OCR Text |
Show LETTER 1'HO.M IDAHO. Khan klin, Oneida County, I. T., Xarch, lth, lis 7 3. fctVEElE Wl.NTEII. Eddort Herald : Up to the 2uth of JaLuary we had but littlo i;ow, and cattic and horses were doing well on th-.- ran'u. Siuce then, however, the wider has bcn very severe, Enow being about two feet four inches on the level, all over this ?c(ion of tho vall- y, an'1 from sis to stveu feet in tin; oanyuns. The pleasant weather in llm fore p-rt of the winter caused the people to be careless, feeding feed-ing their stock ostravagantly. in con-attpjene-o of thi-i, hay became scarce, at;d could hardly bo obtained, at any reuwonablo price. This has caused many animals to suffer; even preventing prevent-ing horses from obtaining feed on the side hill, where tho gr.ss was from one to two feet high before tho snow. One of my neighbors has lost twenty head of horses. This admonishes ui of the necessity of laying up plenty of feed, which abounds in great abundance abund-ance in tins valley. There were thousands thou-sands of acres of ground covered with excellent blue grass which went to destruction de-struction for the want of sojae one to cut and secure it. Tho straw also, 1 which wo had in great abundance, tho threshing being done in the fields, was suffered to go to waste. The last season sea-son was the most abundant for hay and grain we havo had for Bis or seven year?. BREAKING THE BLOCKADE. In breaking the Utah Northern railroad wiow blockade, tho people hero turned out to the tune of some three or lour hundred, as far north as b'ranklio, and south to Paradise, each settlement contributing a portion of her young and old hardy pionccrf. This labor was performed as an earnest of good feeling, for tho property of the Utah Northern railroad. '1 he boys returned re-turned home, jubilant in tho thought that tlicy had been po abundantly favored by a thaw, which made the hill sides bare, so that the slock once more subsist on tho ranirr. The labor on the railroad was a voluntary dona tioc. The good-nat'ired face of superintendent super-intendent bishop Merrill, aided him greatly in tho accomplishment of this great enterprise. This railroad is truly one of the greatest labors that ever has been performed by the people of Box Elder, Cacho, and Oneida oounties; a railroad built on faith, oouplcd with tho labors of an obedient people. We expect, in a few days, to ecc hundreds of men and teams applying the plows and scrapers, for the grading of tho road on as far north as Franklin, and the iron horso snorting op hero by tho 1st of May. TOE LEGISLATURE, I left the oapital of Idaho Territory, on tho 11th of January, and arrived homo on the 15th, in company with my friend, Mr. Stalker, Wo had an agreeable journey homo, though the roads wcro very muddy. Wo had the company of H. O. Darkness, of Port Neuf canyon, Oneida Co., and general Pardee, of Washington Territory. Tho gentlemen were very agreeable companions com-panions to travel with, through a desert, tho whole country being almost uninhabited, lor 250 miles. General Pardee, I think, was formerly a resident resi-dent of Connecticut, and was ca route for that part of tho country to visit his friends. We being introduced as Mormon Mor-mon bishops, afforded an ample subject sub-ject for conversation. I think there was more Bible quoted, during the three days, than I have heard read in Boise city for forty days. However, I will say, I found some very good peoplo at the capital, who wished to accord to the Oneida Co., people their rights, irrespective of their religious faith. The members of tho legislative assembly were, generally, men well qualified to fill the positions assigned them, by their constituents. In tho lower house, of which I had the honor of being a mom bcr, they favored all the bills I presented, present-ed, by passing tho fame with a good majority, 10 to 9, This minority representation re-presentation failing to succeed uguiust good and wholesome enactments, influenced influ-enced tho members of tho council in such a manner as to defeat three important im-portant bills; namely: Tho relief bill, for school purposes, asking for the relief of over 1,300 children, entitled to school money. The returns of theso districts were not forwarded to tho Territorial comptroller, through the neglect of the school superintendent of Oneida county, he being one of those liberal-hearted men, who wish to deprive de-prive Mormon children of the proportion propor-tion of money, which tho school laws of Idaho Territory grant them. The failure of this bill deprives the children of ovor $1,500. Tho second bill re-proportioned re-proportioned the members of the legislature; legis-lature; its failure deprived the legal voters of one of the most flourishing counties of tho Torritory, of the privilege privi-lege of electing the number of their representatives and members of the council, which the law requires. The other bill divided the county of Oneida Onei-da If it had passed, it would havo been a great blessing to the people of Bear Lake valley. The delegate elect, Hon. John Hailey, member to congress, con-gress, and president of the oouncil, Hon. J. N. Conston, and Hon. P. S. Fonn, speaker of the house, manifested unmistakeable marks of kindness, in aiding such mcasuros as wcro calculated to advance tho interests of this Territory. Terri-tory. L. H. Hatch. |