The Blackfoot optimist. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1907-1918, 1911-10-12


umn article published in the Soda
Springs Chieftain about our con-
temporary, it would seem that
Brother Hildreth, editor of that pa
per did not lack for courage to ex-
press his opinion of the seedless
raisin who publishes the Idaho Re-
publican in this city. Birdie ex-
pressed some doubt as to Hildreth's s
having the courage to roast him.
From the Chieftain's issue of the
9th inst. We would hardly think
there would be room for any doubt
on that subject in the mind of Treg-
let's. We compliment Brother Hill
dreth on his taking an unpremedi-
tated stand on subject. Newspa-
pers generally are conducted and
their editorial columns conform to
the opinions of the editors in charge
of them, and in lieu of an opinion,
if the editor has sufficient intelli-
gence, he conducts his business and
carries the stock both in PAPER land
editorials that will please the ma
jority of the people. Considering the
two cOmbatants in this little skir-
mish of the pen, through their for
merjutterance in their respective pa
pers it would seem that Hildreth
has about four lengths the best of
the argument. He has no doubt a
respect for the laws of his state, and
believes in seeing them upheld.
Like others, ourselves included, he
does not believe that local option is
the panacea for the evil of the liquor
trafficS. but now that it is law, and
is having a better effect on humani-
ty in general he is ready to recog-
nize it as law on the statute books
of the state, and use his efforts to
uphold the dignity of the state bv
helping to enforce this law. Of
course we do not in any way reflect
on the stamina of Spineless Birdlet
for after he has solicited opinions
among his followers and has figured
to a nicely just what stand. he can
take without losing any obituary
cards of thanks, after he has mouth
ed around the populace like lost
sucking colt hunting its mother, he
will come out in bold type and an
nounce that he is on the side that
can give him the most patronage, he
won't say it in those words but it
will amount to the same thing.
Following is the articles written
by the two gentlemen:
There is a Byrd in Idaho which
scientists have failed to name, but a
glance at the following filthy effusion
will convince us that it is of the
"buzzard" family. Good people
of Soda Springs, read the filth that
could. only come from 'sbrain-
storm" editor:
Soda Springs went ''dry'' last
week by a majority of l3 votes.
Soda Springs, the land of sheep
herders and stockmen; the land of
wool buyers and cowboys, formerly
the rendezvous of trappers and tra-
ders; a place where every sport and
tough and bad man rested a few
days and where those who wanted
to see him waited for his arrival.
Soda has never posed as a moral
town. Good men came and went to
attend to their buying and selling
and shipping, but not many of them
brought their families there and
made their homes-just few-a
small population.
A rougher element controlled the
town and set the pace, Many peo-
pie came and went for pleasure, but
as resort it fell into such repute
that the big hotel has generally been
empty. The town furnished liber-
al amount of expense to the county |
in the way of crime and criminal |
prosecution, and newspaper men
who expressed disapproval of disor-
derly things that enlisted in the
town found patronage withdrawn
from the paper, and became impov-
erished and disgusted, and sold out
for what they could get, or locked
up the shop and said 'thirty"to the
Editor Hildreth, the present pub
Usher of THE CHIEFTAIN, took the
paper when his predecessor was be-
ing boycotted for taking a stand that
did not suit a lot of the local men.
Hildreth sought to overcome that
by running the paper to suit the
''wets," and in the local option CAM
paign just closed he used whatever
influence he had to support the vets.
The town itself voted dry, and the
surrounding country voted dry. Hill
dreth had felt the public pulse and