IDAHO. 



498 ; of lead, 65,752,037 pounds, valued at $2,301,- 

 321. In the output of gold there was an increase 

 over the previous year of $285,891, in silver an in- 

 crease of $334,643, and in lead a decrease of $304,- 

 129, some of the largest lead mines having shut 

 down for some time on account of labor troubles. 



Timber. The State Land Estimator during 1895 

 estimated the timber in 39,480 acres in Latah and 

 Shoshone Counties at 410,297,000 feet, divided as 

 follows: White pine, 144,219,000 feet; yellow pine, 

 25,791,000; white fir. 49,671,000; red fir, 27.386,- 

 000; tamarack, 96,601,000; and cedar, 47,129,000 

 feet. This timber was offered for sale in 1896. 



Fruit Acreage. In April the State Horticul- 

 tural Inspector reported that about 20,000 acres in 

 Idaho are devoted to fruit culture, 6,695 acres pro- 

 ducing apples, 5,632 prunes, 1,838 pears, 1,030 ber- 

 ries, 972 peaches, and 526 cherries, various other 

 fruits being cultivated on the remainder of the 20,- 

 000 acres. From experiments he has conducted he 

 says that Idaho soil will produce an average of 17 

 tons of sugar beets to an acre, the Idaho product 

 containing from 17 to 21 per cent, of saccharine 

 matter. 



Live Stock. The United States Department of 

 Agriculture in July estimated the number and 

 value of farm animals in the State as follows : 

 Horses, 134,705, value $3,328,570; milch cows, 28,- 

 34, value $567,689 ; oxen and other cattle, 395,s.V.>, 

 value $5,583,492; sheep, 1,011,852, value $2,281,- 

 726 ; and swine, 77,518, value $398,290 ; total value, 

 $12,189,741. 



Political. The Prohibitionists held 3 district 

 conventions, at each of which a presidential elector 

 was nominated and delegates to the National Pro- 

 hibition Convention were chosen. The platform 

 declared for "the complete overthrow and annihi- 

 lation of the drunkard - making business in our 

 country " ; equal suffrage ; the free coinage of sil- 

 ver at the ratio of 16 to 1 ; Government control of 

 railroads and telegraph lines ; the election of United 

 States Senators and the selection of postmasters by 

 direct vote of the people ; the measure known as 

 the initiative and referendum ; and a statutory en- 

 actment for the protection of the Christian Sab- 

 bath. On Sept. 25, at Caldwell, the Prohibitionists 

 nominated the following ticket : For Governor, 31. 

 F. Fowler ; Lieutenant Governor, H. C. 3IcFarland ; 

 Secretary of State, W. J. Boone : Attorney-General, 

 W. A. Hall; Treasurer, I. P. Marcellus'; Auditor, 

 Paul Cann ; Superintendent of Public Instruction, 

 J. PI. Barton; Inspector of 3Iines, David Farmer; 

 Congressman, James T. Smith. 



The Republican State Convention, held at Poca- 

 tello, May 16, to select delegates to the national 

 convention, adopted resolutions approving the ac- 

 tion of Senator Dubois in the Senate " in behalf of 

 the free coinage of silver and protection to Ameri- 

 can industry and reciprocity, one and inseparable " ; 

 demanding "that the United States, independent of 

 any other nation on earth, immediately reinstate 

 silver to all its rights, powers, and privileges as 

 money at the ratio of 16 to 1 " ; favoring protective 

 duties especially upon lead and wool ; favoring reci- 

 procity; and declaring "the reinstatement of sil- 

 ver to be the paramount issue in the policy of the 

 United States." On Aug. 8 the Republican State 

 Central Committee convened at Boise City, and the 

 meeting resulted in a division of the committee, 

 both sides reorganizing and claiming to be the regu- 

 lar committee, and both sides filling the vacancies 

 caused by the withdrawal of the other members. 

 The silver Republican* met in convention at Boise 

 City, Aug. 17. and made a declaration of principles 

 similar to those promulgated at the May conven- 

 tion, and in addition congratulated Congressman 

 Wilson " on his able and exceptional work " in 



Congress, and unequivocally approved " the action 

 of Senators Teller, Cannon, and Dubois and their 

 associates who left the national convention," and 

 the nomination of Bryan and Sewall. A declara- 

 tion in favor of equal suffrage also was made. 



At the Republican State Convention, which met 

 at Boise City, Aug. 26, the following nominations 

 were made : For Representative in Congress, John 

 T. Morrison ; Justice of the Supreme Court, Drew 

 W. Standrod ; Governor, David H. Budlong ; Lieu- 

 tenant Governor, Vincent Bierbower ; Secretary of 

 State, Isaac W. Garrett; Attorney-General, John A. 

 Bagley; Auditor, Elmore A. 3IcKenna; Treasurer, 

 Frank C. Ramsey; Superintendent of Public In- 

 struction, Charles A. Foresman ; Inspector of Mines, 

 Theodore Brown. 



On Sept. 26, being dissatisfied with the regular 

 Republican nominations, the silver Republicans 

 named a ticket headed by W. E. Borah for Repre- 

 sentative in Congress, Edgar Wilson for Justice of 

 the Supreme Court, and Frank Steunenberg for 

 Governor. This ticket was filed with the Secretary 

 of State as the regular ticket of a Republican State 

 convention, and the same ticket was also filed by 

 petition as the " electors' Democratic ticket." 



The delegates to the St. Louis Populist Conven- 

 tion were named by the Populist State Central 

 Committee at Boise City, 31ay 28, as well as the 

 time and place of holding the State nominating 

 convention, which met at Boise City on Aug. 18, 

 as did also the Democratic State Convention. 

 Fusion between the People's party and the Demo- 

 cratic party was agreed upon, and a conference 

 committee determined that the t wo , par ties "shall 

 meet in joint convention and form an organized 

 assemblage of electors of the State of Idaho repre- 

 senting the principle of free and unlimited coinage 

 of silver at the ratio of 16 to 1 with gold by the 

 Government of the United States independent of 

 and without waiting for the advice or consent of 

 any other nation, and that such joint convention or 

 organized assemblage of electors so representing 

 such principle shall be known as the People's- 

 Democratic Party Convention, and, as such, nomi- 

 nations shall be made for candidates." The nomi- 

 nations to be made by each party were also agreed 

 upon, and later the following certified resolution 

 from the Democratic Convention was received by 

 the Populist Convention: 



" That it is the sense of the convention that when 

 the Legislature convenes in January, 1897, that the 

 candidate for United States Senator be selected 

 from the present Populist party; and we pledge 

 ourselves to use all honorable means to secure that 

 end." 



Resolutions were passed that approved the plat- 

 form of the national People's party ; denounced 

 the extravagance, incompetence, and corruption of 

 the present Republican State administration; and 

 demanded the enforcement of that article of the 

 State Constitution which declares " that the mak- 

 ing of profit, directly or indirectly, out of State 

 money, or using the same for any purpose not au- 

 thorized by law, shall be deemed a felony " ; favor- 

 ing the adoption of the equal-suffrage amendment : 

 pledging the party to the enactment of such legis- 

 lation as will protect in their just rights the users 

 of water for irrigation; demanding the abolition 

 of the "fee system " and the reduction of State ex- 

 penses to the lowest possible point ; declaring that 

 the use of the public domain for the purpose of 

 grazing is subject to State control; demanding 

 legislation to preserve the public ranges for the 

 benefit of bona fide residents of the State : and 

 favoring the enactment of a law making Slate. 

 county, and city warrants receivable for taxes at 

 their face value, under proper restrictions. After 



