The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1913-01-10
THE Mac HOLD LIBEL.

There is considerable agitation in
this locality on account of the libel
suit recently closed which resulted
in Carl MacHold being found guilty
of criminal libel, and being subjected
to a fine equal to the costs of the
suit, and being sentenced to serve
six months in the county Jail.
There are many people who are in
sympathy with MacHold because
they suspect that he is not getting
justice. We say suspect" and in
many instances this suspicion merges
into a belief just because the person
or persons holding such views have
a tendency to believe Ill of men who
occupy responsible positions or who
are w~ell-to-do, and to uphold a poor
man in whatever he does or whatever
claim he makes just because he is
poor.
1t is we'll enough to regard with
suspicion anyone whose acts are in
question, and 1t is ~commendable to
be alert to see that the poor have a
fair chance to be heard and to be
heard and to be defended If they
need defense, but people who habit
ually defend the weak and condemn
the strong without investigating the
merits of the case, are among the
worst enemies of the poor and OPP
pressed everywhere and especially
under a government like our own
We have been publishing brief
news notices in connection with the
MacHold case or cases, and a few
weeks ago we promised our readers
that we would give a review of the
matter when we could find time and
space for it.. In this article We give
such review, making 1t comparatively
short because MacHold's r in
business and the courts here are such
that a book might be written upon
it and still not cover all Of tilt would
be a story of hard luck and disap-
pointments, of falling out with
friends and finally turning against
them, of forming new friendships
and business relations only to re-
peat the experiences of the others,
of having his former friends and as
~sociates exercise patience and for
bearance and of leaving him alone
whenever they could find a way to do
it, and of the whole public finally be-
come interested or involved In that
their money was being used for i'll
advised litigation that MachCld was
responsible for.
The writer's acquaintance With
.Machold cover a period of about
years, and our relations with
him were always friendly until he
conceived the idea that We were down
on him, and then it became only a
casual speaking acquaintance that
gradually cooled so that Mr.. Mac
hold declined to speak at all. The
writer has no i'll feeling against him,
and regrets his having gotten into
that frame of mind which cuts him
off from many casual friends in the
same manner. men who wish him
success and would be very glad to
see him prosper. We mention these
things SO the reader may not assume
that there is enmity or personal
feelings existing to prompt any
statement in this article. 1t is not
published because we have anything
to express but because it is a subject
of much speculation and of many
i'll advised statements and of many
false statements made by very good
men who do not know what they are
talking about because Of having
been misinformed.
MachOld Career Here.
About the year 1893 Machold
bought a farm east of Blackfoot on
the installment plan and lived ON
the farm for about twelve years. He
was not a very good farmer, not a
very good manager, not tactful in
dealing with people, and always had
q tale of woe. His crops always
failed in whole or in part, and he
always blamed the people above him
for taking his share of the water
when he needed it and for turning
his own water and theirs down the
ditch to flood his fields when the
season for %irrigating had passed.
We believe his statements about the
way the water was handled, were
very largely true. We belive too,
that he brought 1t on partly by the
disagreeable attitude he maintained
toward his. associates in the ditch
company and by his failure to pro-
vide suitable bitches and water box
es and waste conduits to control the
water and by his failure to secure l