Larsen, Theodore

              Eric Walz History 300 Collection
Why Was The 1937 Ricks College
Bill Defeated?
By Theodore Larsen
October 26, 2002
Box 5 Folder 4
A research paper by Theodore Larsen
Transcript copied by Victor Ukorebi November 2005
Brigham Young University – Idaho
2
The 1937 Ricks College bill was defeated for five reasons. First, Ricks College
met defeat due to competition from a similar bill sponsored by Idaho State College.
Second, the University of Idaho double- crossed Ricks College after promising them
sufficient votes to push the Ricks measure across. Third, the economic situation of the
State of Idaho ensured the Ricks College defeat. Fourth, the negative media coverage led
to a lack of sympathy and to negative attitudes towards the bill, which in turn led to the
eventual defeat of the bill. And lastly, the bill was defeated because of discrimination
towards Idaho Mormons. The purpose of this will paper will be to explore these reasons.
Understanding what the 1937 Ricks College bill was is paramount to
understanding why it was defeated. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter- day Saints
decided, prior to 1931, to turn all church- supported junior colleges over to the various
states in which they resided. 1 Legislation to accept church school owned schools was
easily passed in Utah; however, Idaho Legislatures were apprehensive in their acceptance
of Ricks College at Rexburg. Although local supporters of the college were reluctant to
give “ their college” to the state, because of the church’s ultimatum that the state either
accepts the school or it would be closed, they put forth great effort to change Ricks
College to Eastern Idaho Junior College. 2
The economic downswing of the Depression forced the Church to turn over its
junior colleges. Beginning in 1931, supporters of Ricks College started proposing bills
before the Idaho legislature. 3 Each bill made a gift of the fifty- year old institution and
asked for an appropriation of $ 80,000 to fund the school. 4 The community was actively
involved with each of the bills. John W. Hart, a former republican state senator, and
Arthur C. Porter, a former democratic mayor of Rexburg and owner of the local paper,
3
made a powerful lobbying team. 5 The pair made three trips to Boise during the
legislative year in an effort to push the bill through the House and Senate. 6
The Ricks College bills of 1931, 1933, and 1935 all passed the House of
Representatives but failed in the Senate. The school, however, did not close; it survived,
due in large part of to John W. Hart and the district board of education. Following each
defeat in the Senate, Hart traveled to Salt Lake and convinced the general board of
education to appropriate enough money to keep the school open until the next legislature
convened. 7 The board agreed to appropriate $ 10,000 a year, an extremely meager
amount, to help maintain the school. 8 A letter from the District Board of Education to a
local member of the church demonstrates the financial difficulty the school faced:
As you already know, the Church has had to withdraw from the
responsibility of financing this school. In order to help the community
maintain the school they make us a donation of $ 10,000 a year. Tuition
from students amounts to about $ 8,000. The least budget upon which the
school can be operated is $ 25,000. ( The former budget was $ 40,000 to
$ 60,000.) In order to operate, it is necessary to raise an additional $ 7,000
by local contributions. Committees undertook to raise this money by
entertainments, and have risen [ sic] in this manner about $ 500. Other
committees have solicited from business firms about $ 3,000. This leaves
$ 3,500 for the rest of us. 9
After struggling for six years to keep the school open, 1937 was met with renewed hope
and determination.
Preparation for the 1937 congressional session began no later than the 1935
session was adjourned. Support for the Ricks College bill spread and its supporters
entered the 1937 congressional year with greater hope than any of the previous years.
One of the greatest sources of hope came from John W. Condie, State Superintendent of
Public Instruction. Condie went on record saying that too many high school graduates
failed to continue their education. He was in favor of a junior college system and called
4
for colleges in Rexburg, Twin Falls, Boise, and Coeur d’Alene. 10 Condie’s determination
and influence gave strength to those pushing for the Ricks College Bill.
On 19 January 1937, Arnold Williams, S. Reed Andrus, and Wilford J. Taylor,
representatives from Madison, Bonneville, and Jefferson counties, respectively,
introduced House Bill No. 46.11 The bill met immediate opposition from Representative
W. C. Thornton of Gooding County. Thornton’s plan to donate Gooding College to the
state created competition; the state couldn’t afford to run both schools. Despite
opposition from Gooding and other colleges, however, on 23 January, HB 46 passed the
House of Representatives 30 to 24, a slim margin. 12
On February, Senator L. Y. Rigby of Madison County introduced HB 46 to the
Senate as Senate Bill No. 175.13 In anticipation of another failure in the Senate, the
amount the state was asked to appropriate was adjusted from $ 80,000 to $ 60,000.14 The
1937 bill, unfortunately, was without the support of democratic lobbyist John W. Hart.
Hart passed away between 1935 and 1937.15 Arthur C. Porter, however, was again
strongly lobbying for passage of the bill. His newspaper, The Rexburg Standard Journal,
was used to influence a wide range of people in favor of the bill. 16 Despite the honorable
effort of all those involved, on 27 February, the Idaho State Senate voted thirteen to
twenty- nine to reject the offer from the Church. The defeat brought incredible
discouragement to the people around Ricks College. Hyrum Manwaring, president of the
college, wrote in his journal, “ Ricks College became a forlorn orphan. The Church didn’t
want it and the State wouldn’t take it.” 17 The statement was particularly strong
considering Manwaring’s generally optimistic attitude.
5
Economics was the biggest motivation for HB 46 and SB 175. Ricks College and
its supporters made extreme effort to keep their school open despite the major cut in
funding from the church. Individual members were asked to contribute all the money
they could, above the ten percent tithe they already paid to the church. 18 Senator Rigby
based his introductory argument on the support of State Superintendent of Public School,
John W. Condie, and on the economic situation of the people currently maintaining Ricks
College, saying, “ The southeastern Idaho community needs such an institution, and the
state should assume the burden of operating it, rather than leave that to the members of
the church, who are supporting it now in addition to contributing to the state- operated
institutions.” 19 This issue of double taxation brought fierce opposition from opponents in
the Senate.
Some of the strongest opposition to the double taxation argument came from
members of the church from various parts of Idaho. In the House of Representatives,
Republican Representative Hyrum Lewis of Cassia County made the following argument
in opposition of the bill:
I for one am ready and willing to contribute to the support of this
institution as I have contributed now for many years, in addition to paying
to the State what it needs for education. I am sure the doors of this
institution will not close, regardless of the out come of this bill. We will
carry on in a religious atmosphere, such as is essential in these troubled
times. 20
Members from other areas of Idaho were desirous that the school remain open and under
control; however, unlike the Rexburg- area Mormons, they had not felt the increased
pressure to donate additional funding to maintain the school.
Double taxation accusations also came from non- Latter- day Saint representatives.
King of Canyon County out rightly accused the Mormons. He asked, “ Why are you so
6
anxious to get rid of this school?”, and then he charged, “ I’ll answer that myself. You are
paying double education cost aren’t you? You are paying for state schools and digging
down for this special school.” 21 Such was the nature of the 1937 bill. It faced fierce
competition and met another discouraging loss. However, what it was is only half of the
story.
Understanding what the 1937 Ricks College Bill was makes the question “ Why
was it defeated?” much more interesting. It seems like a very reasonable plan, what did
the state have to lose? $ 80,000 dollars was the amount the State was asked to
appropriate; however, the physical plant of the school was valued at approximately
$ 250,000 and was in a very good condition. 22 Why then, did the State choose to reject
the bill? The first answer comes from the south of Rexburg.
In 1937, Idaho State College, also known as the Southern Branch of the
University of Idaho, decided to separate from “ The University” and become its own four-year
institution. Shortly after HB 46 as introduced in the House of Representatives, a bill
calling for an expansion at ISC from two to four years, and asking for an additional
$ 50,000 for salaries and operational costs, plus $ 125,000 for buildings, was introduced,
creating intense competition for the Ricks College Bill. 23 Both bills passed the House
and were introduced to the Senate on 13 February as Senate Bills 174 ( ISC) and 175
( Ricks). 24
Pocatello Chamber of Commerce papers are evidence that the competition
extended beyond the political to the economic realm. When roll call on the HB 46 was
taken, it was discovered that Bannock County representatives A. Y. Satterfield and Orval
Hendricks vote aye. The Pocatello Chamber of Commerce immediately denounced
7
Satterfield and Hendricks and sent a telegram to Senator B. W. Anderson saying,
“ Satterfield and Hendricks are being seriously criticized for their vote. Don’t make the
same mistake.” 25 Reasons behind the Chamber of Commerce’s support of SB 174 are
obvious. If the bill passed, the $ 125,000 building appropriation would improve the local
economy; if the bill did not pass, Pocatello’s economy would continue to struggle
through the Depression.
Both the House of Representatives and the Senate were divided on the issue.
There were those who opposed Ricks because they supported Pocatello, those who
opposed Pocatello because they supported Ricks, and those who opposed both because
they were against the Senate spending money on education. This three- way division led
to the defeat of both bills in the Senate. Sufficient votes could not be gathered to pass
either one of the bills. Irony arises, however, when a closer look is taken at the
Representatives and Senators who supported Ricks College.
In addition to those bound by geographical and religious sympathies, Ricks
College also drew a significant amount of support from the North. Anderson of Elmore
County, Derr of Bonner County, Erb of Nez Perce County, Friend of Latah County, Neil
of Benewah County, and Whitten of Ada County all voted in favor of Ricks. In addition
to having geography in common, all of these senators were friends and supporters of the
University of Idaho. 26
If Ricks College received votes from Senators who supported the University of
Idaho, how could the University of Idaho have a double crossed Ricks and contributed to
its defeat? On 3 March 1937, after the defeat of both the Ricks and ISC bill, the goals of
the University were revealed. House Bill 443 called for $ 765,000 for the “ purchase,
8
installation, and construction of an engineering building equipment at the University of
Idaho.” 27 The University of Idaho knew that Ricks and Pocatello both had to face defeat
before their bill could stand a chance before the legislature. In order to accomplish the
defeat of both bills, northern senators aligned themselves with the Ricks Senators to
defeat the Pocatello bill, promising in return their support for the Ricks College Bill plus
the support of the other Northern Senators. However, when roll call was taken, it was
revealed that the northern senators had failed to deliver on their promise. 28 When such
vote trading was discovered, Cato the Censor, a political analyst for the Idaho Daily
Statesman, reported:
The fact that there was some kind of deal between Ricks and the University of
Idaho stuck out on the roll call Wednesday like a sore thumb… The conclusion
drawn by many persons was that the Ricks College vote represented the world’s
biggest double cross. The story goes that certain friends of the University
promised Ricks sufficient votes to put it across if the four- year bill for Pocatello
was defeated; that the University then counted noses and decide it had sufficient
votes to lick Ricks also. The fact is that the closest friends of the University-
Senators Neil, Erb, Donart and Anderson – voted for Ricks. The fact they could
not deliver others is not against them, nor is there any direct statement that they
had promised to do so. But it all looks a bit screwy. 29
It is interesting to note that the Idaho Daily Statesman printed this report 4 February
1937. Any doubt of a double cross left in Cato’s mind or the mind of the public should
have been totally erased on 3 March 1937, when the University proposed its bill.
Although the competition from the ISC bill and the double cross from the North
contributed to the defeat of the Ricks College Bill, there are other reasons the bill was
killed. Many argue that the bill would have failed with or without the opposition it faced,
due to the economic situation of the State of Idaho. Many of the legislatures who opposed
the bill did so on these grounds. Senator Blake of Clearwater County said,
9
We have been told that the State can get by without additional taxes. We
can’t, however, if we get the idea that we can increase State Institutions
indefinitely. Where is the money coming from? Our asylums are
overcrowded now; they haven’t the money they need to get by. Are we
going to increase the burden of the state by the addition of another junior
college? 30
Similar opposition came from Senators Just of Bingham County and Hitt of Owyhee
County. Both Senators claimed that too much was spent on education and Hitt went as
far as to call education a racket. 31
The media can also be credited for much of the reason the Ricks College Bill was
defeated. By 1937, the bill was old news. Ricks College supporters tried to gain
sympathy by claiming that the school would have to close if the State did not accept the
funding burden of the school. However, by 1937, any sympathy gained had been lost.
Representative Coker of Lincoln County noted, “ Two years ago it was declared on this
floor that Ricks could not continue with out State support. Today it is still operating isn’t
it?” 32 More loss of sympathy came from pre- bill- introduction media. On 30 January
1937, The Idaho Daily Statesman printed the following mockery of the Ricks College
Bill:
Bigger Red School Houses
We want more college out in the sticks
Coeur d’Alene, Boise, Twin and Ricks
We want the state to furnish dough
To make these knowledge factories go.
Half the profit on gin you’re drinking
Will pave the way for higher thinking. 33
Surely such mockeries wouldn’t have such a dramatic effect on professional politicians
so as to change their vote. It did, however, help determine the attitude many of the
10
senators had towards the Ricks College Bill, which in turn contributed to the final defeat
of the bill.
The last and least- likely reason for defeat of the 1937 bill is because of ongoing
discrimination towards Idaho Mormons. The reason this is the least likely contributing
factor is because some of the strongest opposition to the bill came from other Mormons.
However, the facts can be analyzed to persuade one to believe that it was because of
discrimination. The strongest evidence such as the case would have is the discrepancy in
funding asked for from the State schools and from Ricks. As mentioned earlier, Idaho
State was asking for $ 175,000 and The University of Idaho was asking for $ 765,000;
neither school was offering anything in exchange. In comparison to the other sums,
Ricks was asking a meager amount, only $ 80,000, and in return the State was receiving a
school worth over $ 250,000. Furthermore, the funds Ricks was asking for were for
survival, while the funds the State schools were asking for were for expansion. 34
Nevertheless, such arguments are weakened by the failure of all three bills in the Senate.
Despite the inability to prove discrimination as a real motive, it was, at least for a brief
moment, a real attitude of the LDS people in the Upper Snake River Valley. John W.
Hart, after one of the defeats in the Senate said, “ The legislators, in their wisdom, have
relegated us Idaho Mormons to the roles of ‘ hewers of wood and drawers of water.’” 35
Understandably, many believed the continued defeat of the Ricks College Bill to be
motivated by discrimination.
None of the above reasons can claim the entire reason for defeat of the 1937
Ricks College Bill. All elements combined to keep the school under church control.
Although the treatment of Ricks College seems unfair, looking back it can be said that it
11
was for the better. Ricks College is now Brigham Young University- Idaho and is a four-year,
degree granting institution that is continually expanding into broader horizons.
Ricks College can proudly say that adversity only made it stronger.
12
End Notes
1 Merrill D. Beal, Sixty years of Educational Endeavors in Idaho: Memoirs of
Merrill D. Beal ( Pocatello: Idaho State University Press, 1984), 83.
2 Idaho, Senate Journal ( 1937), 310.
3 Jerry C. Roundy, Ricks College: A Struggle for Survival ( Rexburg: Ricks
College Press, 1976), 135.
4 Idaho, Senate Journal ( 1937), 310.
5 Arthur C. Porter, “ Life Sketch”, Arthur C. Porter Collection, Special Collections,
David O. McKay Library, Brigham Young University- Idaho Library, Rexburg, Idaho.
6 Ibid.
7 Jerry C. Roundy, Ricks College: A Struggle for Survival ( Rexburg: Ricks
College Press, 1976), 140.
8 Peter J. Ricks, Arthur Porter, Oswald Christiansen, Rexburg, Idaho, to
Anonymous Member of the Church, Rexburg, Idaho, 2 February 1931, Crowder
Collection, Special Collections, David O. McKay Library, Brigham Young University-
Idaho Library, Rexburg, Idaho.
9 Ibid.
10 David L. Crowder, The Spirit of Ricks: A History of Ricks of College ( Rexburg:
Ricks College Press, 1997), 177.
11 Idaho, House Journal ( 1937), 74.
12 Pocatello Tribune ( Pocatello), 19 January 1937.
13 Idaho, Senate Journal ( 1937), 310.
14 Ibid and Idaho, House Journal ( 1937), 74.
15 Jerry C. Roundy, Ricks College: A Struggle for Survival ( Rexburg: Ricks
College Press, 1976), 143.
16 David L. Crowder, The Spirit of Ricks: A History of Ricks of College ( Rexburg:
Ricks College Press, 1997), 178.
17 Merrill D. Beal, Sixty Years of Educational Endeavors in Idaho: Memoirs of
Merrill D. Beal ( Pocatello: Idaho State University Press, 1984), 83.
13
18 Peter J. Ricks, Arthur Porter, Oswald Christiansen, Rexburg, Idaho, to
Anonymous Member of the Church, Rexburg, Idaho, 2 February 1931, Crowder
Collection, Special Collections, David O. McKay Library, Brigham Young University-
Idaho Library, Rexburg, Idaho.
19 David L. Crowder, The Spirit of Ricks: A History of Ricks of College ( Rexburg:
Ricks College Press, 1997), 179.
20 Pocatello Tribune ( Pocatello), 24 January 1937.
21 Pocatello Tribune ( Pocatello), 24 January 1937.
22 Rexburg Standard Journal ( Rexburg), 4 February 1937.
23 Merrill D. Bear, History of Idaho State College ( Pocatello: Idaho State
University Press, 1964), 90.
24 Idaho, Senate Journal ( 1937), 310.
25 Merrill D. Bear, History of Idaho State College ( Pocatello: Idaho State
University Press, 1964), 89.
26 Idaho Daily Statesman ( Boise), 4 February 1937.
27 Idaho, House Journal ( 1937), 74.
28 Idaho Daily Statesman ( Boise), 4 February 1937 pg. 4.
29 Ibid.
30 Ibid. 6.
31 Ibid.
32 Idaho Daily Statesman ( Boise), 24 January 1937 Pg. 1.
33 Idaho Daily Statesman ( Boise), 30 January 1937 Pg. 6.
34 Rexburg Stake Presidency, Rexburg, to Senator L. Y. Rigby and Representative
William, Boise, 11 January 1937, transcript type written, Special Collections, David O.
McKay Library, Brigham Young University- Idaho Library, Rexburg, Idaho.
35 Merrill D. Beal, Sixty Years of Educational Endeavors in Idaho: Memoirs of
Merrill D. Beal ( Pocatello: Idaho State University Press, 1984), 83.
14
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Primary Sources
Beal, Merrill D. Sixty Years of Educational Endeavors in Idaho: Memoirs of
Merrill D. Beal. Pocatello: Idaho State University Press, 1984.
Rexburg Stake Presidency, Rexburg, to Senator L. Y. Rigby and Representative Williams,
Boise, 11 January 1937. Type written transcript. Special Collections, David O.
McKay Library, Brigham Young University- Idaho Library, Rexburg, Idaho.
Ricks, Peter J; Porter, Arthur; Christiansen, Oswald, Rexburg, to Anonymous Church
Member, Rexburg, 2 February 1937. Type written transcript. Special Collections,
David O. McKay Library, Brigham Young University- Idaho, Rexburg, Idaho.
Porter, Arthur, Rexburg, to Ira J. Taylor, Boise, 27 October 1936. Type written transcript.
Special Collections, David O. McKay Library, Brigham Young University- Idaho,
Rexburg, Idaho.
Porter, Arthur C. III. Interview by David Crowder, 21 November 1985. Crowder Oral
History Collection, Special Collections, David O. McKay Library, Rexburg ID.
Porter, Arthur C., “ Life Sketch”, Arthur C. Porter Collection, Special Collections, David
O. McKay Library, Brigham Young University- Idaho Library, Rexburg, Idaho.
Idaho. House Journal. 1937. Idaho State Library, Boise, Idaho.
Idaho. Senate Journal. 1937. Idaho State Library, Boise, Idaho.
Pocatello Tribune ( Pocatello). 15 January 1937— 24 January 1937.
Idaho Daily Statesman ( Boise). 18 January 1937— 4 Feburary 1937.
Rexburg Standard Journal ( Rexburg). 4 February 1937
Secondary Sources
Crowder, David. Spirit of Ricks: A History of Ricks College. Rexburg: Ricks College
Press, 1997.
Beal, Merrill D. History of Idaho State College. Pocatello: Idaho State University Press,
1964.
15
Roundy, Jerry C. Ricks College: A Struggle for Survival. Rexburg, Ricks College Press,
1974.