Elmore County Republican. [volume] (Mountain Home, Idaho) 1910-1915, 1912-05-11

sed through the hands OF many
middlemen, including one of the
, great cold storage companies.
The total toll earned by these
handlers was 80 cents a dozen, or
one cent less than twice the
amount received by the farmer.
1t is such things that have
made the cost of living one of
the real questions in the minds of
the American people today. And
somebo dy has to solve it sooner
or later.
Statistics gathered from all the
world point with more or less
certainty to the conclusion that,
although in the past fifteen years
the rise in the cost of living a
broad has been about I3 per SCENT
or a little more, the rise in the
United States has been about 40
DER cent. Reduced to plain figures,
this means that whereas the Euro
pean citizen S dollar has shrunk
70 about SO cents the American
lollar, measured by purchasing
power Of ne essities, has dwindled
10 about II cents during this
period.
What are we going to do a.
bout it? The answer to that
question will solve all the eco
homie, commercial, and industrial
problems of the next few years
There is one thing perfectly OBJ
gious in the foreground which
is that our peculiar part of the
problem is to discover and cor
rect the causes that have curtail-
ed the buying power of the A
chan that Of the dollar of Europe
merican dollar so much faster
In any case the facts are these !:
We are in many ways most in
efficient nation and our inefficien
y seems to be costing us about
twelve cents on the dollar. This
IS the fundamental reason for the
5ariff reform, for better banking
system, for cooperative buying
and selling-for national thrift.
The "Sunset" contains an ar
Jicle well worth the reading, en-
titled: Boulevards built by Hon
or" Men. The writer says, in
part:
Happy as schoolboys, laughing
and singing while they work, I'M
fettered and unguarded, the hon
" men from Oregon s state pris-
ON are building boulevards and
public highways. In former years,
Dads were built by convict labor
m Oregon, but not under the
honor system. The advanced,
and seemingly extreme prison-re-
form methods of Governor West
have Great d Widespread comment
He has both been condemned and
praised.
Whatever may be said of the
honor" system i'm general, as
applied to road building. it is
pronounced success. 1t is as far
from the old time dull" pen
methods as is the sunlit prison
Of to-day from the ancient dun
geOn.
The basic principle is that
there shoulders in the heart of
every man, no matter how de-
graded, tiny spark Of goodness !;
and that this spark will flash into
flame with the first kindling
touch of human sympathy. 1t re-
moves from the unfortunate ev-
cry stigma of the penitentiary-
places him entirely ON his honor
and allows him full opportunity
to work out his own salvation.
The idea Of turning loose a
oand of convicts or the public
highways was at first favorably
received, even by those who had
,taked their faith in Governor
Vests prison-reform methods.
The state executive let it be
known that such counties, road
building associations or response
bic organizations as desired men
from the penitentiary to work on
the roads, and made the necessa-
ry preparations, could have them
for the asking. 1t was stipulated
that camp must be established
ON or near the section of road to
be constructed-a camp consist
ing of board-floor tents for sleep
ing quarters, mess tent, cook
tent and a blacksmith shop. The
county or association under whose
direction the work would be done
must receive the men at the pris-
on gate and pay their railroad
fare or cost of transportation to
the camp. Also, it must supply