Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1893-11-10
TALK WITH YERS.
Il Subject of the Utmost Import
dnce to Eres'N Section and
Eceyy Citisen 0f Idaho
County.

The several merchants here have
received letters recently from
parties interested in the Meadows
Mining enterprise in Warrens,
asking the prices of freight, etc,
for eight or ten tons of machinery
and supplies from Grangeville to
Warrens. The parties were desir-
GUS of getting the freight into the
camp this fall, and preferred to
ship by way of Grangeville because
this route is open month later
than the route by way of Weiser
But owing to the bad condition Of
the State wagon road from Flor
ence to the Iron bridge, the mcr-
chants were compelled to report
that the camp was not accessible
by teams from this side; and SO it
happens that the freighters and
teamsters of Camas Prairie are de-
prived of more than five hundred
dollars worth ofmuch needed work
and money in hauling this freight
from Lewiston to Warrens, simply
because gap of five or six miles
of the State wagon road beyond
Florence is impossible. 1t is a
crying shame and a public scandal
that this should be; but so long as
we neglect to repair the roads
between Camas Prairie and it's out
lying mining camps, just so long
we will have to stand the loss
entailed by the trade of those
camps going elsewhere. An ex-
penditure by the county of $500 on
the grade between Florence and
the Iron bridge last spring would
have given Camas Prairie freight
ers several thousand dollars of
freight money during the season,
every dollar of which would have
been spent among the farmers for
feed, the blacksmiths for shoeing,
the store keepers for supplies, etc;
the entire community would
have been benefited, and when the
time for paying taxes came around,
the county treasury would likewise
have benefited in the prompt pay
ment of taxes. George Riebold
has this very month paid $3.50
freight money for the hauling of
his hoisting machinery from Weiser
to Warrcns, every dollar of which
would be circulating in Idaho
county, thereby increasing the
ability of our people to pay taxes,
if that gap on the Salmon river
grade had been repaired. We
know that grievous mistake was
made in accepting that road from
the contractors; we know that the
county commissioners refused to
accept the road from the State; we
also know that it is useless to look
to the State for further appropri-
alton to keep it in repair. And in
spite of it all we hereby put the
FREE Press on record as favoring
and advocating an expenditure of
81 900, if necessary, of county mo-
ney to put that road in permanent
repair, ard such further annual
appropriation as is necessary to
keep it open and passable for
freight teams during the freighting
season. This is the best and short
est, and the earliest and latest
road into and out of Warrens, and
if the people of Idaho county can
benefit by keeping it open, we favor
opening it. The fact that mistakes
We're made in building it some
years ago should not be permitted
to operate forever to the detriment
of our people. Let us bury the
dead past, act in the living present,
and take advantage of existing OPP
portunities to make hay for our
selves while the sun shines.
The public apathy on wagon road
matters in this county is something
without parallel in our experience
of public affairs. The State appro-
PIRATES $4,000 to build wagon
road into Elk City, and $27 900 for
the Little Salmon division. Under
the terms of the act each branch
must be absolutely completed for
the amount appropriated. 1t is
found that this cannot be done.
The State appropriations are in the
nature of clear gift of s35, 900 to
aid in starting enterprises which
have been projected and agitated,
and admitted to be public necessi-
ties for more than 80 years. Any
man of ordinary business sagacity
would jump at the offer of assist
ance to carry out a long-cherished
project to advance his material in
terests, and if the amount was not
quite enough to carry the project
through to completion he would
make any sacrifice to secure the
small balance and go ahead, if
only to show his gratitude to his
benefactor. So one would reason
that the State donation of $50, 900
would stimulate the people of this
county to strain every nerve to get
the benefit of these appropriations,
and If not sufficient to complete
the roads, that they would gladly,
cheerfully and willingly contribute
from the county treasury the small