The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1918-10-11


Best Governed County
| Latah county, in the north, is thu
best governed county in Idaho now
and has held the score for goot
while. Kootnai county is the wors
governed, and Oneida county is gov
erned the cheapest. Oneida is al
old, conservative county, made III
largely Of people VINO lead rathel
QUIET life. Ma1ad, the county seat
is noted for its wealth, its lack Of en-
terprise, its habit Of staying up lat
at night and sleeping late in tn,
morning. At Malad man can get !,
Etax receipt at almost any time aftel
supper, but he can't transact mucl
business about the court house be
lfore noon. They do not take al
Leven start with the rest Of the world
but still they make a day Of it b.
hitching on part of the night.
Cheapest Governed County
Oneida county Is not in debt t
amount to anything. Oneida county
has no road overseers. Oneida county
has built gravel surfaced roads under
direction of q county engineer anl
q competent contractor, who knew
how to surface roads with fine gravel
kThey graded the roads and gravelel
Them, and then used the road drags
when 1t stormed. dragging them
while wet. II a man who was as.
signed a certain piece Of road to be
kept dragged, did not keep up his
work and keep down the expense he
twas relieved of the job. He was
hired by the county to drag his sec.
ton of road while wet, and he drag
ged 1t right or quit. Bingham county
is in its thirty-fourth year and we
doubt If any commissioner or road
overseer In the county knows what
| it, ought to cost per mile to drag
roads for q season.
Worst Governed County
Kootnai county is in the north, and
Couer d'Alene is the capital. It is
the home Of Judge Allshie and the
Couer d'Alene lakes. 1t is the home
OF hne scenery, the I. w. w. and
highly organized union labor. It is
the home Of much pride and vain
|'boasting. Anyone who ever attends
10 state convention has observed that
when q spokesman for KOOtnai del
egaton rises to cast the vote of the
county he always rises with much
flourish and acclaim, and says,
Grand old Kootnai casts seventeen
votes for Squeedunk and four for
Squeedoo," or whatever the names
and numbers may be, and then they
applaud.
In grand old Kootnai they have
organized their county government
under statute that provides for the
county commissioners to be in ses-
sion all the time and receive salar-
les of $1,000 each. Grand old Koot-
mai is poorly governed, and their ex-
Etravagance is a scandal.
Take Hunks Of Money
Bonner county lies north of Koot-
mai, and is no SLOUGH at extravaganza
It's capital is called Standpoint, tho
there is no sand there. It's leading
newspaper" is published in their
much-boasted Standpoint, but the
newspaper has no sand. That is
to say, it's editor has generally stood
in with the ring. He was secretary
Of state when O. v. Allen stole the
statehouse money. The Idaho Re-
publican was criticising county COM
missioners in this county for extra
vagance, and the commissioners Of
Bonner county for buying road ma
chinery and paying more than mar
ket prices for it. Not just a little
more than market prices, but $50
or $40 on the hundred more than
others had to pay. The paper owned
by the secretary of state made light
Of statements of the graft, and when
the Idaho Republican said that the
secretary of states newspaper ought
to be above shielding the grafters,
the secretary of states newspaper
roasted the Blackfoot editor for all
1t could think of and II it overlooked
anything, some of our local moral
ists(?) sent him SUGGESTIONS as to
how he might enlarge upon the
theme. The secretary Of state
learned several things within year
or two, and afterwards made verbal
confession to the Blackfoot editor
that his business had run down and
was in a regretable condition. He
meant regretable from his stand
point, not from ours. We predict
that any mans business will run
down sooner or later If he bitches
up with the grafters or abuses men
who learn what is right and true and
then stand for it..
Bingham county, when classed
with some other counties Of about
its own size, ranks low in point of
government efficiency and financial
condition. This paper has been for
several years pointing out the par
ticular things that make it SO. For
the past few months people have
been receiving considerable proof
that we were right and it is coming
from source that nobody disputes.
We call upon the people Of this
county to join with us in closer
study of conditions SO we may INTEL
ligently apply the remedy.
WAR MOTHERS MET