Evening capital news. (Boise, Idaho) 1901-1927, 1916-01-30

river are not alone worthy of attention
and transportation, but the many pro-
missing and rapidly developing mining
districts in the hinterland of the gold
en- heart of Idaho are to be included as
a notable asset to the revenues of such
railroad lines as may be built here
after The country directly tributary
to the proposed road is endowed with
great mineral resources, and the full
recognition and exploitation of this
source of wealth and revenues is simply
a matter of transportation. The miner
al products of this section have in the
past exerted a greg influence upon
the general progress of the state, and
are destined to be of still greater i'm
portance in the future.
Water Power Available.
Ample water power, cheaply devel
oped, existing at various points on the
line of the proposed railroad suggests
the thought that these power sites
should be located by the state and de-
veloped sufficiently for the installation
of portable plants, not only with the
/ aim of economising in the cost of con-
struction through the heavy work, but
with the ultimate aim of operating the
road by electricity, and furnishing
light, heat and power to the various
industries along the line of the road.
In view of the general stagnation in
railroad construction existing through
out the country at this time. the state
may secure very favorable terms for
the construction of the road bed by
some of the big contractors who have
| mi fhair
hands. or such equipment can be
bought at great bargains and used by
the convict labor In constructing the
road bed
1t requires no great largeness of
vision or depth of foresight to gauge
the great material, economic and social
advantages to be brought about by
linking the two now remote-and to
some extent. hostile-sections of the
state through the construction of this
great commercial highway. The po-
tentfal developments of the region to
be traversed by the road are very great,
and the legislature which inaugurates
this work will hand down to posterlty
the most valuable asset in the posses
sion of the state.
Under existing conditions of what is
termed hostile legislation, we cannot
expect private capital to engage in new
railroad construction, and if we are to
have a railroad line to connect the two
isolated sections of our state, 1t must
be built by the state. We cannot in
definitely stand apart The necessity
for better means of intercourse between
the north and south is admitted on all
hands Wonderful as the growth OF
the state of Idaho has been through
federal aid in promoting irrigation IN
the arid belts. yet its progress has beer
slow in proportion to the almost fabu-
lous resources of which the state il
possessed, in comparison with tho
growth of neighboring states less wei
endowed with natural resources. Thi:
is chiefly owing to the difficulty o.
access and the little that Is known o
the resources of the Idaho hinterland
But though looming to Importance
slowly, it is easy to conceive what the
future has in store when the state Il
linked together with rapid transporta
; ton facilities.
Necessary to Development.
) The first great necessity for growth
, and development Is railroad communi
/ cation connecting the north and south
3 linking up each with the other, tn
great transcontinental railroad sys
TENS which traverse the state in tn
E north and in the south. Our past 20
. litical history shows repeated attempt
E to disintegrate the state of Idaho, an
I there is no true security for futur
e unity and stability but in the easy an
5 direct communication with the differ
: ent sections of the state. We must $
live that we can see and know eac
: other. and the sections must be XII
Q and ligatured by the ties Of materis