The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1916-08-04
OURHOMEPRECINCTPOLITICS
County Politics in a Bad Way Because Precinct
Politics Are Neglected. This Month the Time
to Plan---September S the Time to Act.
Study Civil Government Together.

deserving the attention of the party
leaders were knowingly passed over
in silence and the county central
committee made up of the precinct
committeeman did not demand any
action Of the chairman and the chair
man did not call for any action of
the committee.
II a party expects to have any in
fiuence in government 1t must be a
live working body. 1t must live up
to the measure Of its opportunities
and its duties. When it shirks them
it necessarily loses power and loses
the confidence of its members and
the public, and they begin to seek
elsewhere for an active working body
to exercise an influence in the opera
lions of the governmental machinery,
1t is not enough for a party to have
the name of being alive and yet be
dead. The transgressors get to know
that the party is dead and finding
themselves responsible to nobody,
they respect nobody, but follow their
own wishes.
In every precinct the voters should
be finding out who they will have to
represent them and their party. A
careful v of the citizenship
should result in a selection, or in
narrowing the selection down SO
close that the official vote on the
fifth of September will give an in
'telligent decision backed by the ma
jority vote.
The people of every road district
take an interest in who shall be road
supervisor. They get out and ride
all over the district with petitions
for this man and that man to be ap-
pointed, and they go before the board
of commissioners and plead with
them and fight with each other, try
ing to get certain results, but this
more important position Of commit
teeman goes begging. The man who
by the nature of his position is the
leader and finally the dictator of
things political in the precinct, is for
gotten at the election and somebody
slips in or holds over because only
two or three thought Of 1t.
The rank and file of the voters
have forgotten about these things IL
they ever knew them. They become
interested in governmental affairs
once in a while and look to somebody
else to do things, when they ought
to have representatives thru whom
they can act. People as a rule, have
so far forgotten how to conduct their
political affairs that they overlooked
the particular acts that were set
aside for them to exercise their
choice, and then after it is too late
they take their choice of various
evils. 1t is necessary at times to study
again the lessons of civil government
and to bestir themselves to apply
them.
! If you belong to a party that yod
wish to continue to work with, dis
card the habit of looking to them, ;
meaning nobody in particular and
get busy with the word "we," mean
in@ the men of our party in our pre-
cinct. Quit saying they" ought to
do sc and so; get busy saying hadn't
I'VE" better talk this over and adopt
a plan that suits us. For the pres
ent month, be talking politics with
your neighbOrs and other residents
of your precinct, and be finding out
who is alive and who best represents
the wishes of the precinct, and be-
fore the fifth of next month, deter
mine who the race is between and
for the honors of representing the
precinct in the councils of your party.
and get it firmly fixed in your mind
that when you go to the polls you
are going to vote upon that matter.
1t will be down at the bottom of the
column where it is easily over
looked.