I’ve written before about Fred T. Dubois, fiery U.S. Senator from Idaho 1891-1897, and 1901-1907. He was a zealot about polygamy when he was U.S. Marshall for Idaho from 1882 to 1884, and continued his opposition in his national office. His anti-Mormonism was one reason Idaho Democrats lost the Legislature in 1907, which was why Dubois lost his seat. The newly elected Republican majority Legislature booted Dubois (this was when legislatures named U.S. Senators) and elected William Borah to replace him.
One little-remembered attempt to gin up more anti-Mormon sentiment was a newspaper he started in Boise, called The Idaho Scimitar. It published weekly on Saturdays, beginning with the November 2nd issue in 1907. Its aim was “the moral uplift of the people everywhere.” Advertisers were few. Most notably, in addition to anti-Mormon screeds, the paper published numerous notices about public lands opened up for settlement.
In the final issue of The Idaho Scimitar, on October 3, 1918, Dubois lamented the paper’s end, giving one more stab to the Mormons: “This immediate section of the great Rocky mountain country, Utah, Wyoming and Idaho, is controlled by the Mormon organization politically. To my mind this polygamous and law-defying order is the greatest menace to our immediate civilization.”
His vitriol was not reserved solely for Mormons. He had little use for Indians, particularly Bannocks. In an 1895 article in the New York Times, he was quoted as saying, “The extermination of the whole lazy, shiftless, non-supporting tribe of Bannocks would not be any great loss.” His national office also gave him the opportunity to pass judgement on Filipinos, Hawaiians and “the American negro” in the Congressional Record, decrying their alleged lack of a work ethic.
Dubois lived his final years in Washington, DC, dying there on February 14, 1930. He is buried in the Grove City Cemetery in Blackfoot.
One little-remembered attempt to gin up more anti-Mormon sentiment was a newspaper he started in Boise, called The Idaho Scimitar. It published weekly on Saturdays, beginning with the November 2nd issue in 1907. Its aim was “the moral uplift of the people everywhere.” Advertisers were few. Most notably, in addition to anti-Mormon screeds, the paper published numerous notices about public lands opened up for settlement.
In the final issue of The Idaho Scimitar, on October 3, 1918, Dubois lamented the paper’s end, giving one more stab to the Mormons: “This immediate section of the great Rocky mountain country, Utah, Wyoming and Idaho, is controlled by the Mormon organization politically. To my mind this polygamous and law-defying order is the greatest menace to our immediate civilization.”
His vitriol was not reserved solely for Mormons. He had little use for Indians, particularly Bannocks. In an 1895 article in the New York Times, he was quoted as saying, “The extermination of the whole lazy, shiftless, non-supporting tribe of Bannocks would not be any great loss.” His national office also gave him the opportunity to pass judgement on Filipinos, Hawaiians and “the American negro” in the Congressional Record, decrying their alleged lack of a work ethic.
Dubois lived his final years in Washington, DC, dying there on February 14, 1930. He is buried in the Grove City Cemetery in Blackfoot.
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