The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1919-11-04

II any one Of these newspapers
should start in on such campaign,
a nearby competitor would do one
of two things-deny everything that
was said, and seek to confuse the
public mind about it, or remain silent
and by that means spread the in
ference that such conditions did not
exist. That has been demonstrated
in many places Blackfo0t being one
of the places that has furnished
many such demonstrations. The rea-
son that competitors do such things
is that they gain the favor of all
those in power who are criticised,
and the richest of the public, or gov
eminent, business is promptly taken
away from the first paper and given
to the one that does the denying and
the defending. The one that is ex-
posing wrongs, loses money till 1t
goes broke or convinces enough of
the mass of the people so they will
rally to it's support. The press of
the state finds it easier and more
profitable to defend the wrong than
to expose it or to publish unpleasant
facts. If one newspaper that had the
confidence of all the other publishers
in the state, If that were possible,
should investigate a department of
government and publish the import
ant facts and send marked copies of
it's paper to all the other 140 pub
fishers of the state, and if it were
good, fair statements of fact such as
the people want and such as they
need in deciding public questions it
would cost the first publisher some
thing like $1,000 chapter to de-
liver the information to his fellow
publishers and most. of them would
run thru it and drop it into the
waste basket. With all the Wanted
power of the press" with all the
opportunity we have for spreading
the truth and speeding up the mil
lenium, the easiest way is to go
backward and downward, and but
for few master minds that forge
ahead and spur us on In good work,
civilization would sink as it is sink
ing in Russia, and as it threatens
to sink thru all the world.
A few days ago I returned from a
week of study in different places in
the state and state institutions l
am going to study some more'of them
and some more of the resources of
the state that are ripe for the har-
vest. | want to sit down and talk
some to the readers of my paper and
to some of the state officials and
reclamation engineers and captains
of industry who have been good
enough to give of their time and
talents to me, and | want to send
marked copies of my paper to lao
editors in the state for while, be-
cause / know that some of them will
read it and disagree with me. Some
of them will read my articles and say
| am always queer, which is true.
Some will read and say it is all right
in theory, but that in practice a man
cannot afford to do so much investi-
eating and then spend $1,000 a
chapter to send the information to
men who will give it scant attention
and make no use of it, and there is
merit in such statement as that.
But | claim that a man loves his
town according to how much he has
put himself into it to improve it. He
much he puts himself into it to make
it better. If l could influence lao
men and fifty politicians-what a
slam!-to put more of themselves
and their best thought into building
better and truer state government
and developing it's resources with
greater speed. life would be sweeter
as | witnessed their work and it's
results.
There are siXty-one institutions
and departments in the state govern
ment, and a man can only learn a
little of few of them in week. I
may not write many chapters.
won't tell you anything | don't know.
The main job is to telLyou what little
| do know and get it to you after all
the time it takes to find it out, and
make living besides.
Hereafter, look for my remarks
on page two or three. The foreman
is fighting for space for the adver-
Users and he says he will let me in
ON one of those pages if | will get
my articles in early. He kicks on
giving up so much space to the
picture and book at the head of this
article, so hereafter look for the
IN am marking below
To be continued