The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1916-04-21
RIGBY STAR
HEARD FROM

HEARD FROM
The Star at Rigby announces the
arrest Of their former county clerk
last week on charge of embezzle-
ment, and said it had come like a
bomb dropping into their little town,
"as great majority Of the citizens
thought everything in the auditors
office was in first class condition"
In that remark The Star apparent
ly admitted that there were some
who knew they were not. All this
Is significant in view of what has
gone before
Four weeks ago The Star stated
that the county clerk had resigned
to accept fine position with an abb
stract company in Montana. The fol-
lowing week this paper twitted The
Star about it and asked them to ex-
plain about certain incident of last
December when the county clerk was
reported to have been mysteriously
mixed with a spool of thread or
something, especially something. We
understood that The Star knew all
about it and helped to suppress the
information and keep it away from
the great majority" When they
made the announcement that the
clerk had resigned ito accept the
fine position in Montana" we under
stood that to be convenient lapse
of memory on the part of The Star
and some of the wise ones not part
of the great majority but who help
to steer and bunco the majority. Wei
reminded The Star that il the retir-
ing county clerk was not entitled to
a clean bill of health 1t was wrong
to give him one, and asked them to
explain about the thread incident.
That paper and its editor maintained
a great silence on the subject until
the aforesaid bomb" dropped in
their little city on the eleventh in
slant. 1t was very kind. Of Editor
Jones to say it was such a surprise
to the great majority, and we take
it that he and his paper were not
q part Of the majority. That being
true, why did he give the retiring
county clerk such a fine goodbye
announcement!
Politics Only
Skin Deep
The Rigby Star has been Repub-
lican paper for many years but has
recently gotten into such frame
of mind that it laid aside its Repub-
licanism and announced that because |
1t had about as many Democrats as |
Republicans on its subscription list, |
it would hereafter be independent In |
politics. The inference is that il it |
finds next year or~at any time, that |
1t has more Democrats on its list |
than Republicans it will thenceforth |
be Democratic. 1t has been supposed |
that it's editor was Republican from
principle, but The Star now gives
out the tip that it may have been
Republican for revenue only, or at
least because of the fact that it was
more popular to be Republican than |
Democratic. If it shall prove to be
more popular to be Democrat lam
pooning the Republicans than to be |
a Republican lampooning the Demo-
Gratis, the people of Jefferson county
are now informed where they can
get the goods. That is very con-
venient brand of politics, and many
there are that have it.
Earning Its
Title
There are several newspapers in
the state that called themselves in
dependent Republicans. We used to
wonder what that meant, and after
studying them and their work from
year to year we reached the conclu-
sion that it meant taking the lines
of the most money and least resist
ence.
No newspaper is entitled to exhibit
the title independent Republican"
unless it has the backbone to stand
up and fight for clean politics and
clean government in the face Of OPP
position from its own party. If it
can point out the wrongs In the party
and among the men in power, il it
can cut off its own income to expose
the grafters elected by the Republi-
can vote, If it can go down to the
bank and borrow money to keep go
ing while it exposes the Republican
grafters and while they are giving
the patronage Of the party to others
to publish nice things about them
selves, if it can furnish the proof Of
what it says, and present it SO clear
" that all but the guilty ones can
see and appreciate the wrongs, II
1t. can come thru the fight and smile
alike at its victories and it's losses,
then it is entitled to be called an
Independent Republican paper. That
is a title that has to be earned by
It's efforts, not by setting line OF
type and printing it on a sheet OF
paper.