The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1920-10-11
A FEW MISTAKES
OF OUR TOWN

A FEW MISTAKES
OF OUR TOWN
Eight years ago there was mass
meeting at Blackfoot called for the
purpose of considering whether or
not we should lay any paving at that
time. A number of men who were
small taxpayers were agitating for
the construction of good roads and
for street paving. They said it was
time we were trying to make some
thing of the town and they were
right. There was another element
that was more conservative and were
not so much in favor of forging
ahead. Some of the heavy taxpayers
who would have to foot the larger
portion of the bills and whose prop
erty would receive a corresponding
amount of benefit from the develop
Inent of the town, were there and
sounded note of warning and of
caution against too much progress or
taking on too much Indebtedness
that might or might not spell pro
gress.
Enter the Con-
servatives
The spokesman for this conserva-
tive element said it was not the part
of wisdom to go to laying pavement
before we had our water mains. He
said that when the water mains are
laid it would be necessary to dig
trenches and if the trench ground
was overlaid with the bitulithic paw
ing the expense and loss would be
greater, which of course, was true,
granting that the water mains would
be laid lengthwise in the street and
not crOsswise of the streets following
the alleys, as most of them are to be
laid.
The speaker for the conservative
element presented line of reason
ing that was accepted as being right
and proper for us to follow and it
was followed. The Standrod bank
was at that time in course of con-
struction; the basement was finished
and the work was progressing on the
basement walls. 1t was referred to
as courageous venture and a heavy
Investment Men were criticising it's
promoters saying that it looked like
foolish venture to erect such an
expensive building in town that af-
forded so little fire protection as
Blackfoot did at that time. The
building might take fire and burn
down and the fire lighting facilities
would not save it. A good many men
questioned the wisdom of investing
so much money in building in
town like this. They said men had
better not invest their money in
buildings till there was an ample
water system and an ample fire
fighting system. After those things
were obtained would be time enough
to erect expensive buildings. Until |
that time people should get along |
some other way.
,& The meeting was held in what was
called the Commercial club rooms,
fitted up rather deliberately for men
to loaf in. There were plenty of
easy chairs, cuspidors and card tables
for men to sit at while they loafed
and passed the time away. 1t was a
loafers' atmosphere; it was not the
atmosphere Of progress. A conclu-
sion was reached in which nearly
everybody concurred that this was
no time to be planning to lay pave
ment. 1t was no time to be planning
to erect expensive buildings. 1t was
The time to be building water sys-
tenn or waiting until we found some
way to build it. The meeting ad-
journed and the men went home
with the waiting program in their
systems.
Exit, the OPP ,
Six years went by and an election {
Vas called to see whether or not we
,houAu puy IhC WdtCl Wolho duu
to develop it with city |
money or money which the city bor-
owed on the bonding plan. While /
hat question was under considera- '
ion it was said by men who had t
studied the matter that the water {
works could be bought and paid for
without using of the peoples tax a
money; that it was good business 7
proposition. That by using the i
redit Of the city to secure the loan s
t would pay its own way and would b
levelop real water system with F
cal service and the people by pay a
ng their monthly water bills would
'ay for the system A good many h
'eople living beyond the water mains n
easoned that they might be taxed t.
o help pay for the water system or i
rs an1argamants or announcement n