The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1917-08-17

Fifteen years ago there was one
newspaper in the territory now con-
shutting Bingham county. 1t was
published weekly and furnished en-
ployment to two men. The manage
men of the paper was not progress
sive, and very little local news ap-
peared in the paper 1t consisted
mainly of patent inside" which is
miscellaneous matter written back
east and published in plate form for
use in all newspapers in all states
at the same time or as soon as they
may wish to use it. 1t is the cheap
est and most useless kind of matter
and is usually termed "boiler plate, !"
by printers. It's chief usefulness was
to fill up space in newspapers before
the price of paper advanced. At the
time spoken of, the Blackfoot paper
used "boiler plate" a lot of patent
medicine advertising matter, some
local news, some local advertising
and it printed the land notices, the
latter being its best source of in
come. 1t tried to serve the whole
public alike regardless of peoples
religious views.
II.
A new paper was established and
it gave employment to two men. 1t
devoted considerable space to spicy
articles criticising various citizens
and institutions. 1t was extreme IN
what it said about people, and sell
dom confined itself to- the truth. 1t
attacked peoples character and u.s.
ually exaggerated their weaknesses
= beyond all reason, but it usually had
enough of truth in its statements to
enable it to make semblance OF
defense if it should be sued for libel.
On one occasion it attacked the
character of local woman who was
we'll known in the county, and abus-
ed her in a way that could accom-
plish no good even if it's statements
were true. There was no occasion
for the attack, there was no moral
lesson in it for the public or for her,
and if the charges were untrue 1t
was an undeserved suffering to her
and her people. When they consld-
cred bringing charge of criminal
libel against the editor. 1t was found
that in all probability there would be
some evidence offered in court,
which. whether true or not, would be
very humiliating to her, and even
tho she refuted it, the worst side OF
of it would be told and retold about
the county for weeks and thus reflect
upon her, and she and her people
decided to bear the sorrow in silence.
At one time the editor called at
tention of the public to the statute
that had been enacted against a GER
tain kind of immortality, and stated
that the law was being violated in
the county seat and that it would
have to stop. He indicated some
houses where such practices were
protected, and served notice on all
such yiolators of both sexes, that II
they did not leave town by certain
hour of a certain day, he would
prosecute them one and all. The
matter was the talk of the commun-
ity, youth included, and a certain
class of offenders left town or took
new quarters. While these things
and other matter of like character
were being published, the paper was
in much demand, and the editor
simply made up mailing list OF
everybody in the town and surround
ing country and sent them the paper.
Later on he sent bills for sub
scription and collected the money.
If man refused to pay such Dill
he was slated for a roasting, and got
it at the first opportunity. This made
interesting reading for the others,
and especially those that did not like
the victim of the roast. 1t was gen.
orally considered good sport by all
others till they came in for roast
of some kind, and from that time
on. such articles were looked upon
by them as an abuse of the rights
of the press.
During this time the business of
the newspaper Jagged, it afforded
employment for only two men, and
it was hard to collect bills against
either of the newspapers. Both
papers accepted more foreign adver-
Using as times became harder for
them, and the most Objectionable
kinds of advertising were crowded
into their columns, among them be-
ing not only patent medicine ads.
such as would not be tolerated now,
but stuff that moralists usually de-
scribe as suggestive and calculated
to break down moral worth. For
a long time the community tried to
get rid of one or both of them, but
newspapers are usually hard to get
la ~ 10 fhov uyaut IN remain