The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1900-07-17

= Ou OhO ldIuSHlpS OF q
frontier life, and who took his
chances of life with the savage
and skulking Indians, have pass
ed away within the past twenty
years; trails have given away to
wagon roads; pack trains to
freight teams, and soon, if we
are not mistaken, the wagon
roads will have yield to the rail
road. Twenty years ago Custer
county was in a most prosperous
condition-the now almost des-
erted towns were then thriving
camps, and everybody had plenty
OF money; the laborer was well
paid and the farmer received a
big price for the products of his
farm, but today, under the policy
of a Republican administration
and the gold standard, all but a
few of our mines are closed: lab
or poorly paid; the products of
the farm selling for less than one
one-half its value; the silver and
lead mine owners, most of them,
compelled to abandon their mines
and seek other employment.
All this gloomy condition has
transpired within twenty years.
Year by year conditions have
been growing worse, and Nc
Kinley again nominated on a
gold standard platform. We do
not believe, however-we cannot
believe the people of Custer
county will vote against silver
and their own interest on the 9th
day of November next. Twenty
years is over one-fourth of the
average mans life, yet, during
this time the MESSENGER, has
been issued each week, as regular
as the week came around-it has
been the home letter to those in
different States; it has rejoiced
and mourned with the public; it
has extended congratulations to
the newly welded people of our
communicated has always said
that the bride was charming, "
graceful and accomplished, :"
it has eulogized the departed,
and marked the gladness and
sadness in life; it has always talk
en- and active part in promoting
local and social and business af-
fairs of the community; it has
taken sides in our political af-
fairs, in its defeats and it's vic
tories; it has helped men and
women into Office, and in many
instances without reward or even
thanks; it has helped to build a
fine school building in Challis,
and praised the teachers and the
scholars in the good work they
were doing; it has praised the
good deeds and kind acts of our
citizens, leaving the bad out; it
has called the attention of the
outside world to our vast mining
resources, and has been a factor
in advancing all the legitimate
enterprises of our county; it has
been kicked at and cussed be-
cause it differed with ones opin-
ion, and we have been told that
the paper was good for nothing,
and told many times how we
ought to run the paper; doomed
the Midland railroad without re-
ward, and done thousands OF
things for the interest of our
town and county since volume 1,
No. 1, of the MESSENGER. Dur
ing 90 years many changes have
taken place in Challis. Twenty
years ago Challis was a lively
little town, today it is quite diff
ferent. Within that period Chal-
lis, the main business portion OF
it, was wiped out by fire, and
many other interesting events
have been chronicled since the
year 1880. The MESSENGERS
enteres upon its 21st volume OF
year with the chances favorable
for a change in the political ad
ministration of our country, an6
with it a general revival of bust
ness, prosperity and not advers
ity. There are older papers in Id
aho than the MESSENGER-those
that have stood the storms o1
life longer, but we do not bel
ieve that there are any publish
ing a 48-column paper farther
from railroad, telegraph or tele
phone communication than We
are at this time.