Bonners Ferry herald. [volume] (Bonners Ferry, Idaho) 1904-current, 1918-04-30
THE SITUATION
Hemming Deplores Lack of Cooper
alton Between Citizens.
Rushmeade Ranch.
Lox-,-xr uo.o1<l.

Rushmeade Ranch.
Editor Boomers Ferry, Herald:
Dear Sir-In your last issue a
Customer of Bonners Ferry" is com
planning about conditions on the K
V. railway and pleads strongly for
cooperation with Boomers Ferry mer-
chants and farmers. The Times
quotes this matter in a lengthy ed
itorial, showing where farmers and
business men should work together.
Now this part of his letter looks
good to me as l always have
preached this doctrine; but l have
done more, and have tried to put
theory into practice.
The Customer of Bonners Ferry"
remarks that because a couple of
members of the Commercial Club
that this did not mean that all farm
ers felt the same way about it.
AS the originator of the Farmers
Merchants Lunch, at the time mis-
quoted as the farmers and members
of the Commercial Club lunch, ! feel
that the remark is directed at me
personally and | have no objection
to informing the customer of Bon
ners Ferry" that the lunch was a fl
asco because 95 per cent of the
/ farmers who were asked to attend
stated that they chad fed the id
merchants of Bonners Ferry long
enough" Some called them robbers,
some let their wrath take a fling at
the members of the Commercial Club,
others used the expression "grafters"
quite freely, forgetting all the time
the object of the lunch and the fact
that year ago they were the guests
of these, apparently, much despised
Bonners Ferry business men.
But now the Customer of Boomers
Ferry" has freight troubles and his
first step is an appeal to merchants
and business men for help; he alone
of course, can do nothing. This APP
plies, not only to his freight troub-
les, but to all branches of our indus
tries, and the only way to formulate
plans for mutual assistance is
through get together meetings
luncheons, ETC., where ways for bet
tering conditions can be discussed.
have personally tried to investi
the trouble of our marketing facil
tiles, and whereas | can frankly state
that some of the methods employed
~ cur local merchants are not con
ducive towards the building up am
holding of local trade, but they ais,
have considerable right to kick a
some of the wiles practiced by farm
ers in their dealings with them. Al
these little difficulties could be yer,
easily adjusted if an honest effort a
getting together were made; but on
symptom, the fact that the Bonner
Ferry chamber of commerce is rid
culed, abused and neglected by near
: ly all farmers, looks to me as if tn
day of real cooperation between tn
different factions was far distant
True, a farm bureau has been es
\ tablished-how long it will last, o
] of what benefit it will be is prob
lematical; the county agent, needle
more here than in many commun
ties, seems an item of the past wit
little hope for the future-all mat
tiers needing cooperation.
| fail to find an adequate reaso
why a country blest with advantage
in such number as we have in Bour
Diary county should be so far benin
in the progress made by other con
munities with lack of our advar
tages. But l feel sure that the ecu!
toner of Boomers Ferry" will becom
an ardent booster for cooperation
his troubles can be adjusted, even
he did not offer his assistance to til
farmers-merchants lunch or offer I
buy a ticket for same, as this onl
happened in one instance, and tn;
man does not live on the X. V. raj
way. Yours very truly,
A V. HEMMING.