Elmore County Republican. [volume] (Mountain Home, Idaho) 1910-1915, 1913-02-15
Revision of Public Printing

them and explain that book TO theil
people. This was the indirect result
of that first advertising, and memor
able booster work for Idaho, fol
Whitman returned Immediately tt
New York for more people, and al
another time he went back to Hin
OILS and returned with a thousand.
/ AS was stated, the first writing OF
printing done in Idaho was on the
lava rocks, but more recent customs
placed it on paper and then the pa
per was pasted on rocks or barn doors
or telephone poles, bearing notice
that on certain dates certain shows
or sheriff's sales would be held
] Changing custom convinced the show
men that people did not stop to read
such things unless it was shown In
gaudy pictures OF great size, and az
the sheriff could not picture his pro
posed sale he places it in the news
paper for people no longer go to the
lavas to look for the record of events
nor stand before barn doors and tele
phone poles to get it, they want to
get 1t from the printed page at home
while resting from the days chase
just as you are doing now.
This being true in the present age
the newspaper should be accepted al
the means of publicity. When Gus
toms change SO that all the people
are losing interest in newspapers ant
most of them are seeking current in
formation by watching the films al
the picture shows, then let the coun
ty clerk herald the doings OF the
county board on the films, let the
school superintendent give the date
Of school elections, and the schoo
board picture there what they have
done with the peoples money, show
| how big a pile is left over or how
their district is "in the hole" and
why. So long as the newspaper IL
the most popular and most conven
i lent medium, let it be the common
carrier for all this information, and
the legislature fix the price or condi
tons for the service.
1t is the duty of government to
protect the weak against the encroach
ment of the strong, the honest
against the acts of the INSCRIPTIONS
and publicity of the acts of public
servants in dealing with individuals
has proven an effective means of pre-
venting the unscruplous from exer.
cising their greed. Acting upon this
principle, the publication of the
acts of state boards, county boards
city councils and school boards has
been advocated. 1t has been re-
CURED of county boards and school
boards, but the plan laid out was
not based upon common sense, and
| the work has fallen into disrepute.
1t Is not only obsolete now but never
was anything else and remedy for the
wrong is suggested in the following
paragraphs. ....s,
The present law requiring school
| boards to publish notice of the an
nual school election to remind peo.
pie OF the day and their duty, should
be done by the county school super.
intendent in one notice SO worded
that it will apply to all, instead OF
having a notice for each district and
| 10 or 20 times as much expense
as Is necessary. Two publications
about three and ten days before the
election are enough.
Publication of commissioners pro
ceedings, condensed in clear, concise
statements showing just what was
done about each matter, and this pub
lished In one issue of paper Of gen
eral circulation In the county, Ii
what is needed.
The trouble with the present law
and custom Is that it Is published fol-
two issues, the second being unnec-
essary, and that it Is not usually
condensed and put in form so that
it is easily read and easily under
stood. There Is shameful waste Of
energy in setting the extra amount oil
type, and it becomes a damage by
being an obstruction to the reader.
When the county commissioners
convention was in session In Boise
in December they spent great deal
of time abusing the press for The big
printing bills of the year. The mem
bers from one county said 1t had cost
$4,000 to publish the proceedings
and they knew that was unreasonable
Others had grievances less remark
able but the consensus of opinion wal
that they ought to 90 back home and
beat the publishers away down OF
their prices. They made no invnsti
CATION to see If the fault was thsll
own, but here Is the condition res
ponsible for a large part o. theil
1 trouble.
In the case OF the four Thousand