The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1919-01-24
County Wants Memorial

Applying all of this to Bingham
county and its part in a memorial, /
couple it with desire l have cher
ished to get people together in the
creation of something at the Black
foot fairgrounds that would have the
effect described, and for which |
could find no compelling motive until
the question of memorial began to
be agitated. published something
relative to this creation last winter,
thinking that in q few years from
now, when we get the good roads I
have been proposing, we might carry
such an undertaking to successful
conclusion, and I still think SO. l
think we now have something great
enough to bring us together in the
enort, but whether We come together
or not depends, largely on how big
W1sare inespirit. II we are as big
as olirksoldiers' spirits when they un-
covered in the presence of the statue
of liberty, we can succeed, as they
did. I've
Memorial Site Ready
p The Blackfoot fairgrounds COM
prise about ten acres of ground at
the northern edge of the town, with
a race-track half mile long, and a
base ball diamond in the center. L
would assemble the resources Of this
county in the year 1922 and begin
the erection Of memorial to be COM
pleted in 1925, the centennial an
niversary Of Lafayett's last visit, at
a cost of about two and a half mil
lion dollars. would have the
stockholders of the fairgrounds hold
this property for that purpose against
all offers, and I would have the
builder inscribe their names in a
bronze tablet to be laced in modest
position in the building. would have
Blackfoot and the immediate vicinity
furnish one million dollars to apply
on the cost Of the building and I |
would have the rest of the county
furnish the other million and half, |
Build Liberty Temple
The building itself l would call |
The Liberty Temple and it would be
used for number; of things partak-
Ing Of the nature of a hall, a temple, |
. stadium, colosseum an auditor
lum, q natatorium and public baths.
l would expect to spend as much
lime creating the plans as for the
of the building itself.
| would have the plans so complete
and 80 we'll thought out in every de-
all before construction began, that
10 changes and no remodeling would
,e needed or permitted. would
nave it so perfect in design that it
would be rebuke to people who
,uild hurriedly and then begin to re-
model before their buildings are
lone, and keep on remodeling until
hey finally tear the whole structure
lown and begin over. Even now
here is talk of tearing down the
'ourt house and building another in
ts place, and 1t is a new building,
'nly thirty-three years old. /
American Architects
/ would secure the services Of an
minent architect, the most capable
American could get and If / had
o select from my present knowledge
Il designers Of buildings and land
Gaping, would ask for the services
4 Myron Howard West, of Chicago,
he man who designed the revised
he city beautiful for Rockford, Ill.
rockford has his plans before them
ow and 1t is asking itself whether
has the courage and the millions
0 create in the physical what he
reated for them on paper. +,
don't know much about building,
nd buildings, but IL I had the money ,,
could hire men who do, and could
i've them some ideas to work on so
hey could develop what could not.
were talking to the architect or !.
rchitects about It today would tell
to him or them something like
lis: :
Instructing the Architect
Take these grounds as they are, ,
nd open up road westward to
make river bridge, and another