The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1920-09-27
Beets, Politics and Progress
By Byrd Trego
For the Young People
Chapter XIV

have been criticising the Utah
Idaho Sugar company in this series
and writer's generally agree that it
is very easy to criticise large BUSH
ness institutions and be wrong. They
agree that it is difficult to criticise
large business institutions and be en-
tirely fair and just. At different
times in my life have heard great
deal about speculation, boards of
trade and stock exchanges. II we
were to accept the statements of
some people we should say that they
were an unmixed evil and that banks
and large business corporations gen.
orally are the enemies of mankind.
AT some periods in my life have
been pretty we'll convinced that
there was great deal of truth in
such statements. At other periods
have been filed with regret and
remorse over being led to mistaken
conclusions about such matters.
There Is a certain amount of right
and wrong in all these discussions
and the person who can point out
clearly the real horse-sense, the fair.
honest. upright and safe plan for
treating all those subjects, the safe
and sane attitude to take towards
them, is a very valuable man in the
community If he acts upon his op-
portuhities. If he works in the bot
tom OF coal mine his opportunity
to reach people with his opinions
are not very great. If he is public
/ speaker, or has newspaper at hts
command, his opportunities and his
responsibilities are very much
greater. want to tell you young
folks a story or two that will be
valuable to you as long as you live,
and 1t is the more valuable because
it applies to some things affecting
your business transactions today, to-
morrow and next year.
A long time ago read certain
book, the title of which was "Tit-
combs Letters" The book describes
two kinds of business men. It de-
scrlbes man in business who is al
ways seeking to take advantage of
MS fellow man. 1t describes a man
IN business who is always seeking to
serve and do some good to his fell
low man. 1t describes the life Of
each of those men and told what thew
generally come to at some time in
their career. The things read in
mat book set me to watching the
lives OF men in this county and
wherever / have been, and the les
sons 1t taught me have made this
series OF twenty-four chapters on the
beet question more valuable than
they would have been without that
lesson. Just let me sit back and tell
you story or two. You may wonder
now much it applies to beets, politics
and progress. 1t may seem to wan
der good ways from my subject.
put next year and for years to come
IL Will help you in your enterprises.
Some Business History
Turn back the pages of history a
quarter OF a century and the beet
sugar industry was just being started
In the intermountain country. There
was great stringency in money mat
ters such as we have been trying to
avoid since the close of the war. The
silver and lead mines of Idaho were |
mostly shut down and the miners
were finding their way out to civili-
cation or to the more densely popu-
lated countries looking for employ i
ment. The freight trains coming west
over the Union Pacific railroad had I
many working men stealing rides :
travelling westward looking for en-
oloyment. The freight trains travelling
eastward over the same road found
about as many western men stealing
rides going eastward looking for
'obs. The settlers in our valley were
not raising a single kind of crop I'M
Ter contract at fived market price
such as the price for sugar beets. as
We are raising them now. No kind
u crop that was being raised was
contracted in advance and there was
10 assurance that we should be able
% sell it before it persisted. Thou
lands OF tons Of alfalfa hay were be-
ng offered at $500. $3.50 and 81. 90
ton and scarcely anybody wanted
o buy.
Unemployed men were travelling 1
n and out of Chicago on the rail-
'oads IN such big numbers that It
vas menace to the operation az
rains. Two railroads, the Chicago /
lock Island G Pacific and the {
chicago & Alton. became alarmed &
nd took stringent measures to pro- Il
ect themselves. The Chicago Rock /
STAND put on an extra force of men /
Q Keep the buns of Of their train. X
he Chicago & Alton posted notices t
their depots and along their yards 8
aging, Men may ride the freight. 1
ut for heavens sake keep off of our /
assenger trains" The public, and t
specially the poor people, were o
luch impressed and considered that t
ne Chicago & Alton was a very hui b
lane railroad operated by very hui t.
lane people. The unemployed men a
no were trying to get somewhere q