This book on Ross and Idaho during the Great Depression is very enlightening and considers an important person and time in the state’s history. Michael Malone describes the New Deal from the perspective of the state and state government instead of the top-down view typically presented. The New Deal’s effect on Idaho was different then it was for other areas, especially the urban centers of the country that were often the focus of the many of the programs. C. Ben Ross should also not be discounted. Though William Borah was more prominent, Ross was “the central figure of Idaho political life from 1928 through 1938.” His career could be instructional for many current politicians.

Ross was known as “Cowboy Ben” and for good reason. As a young man, he helped to herd 15,000 head of cattle on his father’s ranch between Roswell and Parma in Canyon County. Malone describes Ross as a self-confident egoist with little social life and no hobbies. He was driven to success but also eventually frustration and collapse. Ross’ religious beliefs were a spiritualism that Ross himself described as “Indian Philosophy.” Politically, Ross was not an FDR New Dealer but much closer to the agrarian populists in the mold of William Jennings Bryan who were referred to by many as “prairie Democrats.” Political philosophy was not as important to Ross as the practical workings of government. Eventually, Ross’ individual personal ambition prevails over the needs and desires of the Idaho Democratic Party. He is the one of many Idaho politicians who worked for their own political success over the best interests of their party.

Ross began his political career in 1915 as a Democratic County Commissioner in solidly Republican Canyon County (before the county turned Progressive for the rest of the 1920s) as a promoter of farm-to-market roads and economy and honesty in government. He eventually moves to Pocatello and becomes its mayor within two years. After losing a gubernatorial campaign in 1928 in the national GOP landslide, Ross is elected in 1930 by running against a corrupt, controlling GOP machine but could only carry the Lieutenant Governor with him. Ross called a special session of the state legislature in 1931 for property tax relief (sound familiar?) but also to make up for the loss of revenue in a down economy. The legislature did not, at least at this time, support his sales tax proposal but instead passed an income tax and a “Kilowatt” tax. As governor, Ross was popular for reducing government, including salaries, firing corrupt administrators and fighting against dishonest businesses, such as oil companies who charged more for gasoline in Idaho than surrounding states.

The New Deal and government’s reaction to the Great Depression is as much of the story as Ben Ross. The policies adopted by the Idaho legislature during this time should be reviewed by our current lawmakers to help them learn how to deal with an economic downturn. The policies not chosen (e.g. halting all mortgage foreclosures and a 99-year debt moratorium) are also instructive. The New Deal created a different relationship among the national government, the state government and the people. Instead of the state government being the source of relief for the people, the national government, sometimes on its own but often in cooperation with the state government, was the source of aid to the people in need. This book provides an outstanding description of the new federal-state relationship and especially the problems it created.

Malone provides a thorough description of Idaho in the 1930s from an economic and social perspective. How did the Great Depression affect Idaho? He also does very well, throughout the book, of providing a history of politics in Idaho from 1890 to 1938. Ross decides to take on the most prominent politician in Idaho’s history in 1936, William Borah. This was not Republican versus Democrat race but a fight for the support of progressive, agrarian populists, who both men had appealed to throughout their careers. A strong anti-Ross faction within the Democratic Party and the public’s reverence for Borah spelled the end to Ross’ elected career. All of the other Democrats on the ballot, including FDR, won by large margins. This was a personal loss for Ross but not for the New Deal in Idaho.

Ross dominated “The Democratic Party Era” in Idaho politics during the 1930s. Elected governor to three consecutive 2-year terms, Ross should be considered one of the most influential politicians in Idaho history.

Go Yotes.

Dr. Jasper M. LiCalzi
Professor
Department of Political Economy
The College of Idaho