424 



IDAHO. 



by the laws of Idaho. The term " religion " has ref- 

 erence to one's views of his relations to his Creator, 

 and to the obligations they impose of reverence for 

 his being and character, and of obedience to his will. 

 It is often confounded with the cultus or form of wor- 

 ship of a particular sect, but is distinguishable from 

 the latter. The first amendment to the Constitution, 

 in declaring that Congress shall make no law respect- 

 ing the establishment of religion, or forbidding the 

 free exercise thereof, was intended to allow every one 

 under the jurisdiction of the United States to enter- 

 tain such notions respecting his relations to his Maker 

 and the duties they impose as may be approved by 

 his judgment and conscience, and to exhibit his senti- 

 ments in such form of worship as he may think 

 proper, not injurious to the equal rights of others, and 

 to prohibit legislation for the support of any religious 

 tenets, or the modes of worship of any sect. The op- 

 pressive measures adopted, and the cruelties and pun- 

 ishments inflicted by the governments of Europe for 

 many ages to compel parties to conform, in their re- 

 ligious beliefs and modes of worship, to the views of 

 the most numerous sect, and the folly of attempting 

 in that way to control the mental operation of per- 

 sons and enforce an outward conformity to a pre- 

 scribed standard led to the adoption of the amend- 

 ment in question. It was never intended or supposed 

 that the amendment could be invoked as a protection 

 against legislation for the punishment of acts inimical 

 to the peace, good order, and morals of society. How- 

 ever free the exercise of religion may be, it must be 

 subordinate to the criminal laws of the country, 

 passed with reference to actions regarded by general 

 consent as properly the subjects of punitive legisla- 

 tion. Probably never before in the history of this 

 country has it been seriously contended that the 

 whole punitive power of the Government for acts, 

 recognized by the general consent of the Christian 

 world in modern times as proper matters for prohib- 

 itory legislation, must be suspended in order that the 

 tenets of a religious sect encouraging crime may be 

 carried out without hindrance. 



It was further decided that the legislation in 

 question was entirely within the powers granted 

 by Congress to the Territorial legislature. 



Admission to the Union. The passage of the 

 Idaho Admission bill through Congress was virtu- 

 ally assured by the decision of the United States 

 Supreme Court, above considered, in favor of 

 the validity of the test-oath requirment of the 

 Idaho law. Until it was thereby made certain 

 that the new State, if admitted, "could lawfully 

 control and exclude from power its Mormon 

 population, no one cared to hasten its admis- 

 sion, and the bill slumbered in the House com- 

 mittee. After this decision it was reported to 

 the House, and passed on April 3.. It received 

 the approval of the Senate on July 1, and was 

 signed by the President on July 3. Under its 

 provisions Idaho was declared to be admitted 

 to the Union as a State, with the Constitution 

 framed in July, 1889, and adopted by the people 

 in November, 1889. The boundaries of the new 

 State are defined as follow : Beginning at the 

 intersection of the thirty-ninth meridian with 

 the boundary line between the United States 

 and the British possessions, then following said 

 meridian south until it reaches the summit of 

 the Bitter Root mountains; thence southeast- 

 ward along the crest of the Bitter Root range 

 and the continental divide until it intersects the 

 meridian of thirty-four degrees of longitude; 

 thence southward on this meridian to the forty- 

 second parallel of latitude ; thence west on this 

 parallel of latitude to its intersection with a 



meridian drawn through the mouth of the Owy- 

 hee river ; thence north on this meridian to the 

 mouth of the Owyhee river; thence down the 

 mid-channel of the" Snake river to the mouth of 

 the Clearwater river ; and north on the fnerid- 

 ian which passes through the mouth of the Clear- 

 water to the boundary line between the United 

 States and the British possessions, and east on 

 said boundary line to the place of beginning. 



The State is assigned one Representative in 

 Congress, and two Senators. It is provided that 

 in the first election held for State officers the 

 Territorial laws for registration, including the 

 test-oath law, shall apply. The sixteenth and 

 thirty-sixth sections of the public lands in each 

 township, or sections in lieu thereof, are granted 

 to the State for support of common schools, the 

 proceeds from the sale of such lands to be pre- 

 served as a permanent school fund. This fund 

 is entitled to receive also 5 per cent, of the net 

 proceeds accruing to the United States from 

 sale of public lands in the State. Fifty sections 

 of the public lands are granted in aid of the 

 erection of public buildings at the capital, and 

 90,000 acres are granted for the use of an agri- 

 cultural college. University lands heretofore 

 granted to the Territory are to become the prop- 

 erty of the State. In lieu of the general grant 

 of lands for internal improvement usually made 

 *o new States, the following special grants are 

 made : For the establishment and maintenance 

 of a scientific school, 100,000 acres ; for State 

 normal schools, 100,000 acres ; for the support 

 and maintenance of the insane asylum located 

 at Blackf oot, 50,000 acres ; for the support . and 

 maintenance of the State University, located at 

 Moscow, 50,000; for the support and mainte- 

 nance of the Penitentiary, located at Boise City, 

 50,000 acres ; for other State, charitable, educa- 

 tional, penal and reformatory institutions, 150,- 

 000 acres. None of the lands granted shall be 

 sold for less than $10 an acre. A grant is also 

 made of the Penitentiary at Boise City, Ida- 

 ho, and all lands connected therewith and set 

 apart therefor, and unexpended appropriations 

 of money therefor, and the personal property of 

 the United States now in the Territory of Idaho 

 which has been in use in the administration of 

 ths Territorial government, including books, 

 records and the property used at the constitu- 

 tional convention at Boise City. 



Election. Pursuant to the provisions of the 

 admission act and of the new Constitution, Ter- 

 ritorial Governor Shoup issued his proclamation 

 on July 18, directing a special election to be 

 held on Oct. 1 to choose a full set of State and 

 county officers and a Representative in the fifty- 

 first and fifty-second Congresses. Nominating 

 conventions were at once called by the Republican 

 and Democratic State committees. The Republi- 

 can State Convention met at Boise City on Aug. 

 20, and nominated the following ticket : For Gov- 

 ernor, George L. Shonp; for Lieutenant-Gov- 

 ernor, Norman B. Willey ; for Secretary of State, 

 A. J. Pinkham ; for Auditor, George Robethan : 

 for Treasurer, Frank R. Coffin ; for Attorney- 

 General, George H. Roberts; for Superintendent 

 of Public Instruction, J. E. Harroun ; for Jus- 

 tices of the Supreme Court, Joseph W. Huston, 

 John T. Morgan, and Isaac N. Sullivan; for 

 Member of Congress (both terms) Willis Sweet. 



