Independent Anti-Mormon Party of Oneida County facts for kids

The Independent Anti-Mormon Party of Oneida County was a small political group in Idaho Territory during the 1870s and 1880s. This party became well-known because of its leader, Fred Dubois. He was a graduate from Yale University and came from Illinois, a state that had also seen strong feelings against Mormons years before.

Why the Party Started

The first efforts against Mormons in Idaho began because people in the northern part of the state, called the Idaho Panhandle, wanted to change the state's borders. They felt that the many Mormon voters in southern Idaho had too much political power. People in the north hoped to either create a new territory with eastern Washington or join Washington entirely.

To keep Idaho together, people in the south joined the anti-Mormon cause. They started a new party in 1879, which was made up of members from different political groups. However, this group did not last long.

New Laws and Actions

When northern Idaho still wanted to join Washington, Fred Dubois, a Republican, brought back the Independent Anti-Mormon Party of Oneida County. In 1884, Republicans had a small majority in the territory's government. This allowed Dubois and other Republicans to form a strong group against Mormons. They could then stop or pass new laws.

That same year, the government passed a law that stopped Mormons from holding public office. On February 3, 1885, this law was made even stricter. It prevented Mormons from voting or serving on juries. Parts of these laws stayed in place until 1982.

In May 1885, Dubois, who was a U.S. Marshal, led a visit to Paris, Idaho, a town with many Mormon residents. His goal was to make sure a new law, called the Test Oath, was followed. This law was used to charge men who practiced polygamy (having more than one spouse).

Dubois later wrote about his time as a U.S. Marshal. He said he was "absolutely obsessed with the Mormon problem." He felt it was his job to make sure the laws were followed by the Mormon people, especially regarding their practices.

However, Dubois's opposition to polygamy seemed to be more about politics. He explained that those who truly understood the situation were not as worried about polygamy itself. Instead, they were concerned about the political power of the Church. He said they used the issue of polygamy as a "great weapon" because it was easier for others to understand than the idea of political control.

Challenges and End of the Party

For eight years, while Mormons were not allowed to be involved in politics, they created their own political party. They did this to fight against the new laws. However, courts that were against them made sure their legal challenges failed. In 1890, Idaho became the 43rd state in the United States, even though many Mormons did not want this.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints officially spoke out against polygamy twice, with the Manifesto of 1890 and the Second Manifesto. After this, the anti-Mormon movement became less important. New issues, like the debate over free silver (a money policy) and ideas about protecting nature, took center stage.

Only Fred Dubois tried to restart the anti-Mormon movement later. He did this during his second time as a U.S. Senator, but this time he was a member of the Democratic Party. Dubois's strong focus on anti-Mormonism and his involvement in the Reed Smoot hearings (a political event) led to his defeat. He lost badly to Republican lawyer William Borah. Democrats in Idaho did not recover from these election losses for more than ten years.