutional amendments were submitted to the people, to
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be voted on at the general election in 1918, to wit: I. Shall there be a conven- tion to revise or amend the constitution? 2. To permit counties and municipali- ties to become stockholders in and give financial aid to fair associations. 3. To abolish the office of superintendent of public instruction. 4. To limit the bonded indebtedness of the state to I per cent of the assessed valuation of property. 5. To provide that cooperative associations should not be governed by the ex- isting constitutional provisions relating to the manner of voting for directors or managers of incorporated companies.
Another important act of legislation by this session was the law providing for the expenditure of $1,000,000 in the construction of a system of state roads.
United States Senator James H. Brady, who was elected in 1914 for the term expiring on March 4, 1921, died and a few days later Governor Alexander ap- pointed Hon. John F. Nugent to fill the vacancy until the next general election. Other principal events that occurred during Alexander's administration were: The completion of the Arrowrock dam and the opening of the Boise irrigation project in 1915; the service of the Second Regiment, Idaho National Guard, on the Mexican border in 1916; and the part Idaho took in the war against Ger- many in 1917-18, an account of which is given in a subsequent chapter of this history.
POLITICAL CAMPAIGN OF 1918
The campaign of 1918 was different from any which had preceded it, due to the entrance into Idaho politics of the non-partisan league. The matter has already been referred to in the preceding chapter in connection with the primary election law. Early in July a convention composed of members of the league from various counties in Idaho met in Boise and there nominated candidates for United States senator, representatives in Congress and the principal state offices, pledging such candidates to become candidates as members of the democratic party in the primary election to be held in September. The candidates so nom- inated complied with the agreement. Many members of the democratic party objected to their action and proceedings were instituted to prevent the league candidates from becoming candidates on the democratic primary ticket, but both the District and Supreme courts held that there was nothing in the law to pre- vent such action being taken.
It was necessary to elect two United States senators in 1918, one for the term of six years to succeed W. E. Borah whose term expired on March 4, 1919, and one for the remainder of the term to which the late Senator Brady had orig- inally been elected. William E. Borah was a candidate to succeed himself on the republican ticket and John F. Nugent appointed by Governor Alexander to succeed the late Senator Brady, was a candidate on the democratic ticket for the short term. Each of these gentlemen was endorsed by the non-partisan league convention. John W. Eagleson for state treasurer and Miss Ethel Red- field for superintendent of public instruction, both candidates on the republican ticket, were also endorsed by the league.
At the primary election Messrs. Borah and Eagleson and Miss Redfield were nominated without opposition, there being no candidates opposed to them in the republican primaries. Burton L. French and Addison T. Smith were nom- inated for representative in Congress from the First and Second Districts, re- spectively, and Frank R. Gooding received a majority of the republican votes
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for the nomination as senator for the short term. D. W. Davis for governor, C. C. Moore for lieutenant-governor, Robert O. Jones for secretary of state, Edward C. Gallett for state auditor, Roy L. Black for attorney general, and Robert N. Bell for inspector of mines, were nominated.
On the democratic ticket Frank L. Moore had no opposition for the long term in the Senate, the non-partisan league having endorsed Mr. Borah, candi- date upon the republican ticket. The straight democrats nominated candidates for all the principal state offices, but a majority of the votes in the democratic primaries were cast for the non-partisan candidates and H. F. Samuels was nominated for governor, O. G. Zuck for lieutenant-governor, W. A. Fife for secretary of state, W. P. Rice for state auditor, E. A. Cummings, for attorney general, and William J. Smith for inspector of mines. L. I. Purcell was nom- inated for representative in Congress from the First District and C. R. Jepper- son from the Second District. Mr. Smith, candidate for inspector of mines, claimed to be a straight democrat, but was endorsed by the non-partisans. For state treasurer, E. L. Parker of Idaho County was nominated and the non-par- tisans failed to put any candidate against him, hving endorsed John W. Eagle- son, the republican candidate for that position.
A memorable campaign followed and charges and counter charges were con- stantly made by the opposing parties. The Spanish Influenza prevailed through- out the state during the time of the campaign and election to such an extent that political meetings were everywhere barred by the local authorities; in fact, during most of the time covered by the campaign meetings of any kind were not allowed in any part of the state, the people not being permitted to assemble on Sunday for church services. Lodge meetings were prohibited and theatres and other public places, including the public schools, were closed. The political campaign was therefore mostly fought through the newspapers. Very many democrats in all parts of the state, including a majority of the members of the state committee and those who as officers had held high position in the party, refused to support the candidates placed on the democratic ticket by the non- partisan league and the result on November 5th was the election of the entire republican state and congressional ticket, with the exception of John F. Nugent, who defeated ex-Governor Gooding for the short term by a majority of 970 votes. For governor Mr. Davis received 57,622 votes and Mr. Samuels 38,502. Judge Budge for justice of the Supreme Court had no opposition and received practically all the votes cast. Frank L. Moore, who ran as a straight democrat against Mr. Borah, received 31,018, against 63,587 votes cast for his opponent.
In nearly all of the counties of the state the non-partisans had selected members of their party to run upon the democratic primary ticket and in many of the counties these candidates were nominated over the straight democrats. As a consequence, a great number of democrats refused to vote for their legisla- tive candidates and the republicans had a strong majority in each House of the Legislature.
GOVERNOR DAVIS' ADMINISTRATION
D. W. Davis, the twelfth governor of Idaho, succeeded Governor Alexander as chief executive of the state on January 6, 1919. Governor Davis was born in Wales in 1873 and came to the United States with his parents, when but two years of age.
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He had little opportunity for schooling, when young, as he went to work in the coal fields at Angus, Iowa, when but twelve years of age. At the age of fifteen years, he became a clerk in a store at Dawson, Iowa, which was owned by the company which organized the mines, in which he had worked, and at twenty-one he became the manager of a store at Rippey. Later in recognition of his business acumen and attention to details, he became cashier of the bank situated in that place. His intense application to business matters caused the impairment of his health and lured by the splendid opportunities Idaho pre- sented, Mr. Davis came West in 1904, and in a short time established a bank at American Falls in what is now Power County. To his farsightedness and judg- ment is due the fact that the attention of many people was directed to the possi- bilities of the great dry farming district surrounding American Falls. Advanc- ing money to those who had the same high courage that he had and who were pioneering in this dry farming movement, Mr. Davis was responsible more than any other one person for the American Falls district becoming one of the great- est producing dry farming communities in the state.
Mr. Davis was elected state senator from Power County in 1912 and sat as a member of that body in the Twelfth Legislature and there made an enviable rec- ord for sound judgment and devotion to the best interests that soon caused him to become prominent in the counsels of his party. In 1916 he was recog- nized by his party as a leader of sound principles and in the primary election of that year, he was nominated for governor. He was defeated by only 572 votes, although President Wilson carried the state by a majority of over twenty thou- sand and a Legislature democratic in both branches was elected, as well as the democratic candidates for all the important state offices. In the primary cam- paign in 1918 Mr. Davis was again a candidate for governor and received the nomination, and at the election in that year received 57,626 votes to 38,499 votes received by H. F. Samuels, his only opponent in the general election, who was running upon the democratic ticket, endorsed by the non-partisans. A great many of the old time democrats in the state refused to support Mr. Samuels, the non-partisan candidate, after he received the democratic nomination and made every effort to elect Mr. Davis, in whom they had the utmost confidence as a man, while disagreeing with his political ideas.
The Legislature of the fifteenth session was republican in both branches and following the suggestions of Governor Davis presented the biggest, completed program of results attending the session of any legislature in the entire history of Idaho and perhaps in the Union, and to which reference will be hereafter made.
At the age of forty-six years, Idaho's governor faces a term as chief execu- tive of a great state during its reconstruction period and little doubt exists, even in the minds of his political opponents, that the record he is about to make will mark an epoch in the methods of conducting state affairs.
The fifteenth session of the Legislature met and organized on the sixth day of January, 1919, M. A. Kiger of Harrison in Kootenai County being elected speaker of the house, and two days thereafter the governor delivered his message. This was a short, business-like document, pointed in its utterances and squarely expressing the desires of the new chief executive. The governor dwelt but
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little upon generalities and devoted almost the entire message to practical mat- ters. After referring to the opportunities of reconstruction brought to the state by the end of the great war with Germany and calling for the creation of a Council of Defense, the governor suggested a memorial in honor of those whose sacrifices and deeds in the army had brought imperishable glory to the state; took strong grounds for the thorough Americanization of all who came to our shores from foreign countries; urged the adoption of the national pro- hibition amendment, as well as the Woman's suffrage amendment to the Consti- tution of the United States; asked for the stimulation of industry by directing public and private enterprise to the immediate construction of necessary im- provements that would afford employment to our citizens ; suggested cooperation with the Federal Government on all lines where Federal aid was extended to the state, including educational aid and highways; urged the erection of proper buildings to supplant the Lewiston Normal School and the Soldiers' Home, both destroyed by fire during the preceding two years, and asked for an appropria- tion to finish the Capitol Building in Boise; asked that the budget system be so perfected by the Legislature that the constitutional provisions in regard thereto could be carried out ; called for the reorganization of the Land Board of the state and the conservation of the state's net resources; the adoption of the new code prepared under the acts of the preceding Legislature; called earnest attention to the crowded condition of the calendar of the Supreme Court and suggested an increase of its membership from three to five judges; and recom- mended the adoption of the short ballot.
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