Clearwater Republican. [volume] (Orofino, Idaho) 1912-1922, 1917-05-18

built according to S2. 900 of graft, are
mighty delicate things, let us remark
Somebody cracked joke and the mid
die pier settled three feet.
The republican county officials who
were on the bridge when it began to
settle must have drawn long breath
and undermined that pier. Damn
the timber corporations, anyhow.
The Tribune will probably blame
Hinckley for the collapse of the
bridge, charging it to that alleged 81
per thousand assessment of white pine
that the old man talks so much about
The truth is the piers were never put
on anything more substantial than a
gravel bed and the wonder is the
bridge has not collapsed before now.
When it was reported the bridge
had collapsed |. R. Crow sneaked out
to the railroad track, hundred yards
back of the crowd, and viewed the
wreck thru pair of opera glasses.
Even at that he showed lot of nerve.
A less courageous member of the bunch
that built the bridge would have
taken to the tall uncut and kept GO
ing.
The trouble with our bridge is that
the Blake gang spent more time in
vestigating booze than they did tend
ing to county business for the taxpay-
ers. Graft and business never did
go together, and Clearwater county
is paying for her confidence in one of
the most incompetent. corrupt and un-
worthy gangs Of political pirates that
ever double-crossed community.
Samson Snyder and County Com
missioners Choate and Seymour Sny-
der are being blamed by certain local
democrats for the unfortunate collapse
of democratic gang bridge built by
P. H. Blake and his pie counter
briagde of statesmen, with Frank
Zelenka on the job when it was ac-
cepted. The plans for this wonderful
bridge cost $4,000. 1t is now pain
fully evident that our democratic
friends paid entirely too much for
their plans. They are not worth it
How much would it have been worth
to Clearwater county, and particular
ly to Orofno, to have had that bridge
deal thoroughly aired and the whole
rotten deal exposed? Had an Orofino
paper got on the trail and aroused the
people those piers woald have been
sunk as far as public sentiment de-
manded. Believe it or not, the price
of good government is eternal vigi-
lance, and fortunate indeed is the
community or state with newspapers
able and fearless to stand up for the
public interest. Instead of discourage
ing it, encourage it. When the news
papers get Indifferent, the people go
to sleep and grafters wake up.
Another thing, does this not teach
us that it ought to be the business of
the people to know how their public
work is being done; that the people
should know how contracts are let,
what they call for, and how they are
fulfilled? And should this bridge deal
not be a dear lesson to our people,
and should we not lay aside politics
and do a lot of serit us Il liking? :?
Remember it is not bad because it
happened to be democratic gang that
put this deal over on the people. 1t
is bad because it was put over. ard
worse when we stop to consider that
it was deliberately perpetrated with
improper motives. The man who.
more than any other, is responsible,
came back with road culvert deal no
better, and capped his public career
in the county with that Nease cruise
deal that was framed along the same
lines as the bridge deal. with all its
h;deou' aspects. And yet some people
in Clearwater county are not 81 tisfied.
They want to place the same old
Tammany gang back ins control Of
the county, and align themselves with
the same bunch for control of our
village. We are taking this occasion
while our bridge stands as monument
to gang rule, to remind the citizens
of Clearwater county of some perth
nent facts, and to warn them to be-
ware in the future! Woe be the day
the people forget!