The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1905-12-01
COMMERCIAL CLUB.
Some OF the Things it Might Accom-.
plisf1 for Blaclfoot.


20 be placed where it is. A commercial
' club was not needed to pull for trade
after the bridge was finished. It came
because of the bridge. A commercial
. club might have done something to keer
. purchasers from going to other points
% farther from their homes than it was to
Biackfoot, but commercial clubs do not
belong to frontier towns as do flour and
: bacon. As a town develops greater
' privileges and opportunities pass in re.
n view.
In 1893 a company was formed to
build canal on the west side of the
river. They made Blackfcot their
| headquarters because of the advantage
of location. During the years which
followed, the projectors and their asso
clates managed to become financially
embarrassed and generally remained so.
Blackfoot merchants lost money, and re-
vlval of the business at intervals brought
periods of activity with more bunglss
and losses.
Finally somebody with money to push
such an undertaking, took hold of the
project, paid old claims, gave people en-
ployment and paid for it, bought goods
and paid for them, stood good for goods
bought by employees on written orders,
protected merchants and increased their
trade The community, blind to their
own interest, blamed tho new manage
ment for the blunders of their predecess.
ors, and kept stories afoat calling their
reliability into Question. When this be-
came too lame a charge to receive cred.
ence, their work was attacked and uues.
tlons and questions were continually
raised as to the construction OF their ir-
rigation works and the value Of their
water right. Prospective purchasers
and settlers were filled with all kinds of
stories and predictions, and many have
been, and are still going away through
fear OF being tricked into buying some
thing worthless. Blackfoot merchants
are loading wagons every day for tho
ditch camps. Certainly they are not do
ing it for fun. Blackfoot hotels frequent.
ly keep parties for days while the livery
men furnish them with vehicles to carry
them about to see the lands in question.
Ii these men stop and talk to people
along the street they viii soon be inform
ed that the project they are interested
in is fake. II they go out and ask some
farmer about it, they soon get the nfor-
nation that the farmer doesn't know
but that he believes their is no water for
this land question. All this keeps the
country from developing, drives trade
away and works hardship on the chief
actors in big enterprise. Naturally
they are looking for some other place to
carry on their business II it possesses
the merit which they claim for it,, some
other town can and will make room for
them. LII it has no merit but is a help to
the twn where they hold forth, some
other town will welcome them. The
time is approaching when they can han
die their business from American Falls,
and if there are the right kind OF push
ers at that place they will be invited to
hurry into town.
A commercial club could have saved
some OF the losses sustained under the
bid management, and it could effectively
'un down and punish every damaging
statement made about the firm which
brings SO much business to town and
which has so effectively protected tho
business men from losses in accounts.
We do not mention this to call forth
my sympathy for the firm in question.
They are able to fight their own battles.
they have had it to do ever since they
anne here. But it is an excellent exam
lie of the manner in which the narrow
plrit of selfish endeavor, prevents busi-
ess from coming to town or drives it
way after it has come with good inten-
ions. 1t affords an illustration of how
asy it would be to draw business and
old it if every man were a booster and
ad some organization through which he
ould be heard when he wanted to make
lggestions for the common good or
ound warning or start an inquiry.
Last March steps were taken to form
lch an organization to do certain work.
tut the plans mapped out by those who
ttended the meetings called for ths
erformance of certain hard systematic
ork and the payment Of certain hard
gal tender by the members. The busy
'ason was at hand, those who were most
earnest about it refused to spend more
ian a few days Of their time mapping
1T plans for the others to criticise, and
eing men Of ability who could take care
themselves anyhow, the whole matter
as dropped.
It is evident that when the matter ID
ken up again, the rank and file OF busi- u