The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1912-11-15
THE CASE AT ABERDEEN

Elsewhere in this issue is state
ment that the people Of the Aberdeen
country have decided to make an eff
fort to be cut off of Bingham and be-
come part of the proposed Power
county oh account of dissatisfaction
with the result of the recent election
It is to be expected of course, thai
they are not all of one mind abou,
the matter, but the statement refer
red to indicates a strong public senti
ment to that effect, and since this
question has been brought to public
attention by their press represents
tive, it is proper at this time to an
alyze the situation and determine the
merits of the question and the fair
ness of their decision. 1t Is not q
matter of passing Importance, but in
wolves principles of politics and OF
government that are as broad as the
nation, and are worthy of an extend
ed review
The particular grievance of the
people living in that part of the
county which we shall speak of as
Aberdeen, meaning the country be
low Rochelle, is that they have no
representative in governmental af-
fairs and in the recent election their
candidate for county commissioner
was defeated. In order to punish
Bingham county or to obtain relief
from the conditions complained of,
they propose severing their relations
with rich county that is on good
financial footing, and associate them
selves with new county that is not
to be large, and which has to incur
great expense as do all new counties
in building and supplying themselves
with the necessaries for running
their county government. In addit-
ion to this they must pay their share
of the Indebtedness of the counties
from which the new county is formed
thus starting the new child with a
heavy burden and necessarily high
taxes for long period
It is not claimed that they will
have any advantages under the new
county that they do not have in the
old, except that they will be nearer
their county seat. They will have to
secure representation by the same
means they would anywhere else, and
no community obtains things in poll
tics without an effort.
Aberdeen has an interesting poll
tical history that is in point at this
time, and has a direct bearing upon
the question which they are consid
ering. It's population is made of
sturdy, Industrious people, SO in
dustrious and attentive to their own
vocation of BODYBUILDING and town
building, that they have been neglec-
ting things political and have been
placed at some disadvantage for
which they can blame nobody but
themselves
Most of the settlers on the tract
have come there since the election
of 1906, and in the spring of 1908
the writer observed that there was
great need of roads and bridges for
the large district being laid out in
new farms, and he spent a couple of
days in the section now proposing to
secede from the county, looking after
newspaper business and advising with !
almost every man he met, about the !
necessity for their getting into poll
teal maneuvers early, and pressing
their claim for county commission I
er in or near their community. All |
agreed that this would be the wise
course to pursue, and yet it was not |
until the day before the nominating
convention that any action was taken t
to place one of their number in the
race, and then it was too late. Their
hardness defeated their wishes for
two years.
In the campaign of 1910 they took
in some more territory and placed |
three candidates in the field for state ,
representative. In vain did men
from other parts of the county ap-
peal to them to agree among them t
selves and concentrate their vote up
on one man. All three staid in the
race and SO divided the votes of the
that none Of them were
nominated. They made no effort at
that time to get representation on the
board of commissioners, and so by
failure to agree upon a candidate for
the one office, and by failure to put
forth man for the other, they had
nothing for the past two years.
In the campaign OF 1912 they were
invited to put forth somebody to be-